TALKING TRASH:

A step-bystep guide on how to live a zero-waste lifestyle

Be

honest: how often have you chucked a stinky bag of expired vegetables in the bin without a second thought? Or that jar of salsa that’s gone a bit furry at the top? It’s so easy… satisfying, even. Out of fridge, out of mind – tomorrow the garbage truck will pick up your filled-to-the-brim bins and you never need think about it again. But maybe it’s time we did. According to a global report by the World Bank Group, South Africa produces 54,425 tonnes of rubbish per day, placing us at number 15 on the list of countries producing the most garbage in the world. And it’s predicted

that by 2025 we’ll be producing a whopping 72,146 tonnes per day. The biggest portion of your garbage, and most of SA’s waste, ends up in landfills – which were reaching capacity back in 2014.

But running out of space is not the only concern. Once your rubbish reaches a landfill, it has very little chance of decomposing. There’s a layer of plastic or clay separating it from the ground, and trash is added and compacted until the landfill is eventually closed up with contaminated soil.

Then the rubbish sits in there, producing a liquid called leachate (which becomes toxic when it comes into contact with water) and methane gas. If the plastic cover separating the trash from the ground tears, the leachate can leak into the earth where it can potentially reach (and contaminate) groundwater, and the methane gas that isn’t burned away escapes into the air. Either way, the fallout pollutes the planet.

If you recycle (well done!), the recyclables are processed into new products. Unfortunately, these are often of a lower grade, especially if the original products were made or packaged with materials that aren’t environmentally friendly. Recyclable materials can be high-value items – some countries even sell them to others where virgin materials are a rare commodity. China, for example, used to be a huge buyer of recyclable waste, until it slapped a ban on about 24 different types of waste, including plastic waste, effective from January 2018.

But beyond recycling, we’re stuck in a cycle of buying, using, collecting, then chucking a lot of stuff that we didn’t need in the first place.

By not changing our demands, we keep feeding the beast.

‘Reducing waste is about recycling less, not more,’ says Bea Johnson in her TED Talk about zero-waste living. Bea is a French anti-packaging activist, author and minimalist who now lives in California with her husband and two sons. In her book Zero Waste

Home and on her blog www. zerowastehome.com, she showcases her simple, sophisticated zerowaste lifestyle. She says the key is to stop a lot of the unnecessary waste from ever reaching the cycle.

‘Every time you buy packaging, it’s a way for you to say, “I love packaging, and I dream of a world filled with packaging for future generations.” And that’s what will happen. But if you buy your food in bulk with reusable containers, it’s a way for you to say: “I believe in an unpackaged world for our children and I vote for that unpackaged world,”’ says Bea.

‘To me, zero waste means that I do not produce any garbage,’ writes Lauren Singer, an environmentalist who started her blog Trash is for Tossers when she embarked on her own zero-waste journey.

‘No sending anything to landfill, no throwing anything in a trash can, nothing. However, I do recycle and I do compost.’ It’s all about taking the process back into your hands and, when you buy something, think it through – all the way to what will happen to the packaging.

Going zero waste sounds extreme but it is possible. Sadly, being eco-conscious has been falsely represented as being ‘hippy dippy’ or ‘alternative’. But that impression couldn’t be more misleading – living less wastefully is sophisticated minimalism at its best.

So where do we start? How do we make the changes and stick to them without feeling overwhelmed? The answer is, one step at a time. This kind of change doesn’t happen overnight, so keep in mind that it’s a process: an important one that you can set in motion today by making a few small changes in the way you think and what you buy.

HERE’S HOW TO START CHANGING THINGS, ROOM BY ROOM

IN THE KITCHEN AND THE DINING ROOM

1 Get your recycling sorted – literally.

Set up separate bins and implement a system that works for you. If dropping waste off at a recycling depot is too much hassle, arrange for it to be picked up. Find your nearest dropoff or recycling pick-up service on www.mywaste.co.za – it’s actually very affordable. Just get it done and stick to it.

2 Start composting

Even if you don’t have a backyard, there are options. Bokashi bins are a great place to start. They’re usually 25 litres in volume, and you simply chuck any organic waste – from bones to coffee grounds and food scraps – in there, sprinkle Bokashi bran over and it will turn it into soil. At the bottom of the bin is a section for drained Bokashi ‘tea’ which you can use as plant food. It’s all contained and allows for food to decompose quickly so that it never reaches the garbage truck. (Bokashi bins are available online at www.bokashishop.co.za or Yuppiechef.com) You can also get a worm farm, which works in a similar way except the worms get to work on the composting and there are some limitations as to what you can put into them.

3 Replace disposables with reusables as they finish.

It’s important not to go on a zerowaste spree but rather start where you are and finish what you have. Bea Johnson suggests the following easy swops: • Paper towels with reusable rags • Sandwich bags/ziplocks with kitchen towel or stainless-steel containers • Disposable plastic water bottles with refillable glass ones • Plastic disposable packaging for pasta and dry goods – purchase these in bulk (hello, Consol store!) and store them in glass jars – it looks much prettier too. • Disposable serviettes with reusable cotton napkins • If you’re headed to the bakery, take a pillowcase for your bread and baked goods. • Coffee pods with French press or espresso. If you’re reluctant to let go of your coffee machine, look for compostable capsules (Cafféluxe has a compostable range).

