Why recycling isn’t the answer, and neither are reusable coffee mugs.
British households produce 26 million tonnes of waste every single year. Let that sink in for a minute.
It’s unfathomable. What does 26 million tonnes even look like? Well, it’s 1.7 billion household bins or 260 large cruise ships.
Every. Single. Year.
We live in an inherently linear economy where we buy, use, throw away and greenwash our conscience with the fact we recycle.
The purpose of recycling is to close our consumer loop but at this volume, it simply isn’t feasible to do. In Britain, we send 14 million tonnes of surplus waste to landfills every single year and we, quite literally, have no place to put it.
But, it’s not all doom and gloom! In fact, 2020 has seen the awaking of a lot of consumers who are becoming more ethically conscious of their choices and how it can impact our waste production. There is a great train of thought that highlights;
“We don’t need one person doing Zero Waste perfectly, we need billions of people doing it imperfectly”.
So this is what this is all about really. What small changes can you personally make that won’t impact on your life but will greatly impact on our dependence on landfills?
If we can reduce our waste production to a manageable volume, recycling becomes a feasible option once more.
1. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it
It sounds so straight forward but, one of the easiest ways to close the linear economy is don’t conscribe to it!
You don’t have to be a martyr to abstain but one of the biggest issues with consumerism is the idea that “I need it!”. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself — Why am I buying this? Do I have a need for it?
If you can’t give yourself solid answers, DON’T BUY IT! Be harsh with yourself.
The two biggest culprits here are technology and clothes. Just because Apple released a new iPhone or laptop it doesn’t mean you need it.
A wise person once said that the definition of being an adult is using things until they are unusable/unfixable rather than using it until a new edition comes out (…it was me who said it.)
2. Go second hand!
Macklemore’s famous 2013 hit “Thrift Shop” helped make the idea of thrifting & vintage shopping a cool thing but there remains this air that you must be an ultimate hipster to warrant a second-hand shop haul.
It’s not the case. And there is so much more to second-hand shops then clothes!
Check them out for books, kitchenware, sports equipment, furniture, etc the list is practically endless.
Think of it like a TKMaxx in that you might not always find what you’re looking for first time round but keep going and you’ll find some gems.
However, thrifting differs significantly to TKMaxx in that it’s much more environmentally sound and is closing that loop! Woohoo good on you fellow thriftier!
If it still doesn’t take your fancy, donate your unwanted goods to them. Your trash maybe someone else’s treasure…
3. Get Reusables
But actually, fucking use them!
Between reusable water bottles, reusable straws, reusable bags…. we’ve gone reusable mad! But are reusables really a solution when people buy 5 of them and leave them in their cupboard?
All of these reusables only become more environmentally sound than disposables when they have been used at least 20–100 times.
If you’re using your reusable coffee mug a handful of times before forgetting about it, you’re part of the problem, not the solution.
I can almost guarantee that of the 14 million tonnes sent to landfill there’s a couple of reusable straws bought with good intention yet poor execution.
On that note, don’t make the mistake of buying everything reusable new. I made this mistake early on in my eco journey. It turns out you don’t need to buy a travel bamboo cutlery pack, the ones in your kitchen draw work just as good.
Use what you have before buying new (see steps one and two on this list). I recommend creating a little pack to take with you; a water bottle, mug, cutlery, tote bag and you’re ready for most situations!
I am conscious that while writing this I sound like I’m putting myself up on some high horse of eco hierarchy.
I’m not.
I’m still learning on this journey, but these were the first three action points I made in my life and honestly, I can’t understand why I didn’t do them sooner.
I live in London.
I can’t avoid plastic or waste production as much as I try. It’s the nature of the economy I live in however, I am a firm believer that if we reduce the demand, we reduce the production.
Vote with your money. Choose sustainable brands, buy your groceries naked (not literally, I mean ones that aren’t wrapped in plastic) and go second hand!
After all, we can do better. We have to do better.
Jess
