Zero Waste Life
Meet people around Japan who strive for a life without waste under the traditional philosophy of "MOTTAINAI," もったいない ( too good to waste ) which values cherishing the things we have.
Zero-Waste Lifestyle 101: How to Lead A No-Waste Life
So what does it mean to live a zero-waste lifestyle? It may sound almost impossible, but sounds it’s easier than you think. Here’s what living no-waste is all about.
Who needs garbage, anyway? From zero-waste products to zero-waste travel, here we will show you what the no-waste movement is about and give you valuable tips on everyday green living practices.
Looking into a zero-waste lifestyle is worth it: waste-free living saves time and money, and combats climate change. Earth is a pretty great place — let’s protect it!
What Is a Zero-Waste Lifestyle?
The trick to a successful zero-waste life is reducing avoidable waste and minimizing or repurposing unavoidable waste.
To put it simply, living a zero-waste lifestyle means producing absolutely no waste. In a sense, you boycott trash. Making a transition toward a no-waste life is as easy as going without a straw for your smoothie, not having a receipt printed at checkout or taking your coffee-to-go in a reusable mug.
All waste is reduced and reused, recycled if necessary or composted. Clever zero-wasters keep unavoidable waste — like medicine bottles — to an absolute minimum. The key to living a zero-waste lifestyle is using your creativity and resourcefulness.
Why Aim for Zero Waste?
The sheer amount of garbage produced in the world today is daunting. Let’s change that.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, the average American produced approximately 4.9 pounds of garbage per day. That’s up from 4.5 pounds a day in 2017 and translates to a yearly total of around 292.4 million tons of trash (23.7 million tons more than 2017,) half of which was sent directly to landfills. Almost 94 million tons of that was recycled or composted, equivalent to around 32 percent.
It’s no surprise that consumer product packaging materials make up the largest percentages of waste: Paper and paperboard (23.05%), glass (4.19%), metals (8.76%) and plastics (12.2%).
The next best alternative to proper recycling methods is creating no waste in the first place. Living waste-free with a zero-waste lifestyle saves resources and protects the environment. By avoiding toxic substances like BPAs (in plastic packaging), you also protect your health and that of others. For more information about what it means to go BPA-free, read: BPA and Plastics: What Is BPA-Free?
The Zero-Waste Home
Bamboo toothbrushes are a great example of a zero-waste household essential.
A crucial part of a successful zero-waste lifestyle is maintaining a zero-waste household. A proper zero-waste home is plastic-free and does not contain items that cannot be recycled or composted. Zero wasters practice plastic-free shopping and stick to reusable alternatives to many regular household items.
There are zero- or low-waste alternatives for practically everything. This lifestyle concept even includes zero-waste toothpaste and zero-waste deodorant. To save time, here are some handy guides to zero-waste household items:
●Zero Waste Kitchen: 8 Steps to Producing Less Trash (click here)
●6 Easy Tips for a Zero-Waste Baby (click here)
●Zero-Waste Makeup: 5 Brands Made in the USA (click here)
●10 Pro Tips for Reducing Food Waste (click here)
Use electrical appliances like computers, phones or refrigerators as long as possible, and repair them when you can. If you can’t save the appliance or device, make sure to dispose of it properly.
Zero-Waste Grocery Shopping
Garbage really starts to pile up when you’ve been grocery shopping. It often feels like the bulk of what you carry home from the supermarket is actually just packaging waste: bags, cups or boxes you use once and throw away. Zero wasters living a less-is-more lifestyle don’t put up with this.
Grocery shopping low-waste is doable, but you’ll need to plan ahead. For example, keep a canvas or tote bag on you to buy loose goods and carry them home. However, admittedly things get a bit trickier with foods like pasta or rice. Then come hygiene items, washing and cleaning agents that seem to make a zero-waste life all but impossible.
When it comes to household cleaning, lemon juice goes a long way.
Remember: a zero-waste lifestyle is about being resourceful. Instead of buying the latest eco-unfriendly chemical cleaner in a plastic spray bottle, why not make your own cleaning supplies? Here are some clever and sustainable household cleaning hacks made from all-natural ingredients:
●The Best Way to Clean Brass Using Natural Household Products (Read here)
●Homemade Yoga Mat Cleaner With Natural Ingredients (Learn here)
●The Best DIY Stainless Steel Cleaner: 3 Ingredients Only ( Read here)
●Homemade Oven Cleaner: 3 DIY (click here) Methods Better Than Chemical Cleaners
●Get Rid of Nasty Drain Smells: 4 Household Cleaning Agents for the Kitchen and Bathroom (Learn here)
●The Best Way to Clean Tile Floors Without Chemicals ( details here )
●Homemade Window Cleaner: DIY Glass Cleaner for a Streak-free Shine (look here)
Zero Waste Lifestyle: Reusable Packaging
Smart shopping means losing the plastic packaging. Make cloth and canvas bags part of your zero-waste lifestyle today.
Believe it or not, it’s also possible to maintain a zero-waste lifestyle when grocery shopping. Remember this to keep your errands waste-free: choose reusable instead of disposable and glass instead of plastic. For example, milk, yogurt and cream are available in reusable glass bottles in almost all supermarkets.
