The good the bad and the easy These days, reducing waste is a fight being driven mostly by consumers - meanwhile out in the world, industry seems to be doing its best to keep us swimming in trash. One sweet day the balance will shift, and it will be far easier to buy products that are made with a minimum of waste - especially plastic waste. In the meantime, here are some of the things you could be doing now to reduce your impact. There are so many factors at play, it can be overwhelming and hard to see what is actually the best choice - for example, glass milk bottles seem far better than plastic, but transporting glass uses so much more fuel, it almost cancels it all out. So when you’re thinking about reducing at home, think about holding a good-better-best system in your head, and make the best choice you can at the time. Here’s how we break it down. Best: Don’t buy anything Waste always begins with one thing: consumption. If we stopped buying things, we’d dramatically reduce all waste, especially plastic. That’s because the waste is not just what you put in your bin - those pallets of products are delivered to stores wrapped layers and layers of plastic, clothes shops throw out masses of plastic coat hangers and tags, and most production processes also involve a lot of plastic. Not buying things is tricky when it comes to groceries (where consumption is, well, a matter of life and death), but there are still plenty of items at the supermarket you could quite happily do without. Take a look in your bin each week and think about how you could have avoided that waste. Could you make your own biscuits, oven fries, bread or hummus? For almost all other items, the chances are you don’t really, really need them (even if the new season colours are right up your alley). I have an old washing basket (plastic from my pre-enlightenment days), which is broken in at least ten places. I get a lot of smug satisfaction from continuing to use it - it still holds washing, even if it doesn’t sit snugly against my hip any more. Going hand-in-hand with the no-buying-stuff goal is to take really good care of the plastics you already have. I bring my pegs in instead of leaving them on the line to get sun damaged, for example. Better: Buy sustainably-made items you can use forever So yes, a new washing basket is in my future. My next one won’t be plastic. I’m planning on doing some research to find one that is super-robust, made from sustainable materials and, ideally, is made by an ethical, awesome-for-the-environment company. My goal is that my grandchildren will look at this washing basket and say, “Wow, doesn’t this just remind you of Nan?” Because you’ll be buying less, the things you do buy will take on more importance. You’ll be able to spend more time thinking about what you want, and where to get it, research companies, the materials used and the warranties it comes with. And you’ll also be able to spend a bit more to get something that will last. Good: Choose consumables with no or low packaging Consumption is a fact of life, even given our best efforts. So this is where the tricky shopping choices come in. It may mean getting more organised so you can go to two or three shops for your groceries. Bulk-bin stores will cover all your staples, including liquids like oil and peanut butter, and might even do pre-made foods, like chips (hallelujah). Use BYO containers for a zero-waste shop. Veggie markets are a great place to source produce without plastic, but lots of supermarkets have a good range of unpackaged fruit and veggies, too - just bring your own bags. Meat and dairy products are harder to source waste-free - and the best advice is just to stop buying them altogether (which gives you a double whammy of not supporting an industry that significantly contributes to water and air pollution). For omnivores who just can’t make the change, buy direct from your local butcher with your own containers. Milk can also be sourced from farm gates in reusable bottles, but for city-slickers, powdered milk from a bulk bin might be a better option (as long as you ignore the waste involved in processing it). Nut milks are super easy to make from scratch, too. When you just have to buy something packaged, choose, in order of preference: Packaging you can reuse Uncoated aluminium (then recycle it) Paper (then compost it) Glass (then recycle it) Recycled plastic (then recycle it - if you can) Virgin-but-recyclable plastic (then recycle it and cross your fingers) Virgin but-unrecyclable plastic (then bin it and weep) Polystyrene (But also, just no. Don’t buy polystyrene.) Direct swaps - some ideas When your plastic-packaged goods are running low and your carefully preserved plastic things are well-and-truly at the end of their lives, it’s time to think about no-or-low-plastic replacements. Here are some of our favourite ideas: Pre-packaged food - find at bulk bins or make your own Plastic toothbrush - swap for bamboo handled one that can be composted Plastic sticking plasters and dental floss - search online for fantastic non-plastic alternatives like bamboo Shampoo and conditioner bottles - beauty bars! Plastic razor - old fashioned safety razor Tampons and pads - washable liners, period pants and/or menstrual cups Plastic bin bags - do without and wash weekly, or line with old newspaper Deodorant - solid deodorant! Plastic wrap - reusable wax wraps, silicone covers, reusable jars or containers Plastic dish brush and disposable sponge - a washable cloth made from sustainable materials, or a brush with replaceable, compostable head. Cat food and litter - refill at your local pet store Disposable nappies - modern cloth nappies Bottled water - reusable bottles Fizzy drink - invest in a SodaStream if you must have it Plastic pegs - stainless steel or wood Plastic straws - stainless steel or bamboo Teabags - loose leaf tea! Takeaway coffee cups - BYO reusable cup Makeup in plastic holders - well.. We’re working on that ;) Disposable tissues - good old fashioned hanky! Or at least find recycled/bamboo ones. Plastic-packaged toilet paper - no-plastic wrapping brands like Greencane or Smartass Ballpoint pens - pencils or invest in a refillable fountain pen Start today and make a difference No one said it would be easy to make all these changes, but if every person began right now, little by little, the effect would be enormous. Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t doing every single thing mentioned here - the point is to make a start. As someone very wise once said, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”. Don’t ever let someone make you feel you shouldn’t bother because you can’t yet afford an electric car and there is no public transport near you. Everything you do helps, and the biggest thing you can do is talk about it, to your friends, to your neighbours and importantly, to companies and government officials. Begin by caring for what you already have, and make it last as long as possible. Those ‘single-use’ plastics? Use them as many times as you can. Avoid buying things encased in packaging as much as you can, and wherever possible, get the very best products possible – ones that will hopefully see you out after a long and environmentally-friendly life.