Zero Waste Lifestyle & Accessibility

Zero Waste Lifestyle & Accessibility

A sustainable lifestyle is rooted in resourcefulness, creativity, and passion––not $200 organic dresses and $40 natural shampoos.

By Daphne Armstrong

The average American discards 4.4 pounds of trash to landfill everyday. That may seem inconsequential, but with 327 million people residing in the United States, that adds up to 728,000 tons of trash dumped into a giant hole in the ground every. single. day. (enough to fill 63,000 trash trucks!) This is problematic because landfills are emitters of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which heat up our planet. In 2009, Bea Johnson, a French-American woman living in California proposed an alternative way of disposing of trash. Her idea: avoid making trash in the first place. Bea Johnson is widely known at the matriarch for the zero-waste lifestyle, which she popularized with her blog “Zero Waste Home.” The goal of a zero-waste lifestyle is to send nothing to landfill.

An intentional sustainable lifestyle is no small feat. It takes planning, motivation, and dedication. Bea Johnson received criticism because many argued that her lifestyle that includes a surplus of free time to shop in bulk, make DIY recipes, and make meals at home, which would be inaccessible to people who work long hours. Another perceived barrier to entry is cost. I was initially intimidated by the $200 organic cotton dresses and the $40 all natural shampoo that I thought I needed to purchase to be sustainable.

However, a sustainable lifestyle can not be purchased and it is not inaccessible. The pillars of a sustainable lifestyle are accessible to all. They are rooted in resourcefulness, creativity, minimalism, and passion. A sustainable lifestyle is about progress, not perfection. It is about being intentional in all aspects of your life to cut back on things that do not serve you or the planet. The zero waste movement has extrapolated on the 3R’s to the 6R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle, Rot. I will explain each and how they play out in everyday life.

REFUSE

Refusing takes no money and no effort aside from simply saying no thank you. Say no thank you to the plastic straw at dinner, say no thank you to flyers and coupons, say no thank you to a plastic bag at Target. Unsubscribe from all junk mail. Before mindlessly accepting another business card or a plastic pen at a conference, think, “do I really need this?” I like to take pictures of business cards and flyers, rather than using them once then throwing them away.

REDUCE

Reducing is my favorite R! I think it is also the most important step because simplifying your life as much as possible saves so much time in the long run. For example by reducing how many clothes I purchase and own, I save 15 minutes each morning by not thinking about what to wear. I only have 3 pairs of pants, 4 dresses, and 5-6 tops, and 2-3 jackets in my closet. It’s so quick to get dressed because I love each piece and it fits perfectly.

Be absolutely ruthless with your purchases. If you must buy new, invest in quality pieces that you can wear for many years. You do not have to participate in our society of mass consumption. By doing your research and consuming consciously, you will save money, time, and our planet!

One other impactful way to reduce is cut back or eliminate meat and dairy products. Over the past 3 years I have made the transition from omnivore to vegetarian to now fully plantbased. When I consumed meat and dairy I spent around $60/ week on groceries. Now buying all plant-based in bulk I typically spend $25-30 a week. Plantbasedonabudget.com is a great resource.

RECYCLE

Unfortunately, recycling is not the panacea it is chalked up to be. I live in a house with eight girls and we have some very optimistic recyclers. I routinely find plastic Trader Joe’s Veggie Fried rice bags and Amazon packages and greasy pizza boxes in our recycling bin. Recycling is resource intense, and less then 9% of plastic in the United States actually gets recycled. This is why refuse, reduce, and re-purpose are so important. Fortunately, recycling is much more effective when it comes to metals such as aluminum and stainless steel.

REUSE

Reusing what already exists is not only impactful for the environment, but is a huge money saver. Start with buying second hand. There are plenty of options from thrift shops to upscale second hand stores. For clothes, poshmark.com is also great. Additionally, avoid purchasing something that you will only wear once. Instead, consider stalking your friends Instagrams and ask to borrow an outfit for your special event.

College student tip: As students are moving out of dorms and houses for the summer, there is so much waste. Last May, I scavenged and found an electric tea kettle, a nice reading lamp, 40 hangers, a microwave, string lights that were all destined for landfill.

Another important step in reusing is to switch from disposables to reusables. Start by evaluating your trash. Find the biggest single-use culprits and attack those first. For me, my two largest areas of waste were in the kitchen and in the bathroom. The next step is to sift out single use items and think of reusable swaps. For example, I noticed I had a stockpile of Starbucks cups and plastic silverware in my trash, so I started leaving a fork and knife and light coffee cup in my backpack. Note: you absolutely do not need to go out and buy all of these single-use-reducing gadgets all at once. I have acquired this collection over three years from either second hand stores or investments after careful research.

REPURPOSE

I want to make it very clear: you do not need to buy new to make a switch. Repurposing is a great way to channel your inner creativity. And it’s free! I have a collection of Trader Joe's Salsa Verde jars that I drink my smoothies out of and bring to the bulk store to fill up with everything from grains to laundry soap. I use cotton drawstring bags from a set of sheets I’ve had since freshman year to pick up produce. Other easy ways to reduce are using old clothes and towels as cleaning rags, using old paper bags for gift wrap, and growing garden herbs at home.

ROT

40% of food in U.S. households goes straight to landfill. That’s astounding! Food waste is a big culprit in methane production. If you have a more permanent residence, I would consider purchasing or making a compost bin. If you are a transient college student like me, I suggest putting your food waste into a bowl in your freezer (the freezer ensures no smells). Once a week you can bring it to your local farmer’s market or if you live at USC there is a compost facility behind Parkside apartments. Generally you can compost all food waste except meat, dairy, and oils.