It’s wasted time, money, and resources. With a zero waste household, you can reduce or eliminate your need for a garbage container while you save time, energy and money. Think of all the time and money spent bringing trash into the home and sending it back out the door. Waste is more than trash.

Reducing waste starts with preventing garbage from entering your home in the first place. No matter what products are available, anyone can move toward zero waste by simply REFUSING what they don’t need and REDUCING what they do. When garbage does enter our homes, we can use alternative ways to dispose of it so as little as possible goes to the landfill (or in my case, the incinerator).

“Having nothing to recycle is better than recycling.”

Getting Started

Go slowly. Explore alternatives your household can sustain doing. Allowing time to try practices before committing to a new product will save you money in the long run and be zero waste in itself. Going slowly will also conserve your zero waste energy so you can continue using it toward making other changes. Remember, almost everything you need to start is already available to you. It’s mostly a matter of personal preference and each person’s unique situation that will influence whether extra shopping is necessary or not. If you still feel the urge to spend right away, pause before purchasing so you can be more mindful about what you bring into your life.