My journey to zero waste ... 1 year on!
Well this blog post is looooong over due!
In August I celebrated 1 year since starting my journey to producing less waste. I don't actually know when that was. I originally thought it was mid August but looking back at my old bullet journal it may have actually been around June/July 2017... who knows!
What I do know though, is that I am loving life and I am loving living this lifestyle.
A lot can happen in a year. I've had many highs and lows and been given some great experiences and opportunities which I will defiantly benefit and learn from. In this blog post I'm going to highlight some of these points and talk about what has changed from when I started this journey, one year ago up until now.
1. I have finally found who I am and who I want to be in life.
Before I started learning about world problems and zero waste, I was pretty miserable. You think that learning such as thing would make it worse, but in fact finding out about this movement and how so many individuals around the world are making a difference, raising awareness and tackling issues with plastic pollution sparks positivity into my soul. Becoming obsessive with this movement spending all my time looking for alternatives, getting excited when I've finally run out of a product and can buy an reusable are all the things which have made me realise this is what I've been missing all my life. I am embracing the eco life and not caring what anything thinks. This movement has taught me to love my natural self and that I don't need society's perfect image to be happy
I am so much more happy than in my previous years and I truly believe that it is because I am making better decisions and surrounding myself with people who care about the environment as much as I do. There is NO WAY I am going to go back to using single use plastic on a regular basis, purchasing items because I want them and watching on the side lines as my community and friends spend their free time picking up rubbish and spreading awareness about environmental issues. This is who I am and this is how I intend to stay. So many opportunities have come from this and the amount of individuals now involved in the movement pushes me to do more and inspires me on a regular basis to keep fighting and doing my bit.
2. My health is at its best and I have fallen back in love with food.
I now eat a 100% plant based diet and have never felt better. Most processed food including vegan goodies are wrapped in stupid amounts of plastic which is a big no no for me. I try and avoid as much plastic as possible even if it is recyclable. I purchase fruits and vegetables from my local farmers market and buy whole food such as grains, lentils and nuts (organic when possible) at my local bulk store. If I am craving food such as cake, biscuits or sweets I simply just make them myself. They are so much healthier because you know what ingredients are in them and you can substitute ingredients for allergies etc.
Most plant based dessert recipes are simple and easy to bake (or not bake if you eat raw!) even for the busiest of people like myself. Unfortunately, yes you need to be organised and prep your meals or work out when you have to time to make a condiment or a meal but you can cook in bulk and portion your food so that it is ready to grab and go. I am a really lazy person and I struggle to make time for this but when I do, boy it's a life saver! Especially if you wake up late and haven't made lunch for work! It is one of my goals this year to be more organised. Avoiding plastic, you can't just grab a microwave meal so I tend to make double or triple amounts of dinner so I can take some to work the next day.
If you have followed me for a while and look at my monthly trash jar updates you may have noticed that I no longer throw out medication packets. Since becoming plant based my energy has soared. I am no longer tired or lethargic, my skin is much better and I feel a million dollars. I stopped taking my 'life long' tablets and my blood tests came back absolutely fine. I am still keeping an eye on my health and I am due another blood test soon but I am certain that not eating my weight in cheese has done wonders! I was vegetarian for 8 or 9 years and went vegan just over 1 year ago. My weight has also kept stable and I no longer have binge eating issues. I have fallen back in love with food and I love to incorporate as much colour into my meals as possible to boost my nutrients.
3. I still create trash but I don't beat myself up for it
In 1 year the amount of over all waste I've stopped producing is way more than half of what I was producing before. Yet this is mostly due to the fact that I went straight into zero waste without hesitation so my transition was pretty fast. I also live on my own and I have no children. I highly advocate that producing zero waste is impossible in modern society, yet unfortunately I get comments and messages saying that they are making small changes but nothing as good as I am. I am very privileged to live the way that I do and that I have all the access to bulk stores and zero waste ways but we are all on our own journeys and we all have different lifestyles. You may think that only producing 1 bin bag a month is not that big of an achievement but that is amazing! We are living against society and the culture they want us to live in. It can sometimes be difficult to live plastic free but we must not beat ourselves up for the stuff we cannot control. Yes, sometimes I forget lunch and end up buying a prepackaged sandwich, yes I may get really ill and go through what feels like a million plastic cold and flu packets, yes I may be given a straw even though I made it very well clear I didn't want one. Yes I still create trash.
