How to reduce waste and become a waste warrior

If you are still thinking about ways to celebrate sustainable September, then you have landed on the right page. Becoming a waste warrior is all about adopting a sustainable lifestyle and actively working to reduce waste in your daily life. Adopting practices and habits that reduce waste and promote sustainability is what it takes to be sustainable. So in this sustainable September follow these simple steps in your daily life and reduce your waste.

Here are some ways you can become an environmental waste warrior:

Plastic bags pose ecological problems. They take hundreds of years to decompose and pose a particular threat to wildlife. Hundreds of thousands of marine mammals die every year after mistaking plastic bags, which are laced with chemicals, for food. Many animals get entangled in plastic bags and suffocate.

A sound approach to retail bags is to decline them when your purchase is otherwise carriable or bring your own bags. Use and reuse all those bags — paper, plastic, cloth — that have accumulated in the closet over the years — whether or not they are designed to be “reusable.” If they become too grubby to carry your new purchases, use them to line waste cans or pick up litter. And, ultimately, dispose of them properly — recycle them if you can.

Buy only what you will use

We are huge consumers of cars, food, furnishings, household products, recreational equipment, and electronics — and we buy much more than we need with many of our consumer purchases getting very little use. Excessive personal consumption of goods means higher direct and indirect costs to the environment, including the energy used and pollution emitted in the extraction of natural resources, and in the manufacturing, transportation, and disposal of goods.

These costs can be substantially reduced by avoiding impulse buying and making a realistic assessment of the need before making a purchase. When you do have to buy goods, find durable alternatives with the smallest amount of packaging and the lowest possible carbon footprint and keep them in good repair.

Buy second hand

To be a true Waste Warrior, Use local WhatsApp groups or your local Facebook groups to buy used items, particularly durable goods that are needed for a limited time, like nursery furniture. Second-hand goods can be nearly as attractive and often just as functional as brand-new purchases, and giving a household item a second life cuts its carbon footprint in half. A third or fourth life is even better.

Don’t invest in idle equipment

You are wasting money and natural resources used to produce them when you buy items you won’t regularly need. When the equipment, tools, or party supplies that you need once in a great while are not available through friends, rent them from a specialty rental business or a home improvement store. For those items you already have in the tool shed that you don’t regularly depend on, let friends and family know you are happy to share. Use block parties and everyday interactions to initiate a sharing culture in your neighborhood.

Donate used goods

Donation is a particularly positive alternative to throwing away used consumer goods in the trash. Give your used clothing, appliances, and furniture to local old age homes or orphanages if they need it, or local community services; computers to schools or needy families; and building materials and tools to Habitat for Humanity. Of course, these are just a few suggested organizations and any organization will do. In addition to the environmental benefits of giving these items a second life, you are helping others and may be eligible for a tax deduction.

Buy products with less packaging

The waste landfills are bulked up with consumer product packaging. Containers and packaging made up the largest portion of municipal waste at almost 78 million tons, or nearly 30%, according to the EPA. Slightly more than a third gets recycled, but huge amounts end up in landfills. Packaging also adds significantly to both the cost and carbon footprint of consumer products.

When it’s not possible to avoid packaging, reuse containers, polystyrene (styrofoam) fillers, and bubble wrap, or see if your local shipping service can use them. The third best alternative, after reducing and reusing, is recycling.

Avoid disposable products

Paper and plastic plates and utensils, disposable diapers, paper towels and napkins, cheap plasticware, and other non-durable consumer goods (goods designed to last for a short time) make up about 20% of America’s waste stream, which amounted to 50 million tons in 2015, according to the EPA.

A great concern is the greenhouse gas emissions that result from these items’ manufacture and disposal. Store away a quantity of durable, bargain-priced dishes, flatware, and glassware for parties and picnics. Use cloth napkins, cloth diapers, cloth rags, rechargeable batteries, durable razors, and refillable coffee thermoses for take-out coffee.

Kick the bottled water habit

According to researchers from the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, the energy required to produce, transport, and chill bottled water requires up to 2,000 times the energy required to produce tap water. In addition, plastic bottles can take 450 years or more to decompose. So, yes, drink plenty of water for good health, but use a reusable water bottle or simply a glass as you pour water from your tap.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

• Reduce: Minimize waste by buying only what you need, choosing products with minimal packaging, and avoiding single-use plastics.
• Reuse: Find new uses for items instead of throwing them away. For example, use glass jars for storage or turn old clothes into rags.
• Recycle: Properly sort and dispose of recyclable materials like paper, plastic, glass, and metals.

