Zero Waste Lifestyle: 10 Simple Life Hacks to Effectively Reduce Your Trash

For the sake of our beloved planet Earth, we need to understand the impact we have as humans coexisting on this planet. It’s high time to take responsibility for our actions and reduce our footprint.

If we cannot yet fully achieve a zero-waste lifestyle, we can still make several changes to reduce our impact. It is possible to make a meaningful impact with some simple life hacks.

It's important to make small changes every day, and in time they will add up to something significant, so don't feel any guilt or pressure.

Following are some amazing life hacks to help you drastically reduce your everyday trash.

1. Don't Bring Home Junk Or Trash That You Don't Need

Instead of taking a flyer or business card home, take a picture. Freebies are often handed out at concerts and outings. If you tend to accept everything that is handed to you, shift your mindset and start asking yourself, “Do I need this? Tell them no if you do not need it. Remember, if you happen to be interested in the info, simply snap a photo with your phone.

2. Go Paperless

There are several ways to make this easier, including using a kindle, online books, borrowing from a friend, or renting a book from the library. In addition, you can download audiobooks, boarding passes, and concert tickets digitally.

3. Invest In High-Quality Items

Spending a little more upfront, rather than constantly replacing low-quality items, has proven to be more sustainable. High-quality items will last longer in the long run and will save you money. Instead of opting for disposable shavers, consider reusable or electric ones.

4. Buy Second-Hand Or From Eco-Conscious Brands

Don't buy unnecessary items. We often find ourselves impulsively purchasing items that we don’t need. So if you want to reduce waste make sure when you have to buy something, you explore second-hand options first or buy from eco-conscious brands.
There are so many eco-friendly stores across India that provide great sustainable alternatives to your daily use items. For example, products made from sustainable materials such as bamboo are a great alternative.

Check out some amazing bamboo products from Goingzero.in.

5. Put An End To Plastic Straws

Saying no to disposable straws is a simple way to make a change. You can save our oceans and landfills by taking a few extra seconds to refuse single-use disposables. Whenever you travel, we recommend bringing your glass or steel straw. You can easily store them in a bag or your car for access whenever you need them (just make sure you wash and put them back after using them!).

6. Replace Plastic Wrap And Aluminum Foil With Reusable Food Wraps

There are vegan-friendly food wraps on the market, did you know that? We just got some and love them. A waxy cloth-like material with oils that warm up from your hands is used to cover plates, bowls, cut fruit, vegetables, etc. You can reuse them over and over again, which makes them a great alternative to plastic cling wrap.

7. Make Your Decor, Clothing, And Cleaners

Take advantage of your creativity and DIY! Consider whether you can make items like home decor, clothing, and household cleaners yourself before purchasing them. Many times, you can repurpose items you have around your home and make them new again.

8. Instead Of Paper Towels, Use Kitchen Towels

You can start making this switch right now and it can have a huge impact. Although we still use paper towels in our home, they are more for cleaning up after Berry (our dog) if he has an accident or for cleaning up anything else that might ruin a kitchen towel.

9. Meal Planning And Cooking At Home

It is amazing how something so simple can make such a huge difference. Planning meals throughout the week and buying in bulk make you less likely to order takeout or eat on a whim. Avoid unnecessary waste by packing snacks and food in reusable containers.

10. Bring Your Bags For Groceries And Produce Instead Of Using Plastic Bags

You don't have to use produce bags. There are reusable bags designed specifically for produce. Alternatively, you can have your jars weighed by a cashier before you shop in bulk. As a result, the weight of the jar won't cost you anything extra. Additionally, you can keep one jar empty to obtain an accurate tare weight by bringing several identical jars.

Conclusion

The most important step is that you identify your needs. There are lots of things in our homes that still have tags on them! As a result of this, we see what we need and start reducing consumption, which is an effective step in reducing our waste.

Reducing in every aspect of our lives simplifies things, saves money, and helps us identify what’s meaningful to us. It also feels amazing to clean out your closet and donate what no longer serves you. If you have things that you don’t need that no longer bring you joy, it’s time to say goodbye to them.

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