Starting my Zero Waste Journey

Our environment is in danger and we are the only people who can help it. Around 8 million tonnes of plastic finds its way into our oceans every single year, this is equivalent to sitting five full bin bags along every foot of coastline around the world. Additionally, almost 700 species of animal, including endangered species, are known to be affected by our plastic waste. A lot of the plastic we use in our daily lives will end up in our oceans if we are not careful. However a lot of sustainable products are expensive, especially for students like myself. So I decided to make small investments over time to reduce my own plastic waste without having a big impact on my budget.

The zero waste lifestyle can be intimidating for a young student discovering and exploring the community. Not only that but being environmentally conscious and spreading awareness is often portrayed as annoying as some people can come across as judgemental towards people who don’t share that lifestyle- the same stereotypes surround the vegan lifestyle. Plus, a lot of influencers who are pursuing a zero waste lifestyle have been doing so for long enough to seem almost like experts.

I’m hoping to make the zero waste lifestyle a little less intimidating by documenting my experience with zero waste from the very beginning. Firstly, let’s get one thing out the way- there is no such thing as “zero waste”. As humans- at least in this age- there is absolutely no way to produce absolutely no waste. We will always have waste, we just have to keep it as minimal and manageable as possible. We also have to remember to use up what we have before investing in zero waste swaps. Producing waste for no reason is worse than using single use plastics as you’re not getting any use out of what you are throwing out to replace with a reusable.

A lot of people start buying “zero-waste” products without really thinking about the environmental benefits. Waterbottles, reusable coffee cups and reusable shopping bags are some of the more “normal” and beginner friendly zero waste swaps out there. I used these to ease into the lifestyle, because I actually already had some of these before this lifestyle sparked my interest.

1- Reusable bags

Reusable bags are by far the most popular swap to make. Plastic bags are one of the most common plastics littering our streets and oceans. Tote bags and nylon bags are perfect for throwing in your handbag before rushing out the door. Bags for life in supermarkets and certain stores are brilliant for grocery shopping. These reusable bags also save you 5p or 10p for a single-use plastic bag here in the UK. So reusable bags not only save the environment but also save you money in the long run. Alternatively you can reuse plastic bags a few times too if you forget to bring one of your reusable ones on a shopping trip.

2. Reusable travel mugs

Due to the sheer amount of cute and nerdy reusable travel mugs on the market, I have built up a decent collection to say the least. These are perfect for people who have a long-term budget but also a coffee addiction. However, it’s hot chocolate that’s is my guilty pleasure. Whenever I had a lecture I would always make a stop at the campus Costa Coffee beforehand. This accumulated into a bit of an addiction, I must’ve spent an unbelievable amount of money on hot chocolates during my first year of uni. Major coffee shop chains like Starbucks, Costa and Cafe Nero generally have a discount for people with reusable cups and they help reduce waste so I bought one. Then another one. And another. And then I pretty much stopped buying individual hot chocolates in general, instead making them at home before leaving for uni. This would’ve been one of the best financial decisions I have ever made had I not bought so many. Investing in just one of these is perfect to reduce paper and plastic waste as well as save money on expensive hot drink on the go.

3. Water bottles

Most people own at least one of these without considering the environmental reasons behind buying them. I have had several waterbottles over the years- first when I went to after school sports clubs and then when I started infusing water in secondary school in an attempt to clear my awful skin. Then I bought a double walled metal waterbottle for uni, which is perfect for preventing dehydration (shout-out to all those hungover students with 9am lectures) or warming up with some soup or tea on an especially cold day. This helps reduce the waste of plastic bottles. On the occasion that I am forced to buy one if I forget my waterbottle, I reuse it to water plants or clean my paintbrushes.

4. Lunchboxes

Another one of my financial weaknesses, along with hot chocolates, is eating lunch on the university campus. There are plenty of convenient cafeterias and food places around campus, this is ideal for an occasional lunch before or after a lecture. It was only when eating on campus became an everyday occurrence that I decided it was costing me a little too much. I decided to make up salads and wraps the night before a lecture and take lunch with me in a lunchbox. This is a good way to save money but also helps the environment as a lot of takeaway food around the campus is wrapped in plastic or paper which is unnecessary when you can just bring your own. These bamboo lunchboxes are becoming increasingly popular, enough to be sold in supermarkets, which is where I got mine. There are also many different options for lunch boxes- stackable lunchboxes, metal lunchboxes, fabric lunchbags- the possibilities are endless.

