{"id":15470,"date":"2021-02-05T13:38:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T00:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/new-zealand\/?p=15470"},"modified":"2024-07-12T08:29:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T20:29:41","slug":"10-tips-for-zero-waste-living-and-changing-the-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/10-tips-for-zero-waste-living-and-changing-the-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero waste living tips: 10 tips to help you with Zero Waste living and changing the system"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zero waste living tips from an expert – guest post.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m a card-carrying zero waste lifestyler. In 2015, my partner Liam and I started living without a rubbish bin. We saw this as a good entry point for reducing our footprint on planet Earth.<\/p>\n\n

In our first five years of zero waste living we sent just 7.6kg of rubbish to landfill between us. We limited our recycling to two wheelie bins of paper and cardboard, and eight crates of glass. In 2017 we started The Rubbish Trip<\/a>, travelling New Zealand for three years giving free workshops to community groups and schools about household waste reduction. We now work fulltime on all things zero waste \u2013 from workshops to advocacy, community organising, and supporting businesses.<\/p>\n\n

Lots of people (especially journalists…) ask us for our \u2018top tips\u2019 for zero waste living. The list we reel off is usually a bunch of very practical things, like setting up a compost heap and avoiding single-use plastics. However, in reality, zero waste living is about much more than this.<\/p>\n\n

In this post I\u2019ll talk about the two sides of the zero waste lifestyle, and share a more complete list of \u2018top tips\u2019 for reducing your footprint and making a difference!<\/p>\n\n

\"Zero<\/figure>\n\n

There are Two Sides to \u2018Eco Living\u2019<\/strong> and Zero Waste Living<\/h2>\n\n

Walking the talk on environmental issues is important both practically and ethically. I\u2019m allergic to any trivialisation of individual action. After all, we all have environmental footprints and therefore a role to play. And there are<\/em><\/strong> things we can do in our own lives to make a difference, while recognising that not everyone is in the position to do so to the same extent.<\/p>\n\n

I also see grassroots lifestyle change as a powerful diving board into advocating for wider systemic change. I think it\u2019s impossible to care so much that you go waste-free, yet feel disinterested in wider change too. I know basically no zero waste lifestyler who believes that the world\u2019s environmental problems are all about \u2018personal responsibility\u2019, while companies who benefit from pollution and waste<\/a> get a free pass.<\/p>\n\n

In the current system, there are limits to what we can achieve in our own lives. Despite my best efforts, I still have a waste footprint because supply chains aren\u2019t zero waste. I might put an unpackaged kiwifruit from the supermarket into my cotton reusable bag, but it\u2019s been grown, packed, and transported using disposable products. We need a systems focus<\/strong> even if all we want is to realise our own personal zero waste aspirations.<\/p>\n\n

In addition to asking for \u2018top tips\u2019, lots of people also ask me and Liam what we find most difficult about zero waste living. My hunch is they\u2019re expecting to hear something like \u2018it\u2019s hard having to make my own pasta from scratch\u2019 or \u2018I miss Whittaker\u2019s chocolate and Coca-Cola\u2019.<\/p>\n\n

The fact is, I don\u2019t find the practicalities of zero waste that hard. What I DO find really hard is how not normal<\/em><\/strong> zero waste living is.<\/p>\n\n

We need system change<\/strong> and zero waste living<\/h2>\n\n

Our entire society is geared towards wastefulness-as-default. Right now, I\u2019m writing this on KiwiRail\u2019s Northern Explorer. Everything on the train is packaged in single-use plastic (even the single-use plastic cutlery is wrapped in single-use plastic). Food and drink is in throwaway packaging only. There\u2019s no on-board system for reusable serviceware. Recyclables aren\u2019t separated from rubbish, and there\u2019s no composting of food scraps. Everything goes in the same \u2018destined for landfill\u2019 black bin liners, which the staff carry down the aisles periodically.<\/p>\n\n

\"Writing
Photo by Johnragla<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

