Tips and tricks for a zero waste lifestyle
Anna Jones
08/05/23
Reading time: 8 minutes
Zero Waste Living: A Trend or the Future? If you want to live as sustainably as possible, it's best to be waste-free. But this is not that easy. Most food is packaged in cardboard boxes or plastic, and our clothing is also usually transported in plastic. How are you supposed to live completely waste-free?
A role model in zero waste living is Bea Johnson , an environmental activist living in the USA. It shows that a zero waste lifestyle is possible even with a family. It produces just a small glass of waste every year.
But getting there is not that easy.
In this blog article we will show you how you can live more sustainably and waste-free by taking small steps.
Step by step: Build good habits
The first step to zero waste living is to rethink habits and change them in the long term. Of course, this can be a little difficult at the beginning, but over time they will flow naturally into your everyday life without much effort.
How many times have you gone to the supermarket for just one or two things, only to go home with more products than planned. Of course you didn't bring a jute bag with you because you only needed to buy a few ingredients. This happens relatively often. The options are then:
A: carrying everything home in a pile in your arms, right
B: buying a paper bag, which often tears on the way home and has to be thrown away immediately.
Such situations are annoying, but the good thing is, they can easily be avoided with a little pre-planning and self-discipline.
Try carrying a small shopping bag in every bag. This doesn't take up a lot of space, nor is it particularly heavy.
If you are a fan of coffee to go, take a reusable coffee cup with you. Cafés often also offer reusable cups that can be rented for a small deposit.
It's a small step, but it already has a big impact.
Short-term spending for long-term savings
There may be financial expenses when you begin transitioning to a zero waste lifestyle. More sustainable products such as glass or stainless steel water bottles and menstrual cups help to avoid waste and are usually more expensive to purchase than disposable products. However, in the long run you will save a lot more money.
You can clearly see this saving when you compare the costs and usage of different products.
For example, a high-quality reusable bottle costs between 20 and 30 euros - compared to a €1 plastic bottle of water from the supermarket, this seems expensive. However, with proper care, you can of course use a reusable bottle for years without it falling apart, whereas plastic bottles show signs of wear after the first use. That being said, researchers generally recommend against reusing single-use bottles for health reasons.
This is where the difference becomes noticeable: a slightly more expensive but one-off purchase saves a lot more money in the long run than the cheaper but regular expense.
But zero waste living is more expensive, right?
As just shown, reusable products save you money in the long term, although an initial investment is necessary.
But aren't unpackaged foods, which are often organic and of higher quality, much more expensive than the equivalent products from a discounter, for example?
Not necessarily: a comparative study of an unpackaged supermarket in Graz found that there is a very small difference between the total costs of a selection of products from an unpackaged store, an organic market and a supermarket. Although the individual prices of the selected products - including couscous, walnuts, cinnamon powder and flax seeds - varied from store to store, the total price for all three was around €16 per 100g.
Not everyone has an unpackaged store nearby. But if one is available to you, it offers a great, more sustainable alternative to normal shopping - without using any plastic.
How GREENFORCE helps you
Our mission and the principles of the zero waste lifestyle fundamentally belong together: We want to make the world a little greener through our sustainable products and are constantly working to make our production, packaging and systems as environmentally friendly as possible.
Our Easy To Mix range comes in kraft paper packaging and in powder form. This means they can be dosed perfectly. They can be stored for a long time without refrigeration and prepared when necessary.
In addition, you avoid food waste by only preparing the amount you need - you simply put the rest of the powder back on your shelf in a well-sealed container.
Conclusion: Zero Waste Living
The transition phase to a zero waste lifestyle can be challenging. Start with small steps, for example with a cloth bag in your bag, and gradually change things up. Of course, not everything can go perfectly right from the start - that's okay. Just be aware of what could have gone better and try to keep that in mind for next time.
Give it a try and build good habits in the process: you'll save money and time in the long run and the planet will thank you too. Everyone starts small, but can do something really good!
Anna studied German and Romance languages in England and has been vegan for 8 years. She is a big fan of fresh Köttbullar and enjoys researching news and facts in the area of veganism. If you have any comments or requests, please write to her here: online@greenforce.com