4 Buy bulk products directly from suppliers or at a store where you can bring your own containers.

Shop Zero and Nude Foods in Cape Town, and parts of Food Lover’s Market nationwide offer packaging-free shopping. If this isn’t possible in your area, try to find the bulk option online and split it with a friend. (For example: my friend buys eco-friendly cleaning materials in bulk that she dispenses to friends and colleagues in smaller quantities at cost price.) Similarly, if you buy directly from producers you can eliminate unnecessary packaging – why not drop by your nearest farmers’ market this weekend?

5 Look at how you store food, make the most out of leftovers, and invest in freezer space.

In her book Simplicious, award-winning author and ecowarrior Sarah Wilson has loads of tips on implementing better food storage and management, such as: • Use your leftovers – there are tons of creative tricks in her book and online. • Use your freezer to your advantage: freeze veggie scraps in a bowl, chicken bones in another and make homemade stock when you have enough. • If fruit or veggies are about to go off, cook and freeze them before they do. • If you use only half a tin of coconut milk, freeze the rest in an ice tray and pop them in smoothies and curries. • Before your herbs expire, freeze them in olive oil in ice trays so you have flavour bombs to add to your meals!

6 Waste that can’t be recycled can be turned into Ecobricks.

How? Take a 2-litre plastic bottle and fill it with any nonrecyclable or non-biodegradable waste – clingfilm, chocolate bar wrappers, chip packets… Once it starts filling up, push it down with the handle of a wooden spoon: you’ll be amazed at how much you can fit in there! Once your Ecobrick is filled to the brim, close it and donate it – they’re used to build anything from houses to classrooms! Visit www. ecobrickexchange.org

IN THE BATHROOM 1 Go for greener toilet paper.

Conventional toilet paper is made from old-growth trees (because it’s softer) some of which have been growing for up to 30 years! There is a South African brand called Güdsheet made from sugar cane and sustainable wood pulp. The business also donates a percentage of the price per box to build toilets for underprivileged schools and crèches. Check them out at www.gudco.co.za

2 Buy a bamboo toothbrush.

Once you’re done with the one you have (and are reusing it as a gets-into-everynook-and-cranny cleaning tool), get a bamboo one from www.faithful-to-nature.co.za – they can be composted when you stop using them.

3 Switch to a menstrual cup.

There’s really nothing gross about it. Tampons and pads are convenient, but they’re making a huge impact on the environment. The average woman throws away 120–140kg of sanitary products in her lifetime and most of it ends up in landfills. There are tons of options available online, such as the Mooncup (from Faithful to Nature) and Lunette (from www.ninsouthafrica.com) or locally manufactured cup Mpower – the company also gives back to the community.

4 Don’t buy more medication or supplements than you absolutely need.

Ask for the smallest quantity, otherwise it expires and ends up in the garbage.

5 Use grey water – even when there is no drought.

Reuse water from your shower or washing machine to clean floors, or in your garden.

6 Don’t buy cosmetics senselessly.

Look for sustainable local brands or packaging that isn’t plastic, like metal or glass, which is much more luxurious, too. Also, go for bulk-dispensed options (Rain has an amazing range) or choose solid soap. Finish a product before you replace it and reuse or recycle the packaging.

IN THE OFFICE 1 Invest in a beautiful, refillable fountain pen.

You’ll use it for years; it might even spark a passion for calligraphy.

2 Opt for a backpack that has a lifetime warranty.

Google it and you will find a number of brands online that will repair or replace a product you purchased from them when it starts to fall apart. JanSport and Patagonia are good examples.

3 Rethink your morning coffee.

If you need a caffeine jolt to get you going in the morning, invest in a reusable takeaway coffee cup and carry it with you. There are such pretty options available from ECoffee (on Yuppiechef.com and Superbalist).

OUT AND ABOUT

• Don’t only look for ‘recyclable’ – look for ‘100% compostable’. That way, you know if you put it in your Bokashi bin it won’t reach a landfill. • Take your own shopping bags. Don’t only take one; leave a few of them in the boot of your car so you have them on hand. And if you need to take containers to put fruit and vegetables, nuts and grains and pasta into, pack these in too. You could even take a reusable container to the butcher. • Refuse straws, disposable cutlery and takeaway containers. Take your own reusables (you can buy a stainless-steel straw from Faithful to Nature). • Buy second-hand and vintage! They really don’t make clothes like they used to any more. Purchasing clothing from vintage markets or second-hand stores has so many advantages. Firstly, they’re unique finds that no one else is likely to have. Secondly, they’re usually much better quality and you’ll find gorgeous premium brands at a fraction of the price. And thirdly, some projects such as Vintage With Love donate proceeds to a good cause. Before you feel overwhelmed, remember: this is a long list of suggestions, but that’s all they are – a few guidelines and ideas that have worked. The point is to try to do something – baby steps!