At some fresh produce counters in the supermarket and farmers’ markets, you can have sausage, cheese, antipasti or spreads packed in the tin you brought along — without any packaging waste. Hunt around your neighborhood for stores that support the zero-waste movement.
Even better, with more people looking to go no waste, more and more zero-waste shops are popping up across the country. Zero-waste stores offer you the option to bring in your own containers and fill them — often at a steep discount — with pantry staples and eco-friendly cleaning products.
Flea Markets, Secondhand Shops and Community Exchange
Buy used, not new. Buy secondhand and save money while fighting climate change.
You can easily find unpackaged furniture like tables and dressers and household items like dinnerware and cooking utensils at your local flea market, secondhand shop or in local Facebook groups.
These are all things that you don’t have to buy new. Used furniture can have a vintage look with more character and is often better quality than new, cheap chain-store furniture.
Now, we have to think about clothes. Fast fashion has many of us in its grips. The fashion industry has convinced us that forever updating our wardrobe is necessary, or even better — normal. And once we’re done with one season’s collection, we don’t think twice about tossing it.
Here’s a solution: Create your own minimalist wardrobe and say goodbye to closet-clearing searches for the perfect outfit every morning. Thrift stores are a great place to start this leg of your journey to go no waste. You’ll find the best new additions to your minimalist wardrobe at the lowest prices possible and ensure nothing new was produced to revamp your minimalist closet’s selection.
Depending on where you live, here are some great places to get started finding secondhand treasures:
●15 Best Thrift Stores in Chicago (here)
●15 Thrift Stores in Atlanta for Hidden Treasures (here)
●8 Best Shops for Secondhand Treasures in Manhattan (here)
●Thrifting in Georgetown: 7 Options for Household & Fashion (here)
●Best Thrift Stores in San Francisco for Fashion, Antiques & Home Goods (here)
Utopia tip:
Consider donating your used clothing instead of throwing it away!
Our Goodwill Donation How- to (here) has everything you need to know.
Zero Waste Lifestyle Tips: Do It Yourself
Homemade bar soap is an excellent alternative to bottled body wash.
For household essentials like personal hygiene items, staying waste-free can be challenging; however, it’s getting easier as more people become environmentally savvy. That said, it’s often difficult to find shampoos, soaps, detergents and cleaning agents without plastic or paper packaging. But when there’s a will to lead a low-waste life, there’s always a way.
When you live a zero-waste lifestyle, everything that you can’t buy without packaging, you produce yourself. Toothpaste, for example, can be made from baking soda, stevia, or medicinal clay. You can also easily create your own homemade shampoo or natural body wash and spare yourself the questionable ingredients and plastic packaging.
Here are some of Utopia’s hygiene, health and beauty DIYs to keep you on track and help you reach low- or no-waste life:
●Homemade Conditioner: Three All-Natural Recipes (here)
●3 Soap Recipes: How to Make Homemade Soap (here)
●Homemade Hand Sanitizer: DIY-Recipe With 2 Ingredients (here)
●Natural Home Remedies for Colds: 6 Easy Recipes (here)
Upcycling: Sustainable Reuse
Upcycling is different from recycling and precycling and hits the sweet spot of that second R in Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Putting your hands to work can make you think twice about wasteful consumption. Once something has outlived its initial use, ask yourself whether you can’t repurpose it meaningfully. You can upcycle that ripped t-shirt into a new dust rag or use the color comics section of your Sunday paper as sustainable gift wrap.
Remember, creativity is key to producing less trash.
