Reducing Waste Brought into Your Home

When going Zero Waste; one thing you need to understand is that once certain items come into the home, it is incredibly difficult to get rid of them. It is much more prudent to be sensible about your consumption and only buy what you need; reducing waste brought into your home essentially. Even then, it is often possible to pick products with either no packaging or with recyclable alternatives.

The first and most prudent thing to do is to make sure that you don’t bring products into the house that aren’t needed. This is especially true of goods that spoil. There is one especially effective way to achieve this and whilst it might not appeal to everyone that is to take stock of what you have, plan meals between shops and build a list from there. This keeps your mind focused and ensures that every item on your list passes the “do I need it” test.

Packaging is the next thing to consider. The less, the better and what you do get should be recyclable. Supermarkets are not the best way to achieve this. Don’t get me wrong, they’re getting better. More and more stores have sections with package-free fruit and veg as well as shelf space for products with environmentally friendly packaging. Sadly, this is not enough. The best options (if your situation allows) is to consider shopping locally. Look into market stalls and nearby zero-waste stores. These allow you to buy your fruit, vegetables, dry and sometimes liquid goods with BYO packaging/containers.

Managing Your Waste

So, you’ve got your shopping done but with every meal comes more waste. What now? Initially, make sure that your recycling is sorted in the way that your local authority prefers. Their website should provide this information.

If you have the option, composting is a fab way to go. Stopping it going to landfill reduces methane production. Equally, stopping it going for incineration is less environmentally impactful too. If you are a gardener, it makes your waste more useful and reusable. Even if you personally don’t have the facilities for composting, there are community gardeners or even a friend or family member who might.

Ideally, no food should be wasted. If you are forced to buy more than you need for your meal, look into additional recipes that use the ingredients. Also, another thing that I like to do is use extras or foods close to use by and either freeze them or put them into a smoothie.

The Busy Papa

Also known as Aaron, The Busy Papa focuses on lifestyle, parenting and personal wellbeing content. He has two decades experience in creative writing (including several published poems) and strongly dislikes (though tolerates) tomatoes.