5. Bamboo cutlery

Along with my lunch box, I recently invested in a bamboo cutlery set from Etsy. The set I got comes in a little fabric pouch to keep them together and clean. With some sets you get the option of chopsticks or a reusable straw. I chose to get a reusable straw along with mine. This can prevent disposable plastic cutlery from being used unnecessarily. However, this zero-waste swap is one of my least used since I usually have wraps or bagels for lunch so I don’t really need them. They are cheap and always handy to have in my bag but at the end of the day you could just take your own cutlery with you instead of buying a bamboo set.

6. Bamboo toothbrush

An estimated 3.6 billion plastic toothbrushes are used globally every year, around 80% of them end up in the ocean. Bamboo toothbrushes are a great non-plastic substitute. Despite the environmental benefits of these, I was hesitant about them as multiple online reviews claimed that the bristles fall out easily and are softer than regular plastic toothbrushes. So with careful researching I tried my first one. Due to using plastic toothbrushes for all my life, it was slightly difficult to get used to but I haven’t experienced any problems so far. My boyfriend still uses plastic ones but whenever we are finished with a toothbrush (plastic or bamboo) I use it for cleaning around the bathroom or kitchen for a little while to get a little more out of it before recycling it.

7. Upcycling glass bottles and jars

I love upcycling glass bottles and jars. Whenever I finish a jar of pasta sauce or Nutella I wash it out and paint it, I then use these as pencil holders and storage for sugar, coffee and hot chocolate powder. Upcycling or even just reusing stuff like that is easily forgotten about as recycling is often the first thing that pops into our head. This also allows me to unleash my creative side and create unique decor that nobody else has. However, you don’t need to be able to paint to upcycle jars- you can simply clean them out and use them as pencil holders like I do or to store dry foods such as pasta, rice and lentils in a plastic free way.

8. Shop secondhand

The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, with fast fashion on the rise and trends coming in and out of fashion faster than ever before. The process used to make most clothes on the high street involves a LOT of water and produces a LOT of carbon dioxide. As a fashion-lover and shopaholic, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to sacrifice fashion for the sake of our environment. However, thrifting clothes is a eco-friendly way of shopping and is definitely cheaper than shopping from regular retailers. You can find almost everything second-hand rather than buying brand new (within reason), helping to save the environment and your money.

9. Donating and signing petitions

There are other ways to contribute to the environment such as donating to charities. I contribute to planting trees almost everyday by using Ecosia as my search engine. Ecosia is essentially the same as Google but instead of keeping it’s profits from advertisements included on your searches, Ecosia uses these profits to plant trees wherever they are needed- most recently in Australia after the forest fires. OceanHero has a similar concept but focuses their efforts on removing plastic bottles from oceans all over the world. A lot of companies have similar goals such as Arcticus Action by selling bracelets that’s proceeds go to helping Polar Bears.

Online petitions are also good ways to support causes you care about without spending any money. You can find various petitions- not just about reducing plastic waste or our climate- on Change.org and through social media platforms like Facebook. These petitions can help raise awareness for important issues as well as help companies and governments know what changes people want to see. For example, I signed a Greenpeace petition a couple months ago to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used in supermarkets in the UK.

I’m still learning a lot about zero waste and the impact our waste has on the planet. But the more I learn about it, the more I feel like if enough of us band together and make small steps like this, we will make a big difference. A lot of these swaps are the most basic and are good stepping stones into the zero waste lifestyle- introducing even just one of these zero waste swaps can drastically help reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans. So on that note I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes about the zero-waste lifestyle: “You can’t do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good that you can do.”- Sustainably Shelbi at https://www.shelbizleee.com/

Disclaimer: With the affects of COVID-19 I understand that some of these zero-waste alternatives are not very useful in our situation right now but I will be updating my journey with zero waste after the quarantine is over. I will have time while in self-isolation to do more research and discover more useful plastic-free alternatives to recommend and share my opinion and experience with. For now, please stay indoors and stay safe in these strange times.