Want to embark on a low-waste journey?
Here is how you can start.
I started my low-waste/sustainable journey last year in April and trust me, it’s not as difficult as it seems. My main aim has been to limit the use of disposable objects in my day-to-day life and all it takes is a small effort (sometimes a little more).
I have no fancy statistics to share about the impact of single-use plastic on the environment but what I can do share are some very simple and practical ways in which you can embark on your low-waste/sustainable journey right away.
Replace foil paper with a cotton cloth for carrying chapattis when going to work
Hands down, this has to be the easiest way to start your low-waste journey. All you need is a clean cotton cloth to carry chapatis to work.
As per Google, aluminum foil isn’t biodegradable and takes anywhere between 80 and 400 years to decompose (yes, you heard it right!). Cotton cloths are reusable and can be used for 3–5 years easily.
Carry your own water bottle when you step out irrespective of where you are headed
Invest in a sling bag (made of cloth or jute) to carry your water bottle if you are on the go — trust me, it’s going to make life so much easier (options available on Amazon). You won’t have to spend a dime on buying water and you really do feel self-sufficient when you carry your own water (I can vouch for it!).
If you are someone who carries a big bag, then you can just toss the bottle inside your bag. I also carry my own bottle while travelling to another city or country.
Every airport has multiple refill stations. Most airports now allow you to carry a water bottle, but if you don’t want to take a chance, then refill the bottle only after the security check is done.
Say no to using paper napkins/tissue papers when eating out (carry your own handkerchief)
Most restaurants/pubs have washbasins. We DO NOT need those single-use paper napkins to clean our hands. All we need is a little more effort to get up and walk towards the restroom to wash them. And as we all know, those paper napkins never clean our hands fully.
Nothing calms us the way a proper hand wash with a little amount of soap does! Who likes smelly hands anyway?
Carry a cloth (or any other kind) bag when you step out or keep one in your car/two-wheeler
More often than not, you always end up buying something for your home, even if you did not start with that intention. If you use a car/two-wheeler to do your household chores, always keep one or two spare bags inside so that even if you forget to pick a bag while leaving home (because we are always in a hurry! ), you always have something to fall back on.
The perfect 7-pocket cloth bag for your grocery shopping can be found here (it’s also something I have been using)
Invest in a bamboo toothbrush
I have been using a bamboo toothbrush for 5 years now (shelf life is 3 to 6 months depending on how you maintain it) and the fact that bamboo gets decomposed much, much, much faster than plastic and goes back into the soil if composted properly really amazes me!
You can, of course, reuse or upcycle the toothbrush for cleaning and scrubbing purposes.
Google says chances are really high that the plastic toothbrush you once used as a child is still sitting in a landfill or ocean. There are many options available on Amazon however, the one brand I have been using is this:
Overwhelmed after reading?
Good news- you don’t have to start with all 5 of them today! Start with nurturing one habit at a time. Let the routine settle in, absorb the change and enjoy the journey!