Upcycle

Repurpose items that still have life in them. The internet is full of crafty ideas for reusing waste materials, from high-concept artistic statements — like a chandelier from bicycle parts, an aquarium from an upright piano, or a pool table from the classic car — to simple DIY projects like turning plastic bottles into planters, wine bottle corks into bath mats, and various containers into toy organizers. These kinds of reuses do not remove a large percentage of material from the waste stream, but, to the extent the reimagined objects take the place of new purchases, they save energy and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions required for their manufacture. 

DIY Solutions: Make your own cleaning products, personal care items, and other household necessities to avoid packaging waste and reduce chemical use, and be a chemical-free Waste Warrior

Give new life to old electronics

The world’s output of discarded electronic devices — known as e-waste — reached nearly 45 million metric tons in 2016, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program. Electronics require a lot of water, energy, and valuable resources in their manufacture, so their reuse and recycling are particularly critical to environmentally sound waste management.

If your TV, computer, cell phone, or other consumer product containing electronics still works, give it to someone who can use it. Some nonprofits specialize in the charitable redistribution of computers and companies that refurbish electronics for resale. If your electronic device is no longer serviceable, many recyclers are interested in the valuable metals it contains. Be a Conscious Waste Warrior and take care of your e-waste properly.

Follow the protocols for proper recycling

Let’s make our lives better with proper recycling. A good rule of thumb is the following recycling guide:

• Plastic can usually be recycled in the mixed recyclables section if they are numbered 1 through 7 on the packaging.
• Cardboard and white paper can be recycled in the paper section
• Caps, paper with wax, plastic bags, plastic film, and Styrofoam should not be placed in recycling bins.
• Food must be washed off items before being recycled.

Most cities will also have the details of how to recycle within their area. 

Deny all plastic bags!

Plastic is old news! Stock up on reusable bags and conveniently place them in your car, in your purse, at work, and at home. You’ll never have an excuse to use another plastic bag in 2020. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, I use them for dog poop bags”? Yes, we even recommend using biodegradable to-go poop bags.

Shop at thrift stores

News flash: Shopping secondhand is cool! Rather than contribute to waste production by shopping new, go to your local thrift store for clothing, furniture, decor, and housewares. This is an excellent way of reusing items in your community and switching to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Purchase sustainable toothbrushes and reusable ear swabs

Plastic toothbrushes take over 400 years to decompose. That’s why bamboo toothbrushes are the perfect alternative: They are 100% biodegradable and antimicrobial–which means they don’t harbor nasty bacteria. You can purchase them in compostable packaging and buy them in bulk for the whole year. If you think using an electric toothbrush gets you off the hook, you’re wrong. Electric toothbrushes use electricity and require batteries that, when dumped in landfills, leak battery acid into waterways and oceans.

Maybe some of you know that every year millions of swabs end up in the ocean, which is disastrous for our planet’s future. If you are concerned about our planet, then it’s the right time to throw away all your single-use items and get your reusable alternatives like eco swabs. You can use these eco-friendly swabs over 1000 times and after every usage, you can wash them with soap and water.

Switch from paper towels to reusable rags

One of the easiest ways to be more sustainable in 2020 is to replace paper towels with recycled cloths. Just as plastic chokes waterways, unrecyclable paper produces unnecessary waste in landfills. In a pinch, it’s easy to grab a paper towel to clean up a spill. But think about the number of paper towels discarded each year, by every household on the planet. According to the Paperless Project, it’s 254 million tons. Besides, reusable cloths can do the job faster, by soaking up more liquid with less material and waste. 

Purchase recycled toilet paper

Composting

Here’s an astounding fact: We flush the equivalent of 270,000 trees down the drain each day, and nearly 10% of that is attributable to toilet paper.  Recycled toilet paper can be a sustainable game-changer. Check out substitutes or companies making recycled toilet paper and “forest-friendly” tissues and paper towels. Instead, use water and cloth. Turn organic waste like food scraps and yard waste into compost, which can enrich soil and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Be a composting Waste Warrior and make your own compost at home from all the kitchen wet waste. 

Advocate for Change

Support policies and initiatives that promote waste reduction and sustainability. This can involve lobbying for better recycling programs or regulations on single-use plastics. Participate in Clean-Up Drives: Join local community efforts to clean up litter from streets, parks, and beaches. Educate Others: Spread awareness about the importance of waste reduction and sustainable practices through workshops, social media, or community events.

From My Green Bag

To add on, read and listen to my Green Talks series and check out interviews with Eco-conscious people who are trying their bit towards conscious and sustainable living practices. There is so much to learn and explore from all of them I have interacted with, do listen and drop in your views in the comments. Check here to learn more about all the Eco-Friendly dates. Additionally, I even share Positive stories of people bringing beautiful change to this world. Listen to @PrachiKiVaani me Kisse Kahani, just tune in to my YouTube channel and also check all Green Talks Episodes on my YouTube channel HERE.