Zero waste was the goal we set for our home this year. The past 3 weeks we have had no need to put the wheely bin out, there was simply nothing inside! No bad waste – all recycled.
"If you can have one waste free day, you can do it for one week. If you can do it for one week, you can do it for a month", I reckoned. So, a month ago I set about creating a waste awareness within myself. I realised it was all too easy to throw some odds and ends into the vast black bag. So, what stopped me? I declared a no waste week.
First I had to peep into my ‘bad bag’ and see what was still ending up there. A bit more training for the home had to be done. Vacuum cleaner and sweeping dust belongs with the organic waste, which goes to the compost. Dirty paper also goes to the compost pile – preferably shredded up. What else? Tetrapack is now also recyclable, so it belongs with the recycling, so too polystyrene. So, what are we going to throw away now? The old culprit, cling wrap! Simple, don’t buy anything with cling wrap on and don’t keep it in your home. It is entirely possible to avoid this non-green packaging that seems to be used for anything.
"So, what do you do," someone asked me recently, "when you have food left over and you want to cover it and keep it in the fridge? How do you manage without cling wrap?" If you don’t want to use a plastic dish with a lid, simply put a plate on top, or a bowl. ‘n Boer maak ‘n plan. It’s easy.
On the Monday I simply avoided the shops, ditto for Tuesday. Good for the pocket anyway. We order our organic food online from the Ethical Co-Op. They deliver on Thursdays, in a box, which they take back the next week. All with absolute minimal packaging - all recyclable. On Saturdays we buy more fresh produce from the Organic Farmer’s Market. Even eco-nappies are available there now. No more excuses for disposable nappies – a nasty waste item for the earth to absorb.
Come Wednesday and my daughter needed new boots. Once we had paid, the shop attendant proceeded to pack them into a large box, with various layers of paper inside and in a plastic bag it went. "No," I said, "we don’t want the box." I remember the days when shop assistants used to look at me as if I was from Mars when I refused packaging. But this friendly chap seemed to understand instantly. He walked to the back and reappeared, would you believe it, with a beautiful black cloth bag with the shop’s name on. He popped the boots in and presented me with a waste-free shopping experience. Voila! That’s when I realised my goal was indeed possible.
Remember, we don’t only want no bad waste (which is what I call non-recyclable waste), we want to limit ALL waste. Reducing and re-using is even better for the earth than recycling. After this pleasant experience I was unstoppable. The rest of the week was a cinch. All it took was a little awareness on my side and a good dose of determination. Since then the black bag and bin is out of commission, and I have freed more space in my kitchen too!
Perhaps this was a baby step towards our Green Goals, but it is important nonetheless. I wonder how my readers are doing with their waste? If you have also reached the Zero Waste goal, please contact me. Let’s share our stories with others, showing them how we got there, how we shop and cope and have a good, rewarding, waste free life.
My other good news is that I now use my hotbox for EVERY meal. I have even baked a few loaves of bread in it. In the evening I bake my loaf in the gas oven for 10 minutes. Then I put a lid on the pot and pop it into the hotbox. In the morning we get up to a warm loaf and fresh bread for my daughter, Bigita’s school lunch. I use a round cooking pot with metal handles, then it’s easy to just pop the lid on when it goes into the hotbox. No hard crust … ideal for kids. My bread normally bakes for 60 minutes in a normal oven, so I save 50 minutes - no less than 83.33% power. This is why the hotbox is known as the most important eco-gadget for a green house.
Want to assess your family’s green progress? Use the tick list on this page. These are just tips, we can develop this together. Send more ideas, if you want. Add your no’s to your family’s Green Action Plan. Have fun – slowly, one green step at a time, we are creating a new earth.
Elma can be contacted at elma@greencoach.co.za or 084 868 2908.
How green is your family?
Score yourself out of 31 – this is a growing list. Place the crosses on your Green Action Plan. Try to add one per month to your score.
- Do you recycle ALL your waste?
- Do you use a gas stove and oven?
- Do you use a hotbox for every meal?
- Do you cook with sun energy when possible?
- Do you have a water-wise garden with fynbos?
- Do you grow your own veggies?
- Do you use NO chemical fertilisers or insecticides in your garden?
- Do you harvest rain water in a tank?
- Do you re-use your grey water in the garden or to flush toilets?
- Do you have a solar geyser?
- Do you switch off all appliances at the wall when not in use?
- Do your kids get to school by lift clubs, bus, bicycle or walking?
- Do you shop organically and locally?
- Do you switch off all unnecessary lights?
- Is your house properly insulated against temperature fluctuations, by means of passive systems?
- Do you drive the smallest and lightest car you can fit into, or an electric or hybrid car?
- Do you do eco holidays?
- Do you use recycled A4 paper in your printers?
- Do you use eco toilet paper, made from sugar cane waste?
- Do you use a water filter instead of bottled water?
- Do you limit the use of cellphones, or do without?
- Do you take your own bags shopping?
- Are you a vegetarian or eat little and only organic meat?
- Are you actively involved in greening your child’s school?
- Do you use only green/harmless cleaning and body products at home?
- Do you switch off your geyser for at least 20 out of 24 hours per day?
- Do you actively and freely offer your time to help take care of natural resources – a river/dam/sea/threatened species/nature reserve or assist any green cause?
- Do you regularly tithe towards a green or development organisation?
- Are you actively involved in fighting poverty or HIV/AIDS?
- Does your family have an environmental policy and action plan to become earth stewards?
- At your work do you have an environmental policy with action plan in place?
