What in the hell is a zero waste kit and why do I need one?
A zero waste kit in the most basic and simple terms is what I use on a daily basis to avoid single use plastics in my daily life. Mine can change on any given day based on where I’m going or what I plan to take along with me.
When out and about I always try to have reusable bags in my trunk in case I need to go grocery shopping or to the farmers market and don’t want to be caught somewhere without a bag. I also always have a tote bag with me that carries my kit and has helped me when I don’t have another reusable bag on me. My first tip when it comes to starting a zero waste kit is to shop your own home and pantry before you go out and buy anything. The goal here is to save money, not spend money. Start out by looking for empty jars, reusable water bottles and reusable coffee mugs. I had both a ceramic coffee cup and reusable water bottle in my cabinet to add to my kit without having to spend any extra money!
You’ll also most likely need a set of utencils which most of us have sitting around in our drawers. I carry a metal fork, metal chopsticks and a spoon with me when I’m on the go. I also usually have a jar of some kind with me for leftovers if I’m going to eat a meal somewhere.
I bought a finalstraw back when they were a kickstarter campaign and was so excited to receive it in the mail. What I love most about it is that it folds up really small and can go on your keys or it can be stored in your jar. However, this is not a necessity as they are pretty expensive at $25–30 dollars each. There are plenty of other great options out there that are much cheaper like metal straws which are usually $2 and even reusable plastic straws that can be easily cleaned out with a straw cleaner. I still use my reusable plastic ones pretty frequently especially when I’m going to be drinking a smoothie of some kind. Some people also just don’t like metal straws altogether and honestly whatever floats your boat is what goes when it comes to your personal kit.
In my kit I like to have cloth produce bags which I use to not only buy produce but also bread, nuts or even dried pasta at the bulk bins if I’m on my way home and need a few ingredients for a dish. It’s super convenient just to have them with me ready to go when I need them. Produce bags don’t need to be fancy or expensive. They can be as simple as an old clean pillow case or even a small drawstring bag you find somewhere in your house. Clean it out and use it to buy goods free of plastic! Say you don’t have any of these things but also don’t want to dish out a ton of money for produce bags, you can sew your own! There are so many wonderful resources online for how to make them with a sewing machine. Although I chose to handstitch mine since I don’t have a sewing machine. I bought a huge piece of light fabric at a fabric store for like $6 and then measured a plastic produce bag against it, cut out a piece of material, pinned it and sewed it together.
I also use quart containers and glass jars to buy things from the bulk bins like flour and dried chickpeas or popcorn. Though yes, quart containers are made of plastic, I figure reusing them until they die is better than tossing them and getting something new. They’re also less likely to leak powdery foods like nutritional yeast or flour and having something sturdy I can scoop these items into is much easier.
Before buying with a jar take it to the checkout counter and have the cashier weigh your jars for their tare/ weight and have them write it on the jar or you can write it down in your phone. When it comes time to buy your item they’ll ask for the tare which they will subtract from the total weight. This ensures you aren’t paying for the weight of the jar. Next they’ll ask for the PLU# of the item so either take a photo of it on your phone or write it down before checking out. This will help save time and hassle for both you and the cashier.
One thing I also try to have on me at all times is a bowl. It’s a small wooden bowl that I use to pick up Banan, a local vegan frozen treat made from local bananas. They have a BYOB program that gives back. For every bowl brought in, a dollar is donated to their charity of the month. I feel good about my snack choice and even better because I’m helping a charity and the environment all at the same time!
When it comes to traveling on planes I bring my kit and I try to bring my own snacks and meal to avoid the plastics I’ll encounter on the plane and in the airport. My ceramic mug is what I hand to the flight attendant before ordering my drink and on Delta they usually offer a banana or some type of other fruit as a snack which is the one snack I will accept. Otherwise I bring small containers of hummus, cut up veggies, peanut butter, and sometimes even a sandwich for the plane so I don’t get hungry. This isn’t always a perfect solution especially when you’ve got a lot of flights to catch or even just a really long one ahead of you but it is a start and a step in the right direction.
I’ll pack deconstructed sandwiches that I assemble once I’m on the plane to keep things fresh. One of my favorites is sliced tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, mayonnaise mustard and salami. I have these small containers that I put the mustard and mayo into with a sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper and salt. I get my salami from the deli counter and ask them to put it in my own container. They’re usually pretty good about that. Same can be done for cheese and other kinds of cold cuts if you eat dairy and meat. When it comes time to spread the mayo and mustard on the bread you can either use the back of a spoon or invest in a bamboo knife. I’ve gotten a handful of butter knives taken at TSA so I don’t recommend bringing one along!
That’s about it for what’s in my kit. What will you put in yours? Questions or comments? Leave them below!
