Published on August 4th, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

3 Zero-Waste Gifts for Greener Living

Communities define zero-waste lifestyle in different ways. One definition is sending nothing to the landfills. Another is reducing what one consumes and throws away. In a nutshell, zero-waste is about lowering your environmental impact and living sustainably.

Achieving a zero-waste lifestyle can be easy when you start with small steps and build them into habits. Here are 3 zero-waste practices for greener living.

Zero-Waste at Home

There are so many opportunities to practice zero-waste at home. Typically, household waste includes food scraps and plastic items such as food scraps, shopping bags, bottles, containers, and utensils, among others. To shift to greener living easier, you can start by working on the waste that your house produces the most.

Organize your ingredients and plan your meals

Food waste is a common occurrence in households which turns out to be a huge problem as billion pounds of food end up in waste.

To help reduce food waste, you can simply start by organizing your fridge and your pantry. Store food properly. Make sure to cook or consume food items with sooner expiration dates first. And then, plan your meals so you avoid spoiling excess food.

Switch to reusable bags

Do you go to the grocery store at least once a week? The easiest way to reduce plastic bag waste from your home is to switch to using reusable bags. You can use one that is foldable, and you can easily take it anywhere you go.

BeeGreen offers reusable bags in different designs. These are washable, made of nylon, and are designed to be sturdy with a 50 lbs weight capacity. You can use them for other items too.

Reuse what you can

Zero-waste living is also about mindful consumption so that you don’t generate so much waste. As much as possible, reuse whatever item you can.

For instance, perhaps you don’t really need new clothes. Fast fashion is one of the biggest polluters in the world as producing clothing takes a lot of resources such as water and releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Zero-Waste at Work

The workplace also generates a lot of waste such as paper, plastic cups, and even, energy. Thankfully, there are zero-waste practices that can significantly reduce or eliminate waste at the office.

Turn off the lights

It takes a lot of energy and resources to generate electricity. So, wasting energy means wasting and possibly depleting our fossil fuels and other resources such as water. Aside from protecting the environment, green living is also about making sure that our future generations have access to the same resources.

To help the planet and conserve energy, simply switch off the lights before leaving the office or the conference room. This will greatly help reduce carbon emissions from the process of producing electricity.

Unplug appliances and equipment that are not in use

Similar to switching off the lights, unplug appliances and equipment that are not in use or in standby mode. These can be your laptops, desktops, printers, or even, airconditioners.

While it does not seem like a big deal, appliances still consume small amounts of electricity even when they are not in use. These are referred to as energy vampires. So, when you unplug appliances, you save electricity and support the planet by reducing carbon emissions.

Go paperless

Mixed paper products make up around 70% of the total waste in offices. A simple way of practicing zero-waste is by going paperless in the office. For instance, send announcements via emails instead of printing out memos. Alternatively, recycle scrap papers or leftover pages by printing or writing on the unused side.

Swap single-use items for reusable ones

There are many eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic products commonly found in the office that will help lower your impact:

Swap disposable cutlery for eco-friendly spoons and forks.
Refuse disposable plastic cups by bringing your own reusable stainless steel bottle. S’well can keep your drink hot or cold for hours.
Say goodbye to plastic straws with reusable bamboo straws that are durable and naturally anti-microbial.
Pack your lunch with reusable food bags instead of disposable zip lock bags. Stasher bags are eco-friendly and made with food-grade silicone

Zero-Waste Personal Care

Skincare, beauty, and personal care can be wasteful. For instance, the beauty industry produces billions of plastic packaging that end up filling our landfills and polluting the oceans.

However, personal care is part of our daily lives. To practice zero-waste, start by making simple swaps.

For instance, swap your disposable cotton pads for reusable cosmetic cotton rounds. LastRound is a sustainable alternative. It is 100% natural, and one pack of cotton rounds can replace 1,750 single-use cotton rounds. It is housed in a case that is bio-based, so you can easily add it to your hygiene kit then take it anywhere you go.

Photo by Alex Fu from Pexels

Tags: green technology, low waste, sustainability, waste control, waste management

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.