So that\u2019s the train. Now think about visiting the supermarket, walking through town on a Friday night, passing construction sites on your way to work, observing what goes on in your workplace kitchenette, attending a festival or campsite, sitting in a hotel foyer, watching adverts on TV about Black Friday sales, seeing the silage wrap, plastic wire clips, tanalised timber posts and burn piles on farms, vineyards and orchards, or the slowly degrading plastic roping in mussel and salmon farms.<\/p>\n\n

Producing waste and pollution is entrenched in our economy because our systems of production and consumption weren\u2019t designed with zero waste or circular economy principles in mind.  To make matters worse, there\u2019s money tied up in running things this way, and certain industries would lose profits (at least temporarily) if less wasteful systems were encouraged. So you can imagine the forces acting to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n\n

None of this demotivates me from continuing zero waste living. But, it certainly DOES motivate me to think bigger and see advocacy as part of my zero waste lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n

And that\u2019s why I believe that walking the talk and calling for systems change are two sides of the same \u2018eco living\u2019 coin<\/strong>. You can pick one side or the other, but embracing both is powerful and I think we should talk about them together when we give \u2018tips\u2019 for zero waste living.<\/p>\n\n

So, without further ado, here\u2019s a list of 10 \u2019top tips for zero waste living\u2019 (in no particular order).<\/p>\n\n

Tip #1 Get Rid of Your Rubbish Bin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Seriously. This doesn\u2019t work for everyone, but if you\u2019re an all or nothing person like me and Liam, it works a dream. Basically, one day we had a rubbish bin, the next day we didn\u2019t. We learned very quickly how to get what we needed without producing waste, and to refuse things we didn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #2 Food Scraps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Set up a compost, worm farm or bokashi system for your food scraps. If you\u2019re space and\/or time constrained, use Sharewaste<\/a> to find someone near you who\u2019ll accept your food scraps for their compost. Food scraps are the biggest chunk of the average New Zealand household rubbish bin (roughly 30%), so this action is a quick win.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #3 Think Reusable, Not Disposable<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Have reusables with you (e.g. reusable bags, water bottle, cup, container, cutlery) so you can avoid disposables in every context, from takeaways through to hydrating yourself in a doctor\u2019s waiting room. You might think you don\u2019t get this kind of rubbish much, but you don\u2019t really realise how much you use cups or containers until you carry one around with you!<\/p>\n\n

Tip #4 Venture beyond the Supermarket with Your Reusable Bags and Containers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Find places where you can get everyday staples packaging-free. Unsure of your closest zero waste shopping options? Check The Rubbish Trip\u2019s Regional Zero Waste Guides<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #5 Embrace the DIY Mentality!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Try making some products you usually get in packets, e.g. toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning products, or snack foods like muesli bars, dips and crackers, bread and biscuits.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #6 Keep Yourself and Others Informed and Engaged<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Support and share academics, research, reports, campaigns and petitions highlighting zero waste policies, e.g. the Zero Waste Academy<\/a>, Takeaway Throwaways<\/a>, The Kiwi Bottle Drive<\/a>, Greenpeace\u2019s work on reusables<\/a>, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation<\/a>, #BreakFreeFromPlastic<\/a>, or Zero Waste Europe\u2019s Masterplan<\/a> for zero waste cities. Have your say on Government consultations about environmental policy. And talk with your friends, family and colleagues about reducing waste because this helps normalise waste conscious behaviour and denormalise wastefulness.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #7 Find the Connections<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Increase impact, reach and voice by connecting and collaborating with others who promote waste reduction. For example: Zero Waste Network Aotearoa<\/a>; Para Kore<\/a>; Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance<\/a>; the Zero Waste in NZ!<\/a> Facebook group; environment centres<\/a>; or your local zero waste store<\/a>, community garden or urban farm, Menzshed<\/a>, repair cafe, or resource recovery centre. Challenge siloed thinking by joining the dots between zero waste and other environmental movements. Call for environmental activists to work together, and for Government to tackle issues holistically.<\/p>\n\n

Tip #8 Identify Polluters and their Bullshit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Identify the companies and economic practices that produce the most waste or pollution (Coca-Cola, I\u2019m looking at you<\/a>) and call them out. Also, beware of corporate greenwashing, and Delay, Derail, Distract tactics<\/a>. For example:<\/p>\n\n