Zero-waste resolutions

“By millions of people doing it imperfectly, that’s when we see the change”

Sidebar - Emily’s tips to live a less wasteful life:

Use a reusable face cloth instead of make-up remover wipes. I went through about 120 wipes a month – that’s 1,440 a year – straight to landfill;
Use a bamboo toothbrush and toothpaste tablets;
Make your own cleaning products at home with white vinegar, water and essential oils;
Use compostable soap nuts to wash your laundry;
Use tea leaves as opposed to teabags, which contain micro-plastics and are largely non-degradable;
Collect your crisp packets and send them to a company which makes them into sleeping bags for the homeless – amazing idea! (e.g. Iron man survival blankets)
Buy recycled toilet paper wrapped in paper, which donates money to help build toilets in third-world countries;
Buy in bulk where possible to save on packaging;
Take your own bags, jars, egg boxes etc. to the shop to refill instead of getting a new one each time.

Getting rid of plastic has come into public conscience due to the increased concerns over global warming. Ines Santos hears about the zero-waste journey of those who have done something significant towards a world with less waste in the midst of the pandemic.

“My journey started with just one swap,” says Emily Dye, 33, a two-year-old mum who started living zero-waste. “The more I changed, the more I realised how easy and rewarding it was. After a while, it became the new normal and going back to my previous habits seemed ridiculous!”

The zero-waste community has been growing, most starting out because of concerns over the environment. Emily was the same. She became more aware of the problems associated with waste and began to make small changes one at a time.

Plastic waste is a huge problem worldwide. Since the 1950s, when the manufacturing of plastics for packaging purposes first started, plastic production has reached roughly 9.2 billion tonnes globally. Of this amount, five billion tonnes have ended up as waste.

According to World Bank researchers, daily, the world produces at least 3.5 million tonnes of plastic and other solid waste a day. In the UK, it is estimated that five million tonnes of plastic are used yearly, almost half of which is packaging.

However, even if confronted by these statistics, a zero-waste lifestyle may seem difficult to achieve due to the cost of zero-waste products and access to them. That is why Emily set up her own zero-waste online shop last October, Basicc Zero Waste.

She offers zero-waste and plastic-free goods, ranging from bamboo toothbrushes to reusable menstrual products, to her local community in Gorleston on Sea and surrounding areas.

Emily delivers all the items on her bike as part of pre-existing journeys in the same day or in a couple of days, offering free delivery to local postcodes.

“I had been frustrated for a long time that zero-waste products were only largely available online. They are expensive as they are, but once you add postage, you could be easily spending £7 on a toothbrush!” She explains.

For Emily, the whole process was just unaffordable and inaccessible, and lots of her friends felt the same frustrations. So, she decided to solve the problem herself.

She started running her business during a pandemic, which some might think is a bad idea, but Emily believes this is the perfect time, as people began to change their consumer habits. “Before the pandemic, I was always rushing, completely oblivious and unaware of my behaviours, particularly as a consumer. Spending more time at home and being somewhat restricted in what I can do, has made me more conscious,” she says.

Two people who have changed their consumer habits this year were Raghavan and Ranjani, 40 and 36 respectively, travel bloggers from Mumbai. “2020 gave us the time to experiment and apply the principles of a zero-waste lifestyle,” the couple agrees.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of their time was spent outdoors, travelling, and they depended largely on other people for maintaining their homes and cleaning their car. However, self-reliance in 2020 taught them more about the excesses of commercial products.

“In the last three years, we have all heard and read about climate change, and all other dystopian references. This alarmed us. Yet, it was only this year that we have shifted to everything zero-waste because of the extra time we had staying at home and the fact that going out and getting things easily wasn’t an option,” Ranjani says.

Like many people, they have been thinking of starting a zero-waste lifestyle, but only now have they had the time to take a step towards it.

“Ranjani has contributed the most to this journey thanks to her childhood affinity with the environment. Using kitchen waste for skincare and gardening purposes, and depending on herbal teas as medication were the norm…” Raghavan says.

