I’ve reduced my weekly household waste to this..
AN eco guru has slashed her household waste to the size of a coffee jar every month.
Mum-of-one Timi Nicholson’s earth-conscious lifestyle means her family is contributing an absolute minimum amount of refuse to landfill.
The Zero Waste Movement is taking off internationally and Timi, 35, is one of the driving forces here.
She said: “Instead of having to buy six apples on a Styrofoam tray with plastic wrapped over it why can’t we just buy six apples and put them straight into a cloth bag?
“In the beginning I found it took a lot of planning, but now I am used to it and I would always have one of my cloth bags in the car in case I want to pick up anything like a croissant or a roll on the go.”
Originally from Hungary, she has lived in Ireland for nine years and is settled in Swords, Co Dublin.
The newlywed said her husband Mikey and two-yearold son Max are onboard and it is not holding them back from living a normal, modern life. But Timi and Mikey with son Max not everyone is clear about her motivation.
Timi added: “Sometimes when you are buying food and you don’t take a plastic bag, they
think it is not hygienic.
They just don’t understand.
“I don’t give a lecture or preach on the spot. When I use a cloth bag, they look at me a little strangely.
“Once a man thought the cloth bag was not clean enough to put bread into, but I explained it is washed every day at 60C so this is not a problem.
“I don’t think putting a plastic bag around the bread is going to make it any cleaner.”
“People tend to think that you can’t eat any processed foods at all, but actually you can. I mean you can go into Lidl and pick up a giant chocolate cookie and just not take the bag from the bakery. When I buy meat, I go to the butchers and I have my own dish he puts straight on to the scales to weigh the meat.
“We eat a lot of cured meats, like salami and also cheeses from the Polish shop. When I buy these I do the same thing, take in my dish and they slice it and give it straight to me.”
When her son was born Timi and Mikey noticed how their wheelie bin was always full – with the bulk being disposable nappies. And it was this what sparked this new way of life.
She said: “I was in a breastfeeding group and that is where I heard about reusable nappies.” Timi insisted the oldfashioned terry towelling nappy is a thing of the past. She added: “These are very user- friendly and shaped the same way as a disposable nappy, with two fasteners or Velcro at the sides.” When she adapted to this initial change, a complete switch over to this way of life quickly followed.
She thinks there is a growing awareness around the issue. “We (Zero Waste Movement) have a Facebook page. Two years ago it had 250 members, now there are 8,500.”
■ Follow Timi on Instagram at simple.nowaste.life or to find out more about her talks visit www.simplenowastelife.com.