We are human and we can only do our best. Take it from me ... you are doing an incredible job! Even if you have just switched from using single use plastic bottles to a reusable one, you are making a difference and you are advocating with your actions that we don't want single use plastic bottles anymore. Take a picture of your next bin bag to go on the curb or your jar of trash and half a year down the line take another. The difference can be shocking! Below is my trash for September last year compared to this year. I never knew I was making such a difference in my actions at home. Don't beat yourself up for small mistakes :)
September 2017
August 2018 - Can you tell I really love Chilli Heatwave doritos!
4. Things I came to hate over the last year and the things I still struggle with.
Unfortunately not everything can be positive and we can't all like everything. I have made multiple swaps and changes over the year.
First of all... I really really hate wax wraps! They are a pain in the ass to wash if the food on them is dry (you don't want to scrub the wax off) and I don't understand why you can't just use tupperware which does the exact same job for cheaper. For fruit which is cut in half such as watermelon, I put a plate over the top of it and it says fresh for days. I wanted wax wraps to see what all the hype was about and I'm really not impressed. Plus they are so expensive if you don't make them yourself! Some people love them but I'm not the biggest fan.
Secondly, I started my journey using a homemade tooth powder but unfortunately I just couldn't get to grips with the power texture. I like my toothpaste to foam up like regular tubed tooth paste and so I now use toothytabs which I buy loose from my local bulk store. To use them, I just sip a tiny bit of water, crunch 1 tablet until it's powdered, wet my toothbrush and brush away. I still make my own mouthwash to use afterwards. One of my biggest issues was floss as I never found a compostable vegan option however I have found one! My bulk store sells georganics compostable charcoal based floss which I will be purchasing once I've finished the product i'm still using.
Thirdly, 3 homemade deodorant recipes later and I gave up. I have very sensitive skin and for some reason never seemed to be able to get the correct amount of baking soda to stop the smell and not irritate my pits at the same time. I started using the The Clay Cure natural deodorant balm and I absolutely loved it, except for the price (£6.99 for 70g) and the little plastic stick that came in every tin. I have now switched to the Lush Aromaco deodorant bar which I have melted into the empty tin of the previous deodorant. It works just as well if you use your finger to smear it into your armpit. In cold weather I use the plastic stick to break some of the balm off and rub it with my fingers until soft enough to use. It is also cheaper at £5.50 for 100g.
One of my biggest struggles now is finding package free greens. Mostly the hunt is on for finding spinach and lettuce but it is proving difficult. Eating green vegetables is essential for boosting nutrients and vitamins such as calcium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C and therefore are important. My friend Patrick who has a stall at Market on the moor is slowly bringing in loose greens, however being the only table there selling them, they run out pretty quickly. To boost my nutrients I eat parts of any vegetable that most people would throw away or compost. I receive free discarded beetroot leaves to eat from the market, I eat cauliflower leaves and stems, broccoli stems and any other part of a vegetable that is safe to eat. According to research these parts of the vegetable are the most nutritious so why are we throwing them out? In addition to this I also refuse to peel vegetables that are safe to eat with the skin on such as carrots and potatoes. I just give them a good scrub and use as normal. This reduces food waste and compost waste.
In my zero waste struggles video, I spoke about buying xylitol on a regular basis and not knowing that to do with the plastic bags. I still buy this product, however in order to make it last I have given up sweetener and sugar in my hot drinks. I think my teeth will thank me one day. I only use it now for homemade recipes such as mouthwash and if I need some sweetness in desserts.
Photo by Matej Tágo Polák
5. Opportunities.
I'm very thankful for all the support and guidance I've received since starting this journey and this blog. It has lead to some really exciting opportunities and experiences that's i'll never forget. My first big experience being written an article in the Cornish news company 'Cornwall live'. They came over to my place and I showed them all the ways that I am living low waste and how they could make small changes themselves. The article went viral and really increased my blog views. Other news companies such as the Sun and Daily Mail also took the article and released stories both online and in the newspaper. Despite what went wrong and the troubles I faced with it (Watch my I'm in the news video) it is something I have learnt from and gained following from. Therefore I am grateful. I have also been interviewed by two students who have written pieces about me for their university work and have gotten to meet some incredible and inspiring individuals also trying to make a difference. I really enjoy living this life style and all the positive outcomes which come with it.
Bring on the next year! :)
Photo by Matej Tágo Polák