Ranjani steps in: “But Raghavan has been the perfect partner in adopting this lifestyle, adapting and helping me at each step and sometimes even going a step further towards maintaining it.”

Raghavan and Ranjani have started spreading awareness on a zero-waste lifestyle on their Instagram account. For instance, they share their favourite plastic-free stores and products, supporting small businesses.

Charlie Gill, 28, co-founder of zero-waste shop Life Before Plastik, has also been an advocate for this issue recently. This year, she became a Zero Waste Youth Champion for the ‘Action Not Excuses’ campaign. “I hope we’ll open up the conversation and encourage youth to make zero-waste choices, and use their voice to push companies and governments to change,” Charlie says.

Raleigh International asked Charlie to front their new campaign to encourage others to make similar choices, take small actions, share their experiences and together build a better future.

Charlie started living a zero-waste lifestyle when she went to Nepal in Spring 2020 on a volunteer project with Raleigh, and took a shampoo bar with her.

This was one of her first conscious swaps, and a difficult one, according to Charlie, because of the transitioning period. “It was definitely worth it though; my hair has changed dramatically as a result of using natural products on it,” she says.

From there, Nepal encouraged Charlie to remove plastic completely from her life. In the village she was living in, Sanutar, locals would go down to a river to wash themselves and their clothes. As they couldn’t afford big bottles of shampoo, it was quite commonplace to buy small plastic sachets of shampoo and conditioner. These sachets were all around in the vegetation and river – which of course lead to the sea.

“It really raised my awareness of the plastic issue and how I wanted to a make a change in my community. This was such a turning point in my life, and I wanted to be able to share my story and encourage other young people to do the same. Our strength is in numbers, and so by millions of people doing it imperfectly, that’s when we see the change,” she says.

Charlie has started going plastic-free subconsciously since 2018, though. She thought her lifestyle was commonplace, but when she started working in financial services, she realised that others around her did not have the same values. This was when she first realised she wanted to become an advocate for this issue.

Besides being a Youth Champion, Charlie also runs a Manchester-based plastic-free online shop with her sister Trina, Life Before Plastik.

“My sister came up with the idea whilst I was away in Nepal; on my return she pitched it to me and it seemed like the obvious thing to do,” she says.

The business supports small local independent businesses by stocking their products, and allows their customers to shop by their ethics, whether that is plastic-free, natural, vegan, made in the UK etc.

They also raise awareness of the plastic crisis, alongside all sorts of environmental issues, on social media. “Plastic is an on-going pandemic. It’s damaging our wildlife, oceans, our environment. It’s got into our food so we’re no longer damaging our environment but potentially our own health. The benefits are enormous, reducing the amount of chemicals on your skin, hair, and body,” Charlie says.

All the interviewees have indeed found living a zero-waste lifestyle beneficial. Ranjani says it makes her feel less guilty: “There is also a sense of pride when you see your brain working out ways of reusing and reducing the waste you generate.” She also believes it is an efficient use of resources and time because you have to plan everything in advance.

Emily says she spends less money, as zero-waste products last longer than single-use ones. Charlie agrees and gives the following example: “Often people say it can be expensive but if you think about it, one reusable razor costs £25 but I will have this for my lifetime if I look after it – an initial investment and hundreds saved on plastic disposable razors.”

Emily adds that she has learnt to bake, and cook more at home; has met new people who have a similar likeminded outlook, creating a community spirit; and has changed her whole outlook on her behaviours as a consumer. “I don’t feel the need to buy the latest thing!”

Raghavan and Ranjani feel the same way, as they have not shopped for clothing in the past year. “I have come to realise its futility and began to appreciate minimalism. As it turns out, I have great-looking clothing to last a lifetime!” Raghavan says.

Emily concludes that all in all, this lifestyle has made things a lot simpler for her.

“Long-term, I’d love the whole world to be plastic-free.” Charlie concludes. “I’ll always be here to provide support and advice, as I’d love zero-waste to be the way of life for all.”