Your First Steps Towards A Zero-Waste Home
Words of encouragement for the rookiest: going zero-waste gradually
If you just started your sustainability journey or are beginning to hear about zero-waste living, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed at how different zero-waste products look in comparison to the ones you usually buy, or as to where to find these products or where to start from. But, you don’t have to worry–I got you covered.
You don’t have to go zero-waste from one day to the other. Some people might be able to do that, but others may need to take shorter steps first. In both cases, there is a common goal, and that is what matters.
Taking this into consideration, I prepared this post for the rookiest of rookies, because that is what this blog is all about: accompanying you throughout all stages of your sustainability journey, even as you are beginning it, and understanding that not everyone can make a change from one day to the other.
Admiration is inevitable when seeing the journey of those who don’t have a problem with suddenly changing their habits, but I also appreciate people taking baby steps because it’s a great way of making sure those changes stay. Being constant with these new habits might be a struggle when you embrace them before you’re ready or when you try to entirely change your life in a few days. Making a positive change that lasts throughout time is a much better ambition than making a quick one.
Another thing to consider is that it’s okay not to be perfect. The guilt culture that abounds today can apply to the sustainability sector. In this case, what you need to bear in mind is that perfection is a concept created out of mere collective imagination and is therefore not real. Also, that even if that notion did exist, it would be quite unattainable, and thus many would quit when they faced the struggles that come with it. There would be very few perfect individuals. Now, imagine if no one strived for perfection, and they all did small changes, adding up new challenges when they felt comfortable enough. Many more people would feel courageous enough to dive into sustainability–judgment and guilt free. What adds up more, one perfect person, or hundreds adopting sustainable changes imperfectly?
Exactly.
SUSTAINABLE STEPS TOWARDS A ZERO-WASTE HOUSE
My suggestion to go slowly and take one or a few steps at a time, applies to any area of sustainability. The tips that follow can also be implemented with any products you use at home. They can even be put into action when choosing food products. I’m going to use those as an example.
First, before buying your new eco-friendlier products, finish using the products you own. Using what you already have is imperative in a conscious life. We don’t want to waste something that can still be used.
The following are 2 tips for you to start. They are very approachable and realistic, and they will kick off your sustainability journey in more ways than you can imagine.
Choose Vegan and Cruelty-Free Products
Respecting animals and taking care of them is a very important aspect of sustainability. They are part of the environment, and their well-being goes hand in hand with the planet’s. A world that treats their animals badly, which are a part of the natural world, besides being morally wrong, is unsustainable. We don’t need to use products with animal-derived ingredients or that have been tested on animals, as there are vegan and cruelty-free products that are just as efficient. For this reason, my first tip is to choose vegan and cruelty-free products to start living more consciously.
I’m including both vegan and cruelty-free because they are two different and independent concepts, although, in my opinion, they shouldn’t. A vegan product doesn’t have animal parts or their secretions in them. There are a lot of animal-derived ingredients in the beauty industry, for example glycerin used in soaps, which is usually made with animal fat, or milk protein sometimes used in shampoos. Some vegan products use plant-based glycerin.
On the other hand, a cruelty-free product is one that hasn’t been tested on animals. Animal testing is a horrendous activity that takes place in many industries but is particularly heartbreaking to think an animal can be tortured for a conditioner to go out in the market. Even though I personally believe (by common sense, really), that killing an animal or abusing it to extract ingredients from them for people to have a shiny hair should be considered cruel too, a cruelty-free label doesn’t mean the product is vegan. The product might have not been tested on animals but may contain parts of their body. Similarly, a product may not contain animal-derived ingredients, but might have been tested on animals. Contradictory, but that’s how it is. Therefore, look out for both!
Maybe you will have to try a few products before finding the one that fits you. Make sure to finish the ones you already bought first and throw the empty and clean packaging in the recycling bin afterwards
Choose Products That Come in More Sustainable Packaging
After you have become comfortable with vegan and cruelty-free products–or maybe you can do it simultaneously, as you can find a product that has all three qualities at the same time from the very start of your search–begin looking for products with more sustainable packaging than the brands you always use.
Virgin plastics are a great threat to the environment, and its recycled version is a better choice. Using new plastics for each new packaging that goes in the market contributes to pollution and overuse of landfills. When we support brands that use 100% recycled plastic (make sure it’s not just a small percentage), we are decreasing the demand for those virgin materials that only add up to the problem. A circular, recyclable approach is always preferred, so by buying a 100% recycled packaging, or a plastic-free packaging (even better), we are already helping.
I will give you a few examples of products I found at Target that are vegan, cruelty-free and have a recycled packaging. These are a great start point! Rhyme & Reason sells hair products that are vegan, cruelty-free, that come in 100% recycled packaging, and they donate 1% of their gross sales each year to environmental causes. Target also sells Hey Humans deodorants, a brand that has many personal care products (also including toothpaste, body lotion, and body wash), that are vegan, cruelty-free, and made from recyclable aluminum or paper. The deodorant comes in a paper packaging, a great alternative to plastic. Another product you can try is Hello toothpaste, which is vegan and cruelty-free, and comes in a 100% recycled paper boxes printed with soy-based ink.
These two approaches can already have an impact on the environment, but that’s not the only positive thing about it. It will help you start creating the habit of reading labels, of slowing down before making a purchase, of choosing more consciously, and that is a crucial aspect of a sustainable life. When we buy fast and impulsively, we make wrong decisions, even without realizing it. We support brands that don’t deserve it, that are bad for the environment, and we may end up buying something we ultimately don’t need.
In little time, you will find yourself reading labels before buying something, even with other types of products. You might start reading ingredients on your food more carefully, which will also be good for your health, or maybe detect harmful ingredients in your beauty products. Eventually, you will look for other certifications–B Corp, Organic, etc.
When you are comfortable to take the next step, you can find even more sustainable packaging or even go fully zero-waste. There are better alternatives to recycled packaging (as recycling demands a lot of resources), and that can be your next challenge. You may even be interested in finding more information on what certain brands are doing to be more sustainable, and you may find out some are doing more than others, or perhaps you can start prioritizing certifications over mere statements in the packaging.
I hope these tips help you take your first steps towards a conscious life. Try them with your bathroom products, your hair products, make up, or maybe any section of your house you would like to start with, like the kitchen. Segmenting your house and focusing on one room of the house or one type of product will help you have more control of the situation and do better. When you have covered that, you can move on to the next sector. When all your house has been covered, move on to the following step I mentioned with the same system–looking for even more sustainable packaging one room at a time.
Have you started your sustainability journey? Are you already buying or making any zero-waste products? Let me know in the comments below!
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Hi, I’m Melina,
I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.
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