I could give you a thousand of zero waste resolutions, but I’m not going to.
There’s no reason for me to contribute to your overwhelm.
I actually want you to add this to your resolution list instead of saying “not this year”. These resolutions are all things that you can do right now to become more sustainable.
Let’s toast to a more sustainable year. Add these to your resolution list and create habits to become less wasteful.
Zero Waste Resolutions
1. Reduce Food Waste
Reducing your food waste is one of the best ways to reduce your impact. And one of the things that you don’t need others to do it. There’s no need for companies to change their packaging for you to reduce your food waste. It all starts in your kitchen and you depend on anyone.
Food waste that decomposes in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is more potent than carbon dioxide.
And at this moment, there are not a lot of systems in place to compost all the food waste that we produce.
For this reason, reducing your food waste is very important. Not as glamorous as buying cute reusable straws but so much more important.
Check out my “Ultimate guide to reducing food waste”.
2. Reuse everything
Let’s discuss shopping bags.
In many countries around the world, people are now required to pay to have plastic shopping bags. This is good because it makes people reuse their shopping bags instead of getting new ones everytime they go grocery shopping.
However, plastic produce bags continue to be free and most people put them in the recycling bin as soon as they’re done with them.
First of all, if you can afford it or if you want to make your own reusable produce bags, start using reusable produce bags. If you can’t, reuse your plastic produce bags until they can no longer be called a bag.
I’m talking about bags but this is true for everything.
Reuse EVERYTHING.
The main issue with climate change is how we’ve come used to this disposable culture where everything only serves its purpose once.
Reuse that plastic bag, reuse that glass jar to store jam, reuse that ice cream container to freeze food, reuse your christmas decorations instead of purchasing new ones every year.
3. Buy local
How much of your diet is locally grown or produced?
Probably not as much as it should. Everytime that you choose food that’s grown far from you, you’re adding transportation to the impact of the food that you bought.
Obviously that you cannot start buying everything locally but you can start making changes.
If you can, start going to your farmer’s market.
Choose locally owned business instead of big retailers. Small businesses are slowly dying out, why not support them the best way you can?
Choose gifts from local companies, not only they’re different from the ones bought in big stores so they feel extra special, it’s a way to create awareness that these local businesses exist to your close ones.
Vote with your money. You’re supporting the local economy and reducing your ecological footprint at the same time.
Zero Waste Resolutions for the Perfectionists
You’re not happy with this list, you think perhaps it’s not enough.
I see you. I tend to be that person too, is either all or nothing.
These changes in themselves ARE HUGE and not easy to make.
There’s no need to strive for perfection, every little step is a step towards a better planet.
We all know how we want to change overnight but it’s impossible so strive to be better, don’t strive to be perfect. Otherwise by March, you’ve given up on these resolutions.
Your actions matter too much now to let your perfectionism self win.
These are my tips for you, let me know which ones will you add to your resolution list and how it goes throughout the year.