零浪费生活
认识一下日本各地的人们，他们秉承“MOTTAINAI”的传统哲学，追求不浪费的生活，“もったいない”（好得不能浪费），重视珍惜我们所拥有的东西。
零浪费生活方式 101：如何过无浪费的生活
那么零浪费的生活方式意味着什么呢？ 这听起来几乎不可能，但听起来比你想象的要容易。 这就是“无浪费生活”的意义所在。
无论如何，谁需要垃圾？ 从零废物产品到零废物旅行，我们将向您展示无废物运动的含义，并为您提供有关日常绿色生活实践的宝贵建议。
探索零浪费的生活方式是值得的：无浪费的生活可以节省时间和金钱，并应对气候变化。 地球是一个非常美好的地方——让我们保护它！
什么是零浪费生活方式？
成功的零废物生活的秘诀是减少可避免的废物，并最大限度地减少或重新利用不可避免的废物。
简而言之，零浪费的生活方式意味着绝对不产生废物。 从某种意义上说，你抵制垃圾。 向无浪费生活过渡就像不使用吸管吸奶昔、结帐时不打印收据或将外带咖啡装在可重复使用的杯子中一样简单。
所有废物均被减少和重复利用，必要时可回收或堆肥。 巧妙的零浪费将不可避免的浪费（如药瓶）降至最低限度。 零浪费生活方式的关键是发挥你的创造力和足智多谋。
为什么要以零浪费为目标？
当今世界产生的垃圾数量惊人。 让我们改变这一点。
根据美国环境保护署 (EPA) 的数据，2018 年，美国人平均每天产生约 4.9 磅垃圾。 这比 2017 年每天 4.5 磅有所增加，相当于每年垃圾总量约为 2.924 亿吨（比 2017 年增加了 2370 万吨），其中一半直接送往垃圾填埋场。 其中近 9400 万吨被回收或堆肥，相当于 32% 左右。
毫不奇怪，消费品包装材料在废物中所占比例最大：纸张和纸板（23.05%）、玻璃（4.19%）、金属（8.76%）和塑料（12.2%）。
正确回收方法的下一个最佳替代方案是首先不产生废物。 无浪费的生活和零浪费的生活方式可以节省资源并保护环境。 通过避免使用 BPA（塑料包装中）等有毒物质，您还可以保护您和他人的健康。 有关不含 BPA 意味着什么的更多信息，请阅读：BPA 和塑料：什么是不含 BPA？
●零垃圾厨房：减少垃圾产生的 8 个步骤（点击此处）
●零浪费婴儿的 6 个简单秘诀（点击此处）
●零浪费化妆品：美国制造的 5 个品牌（点击此处）
●减少食物浪费的 10 条专业建议（点击此处）
尽可能长时间地使用电脑、电话或冰箱等电器，并尽可能修理它们。 如果您无法保存电器或设备，请务必妥善处置。
零浪费杂货购物
当你去杂货店购物时，垃圾真的开始堆积起来。 人们常常感觉，你从超市带回家的大部分东西实际上只是包装垃圾：用过一次就扔掉的袋子、杯子或盒子。 零浪费、少即是多的生活方式无法忍受这一点。
低浪费地去杂货店购物是可行的，但您需要提前计划。 例如，随身携带帆布袋或手提袋，以购买散装物品并将其带回家。 然而，不可否认的是，对于意大利面或米饭等食物来说，事情会变得有点棘手。 接下来是卫生用品、洗涤剂和清洁剂，它们似乎让零浪费生活变得几乎不可能。
在家庭清洁方面，柠檬汁大有帮助。
请记住：零浪费的生活方式就是要足智多谋。 与其购买最新的塑料喷雾瓶装的不环保的化学清洁剂，为什么不自己制作清洁用品呢？ 以下是一些由全天然成分制成的巧妙且可持续的家庭清洁技巧：
●使用天然家用产品清洁黄铜的最佳方法（阅读此处）
●含有天然成分的自制瑜伽垫清洁剂（在此处了解）
●最好的 DIY 不锈钢清洁剂：仅 3 种成分（请阅读此处）
●自制烤箱清洁剂：比化学清洁剂更好的 3 种 DIY（点击此处）方法
●去除令人讨厌的下水道气味：4种厨房和浴室家用清洁剂（在此处了解）
●无需化学物质清洁瓷砖地板的最佳方法（详情请参见此处）
●自制窗户清洁剂：DIY 玻璃清洁剂，打造无条纹光泽（看这里）
零浪费生活方式：可重复使用的包装
明智的购物意味着丢掉塑料包装。 让布袋和帆布袋成为您今天零浪费生活方式的一部分。
不管你相信与否，在杂货店购物时也可以保持零浪费的生活方式。 请记住这一点，以确保您的差事不浪费：选择可重复使用的而不是一次性的，选择玻璃而不是塑料的。 例如，几乎所有超市都提供可重复使用的玻璃瓶装的牛奶、酸奶和奶油。
在超市和农贸市场的一些新鲜农产品柜台，您可以将香肠、奶酪、开胃菜或涂抹酱装在您携带的罐子里，而不会产生任何包装浪费。 在您的附近寻找支持零废物运动的商店。
更好的是，随着越来越多的人希望不浪费，越来越多的零废物商店在全国各地涌现。 零废物商店让您可以选择自带容器，并在其中装满食品储藏室主食和环保清洁产品（通常以大幅折扣）。
跳蚤市场、二手店和社区交流
买二手的，不是新的。 在应对气候变化的同时购买二手货可以省钱。
您可以在当地的跳蚤市场、二手店或当地的 Facebook 群组中轻松找到桌子和梳妆台等未包装的家具以及餐具和炊具等家居用品。
这些都是你不必购买新的东西。 二手家具可以具有复古的外观，更具特色，而且通常比新的、廉价的连锁店家具质量更好。
现在，我们必须考虑衣服。 快时尚吸引了我们很多人。 时尚界让我们相信，永远更新我们的衣柜是必要的，甚至更好——正常。 一旦我们完成了一季的系列，我们就会毫不犹豫地扔掉它。
解决方案如下：创建您自己的简约衣柜，告别每天早上清理衣柜寻找完美服装的麻烦。 旧货店是您开始不浪费旅程的好地方。 您将以尽可能最低的价格找到您的简约衣柜中最好的新产品，并确保不会生产任何新产品来改进您的简约衣柜的选择。
根据您居住的地方，这里有一些开始寻找二手宝藏的好地方：
●芝加哥 15 家最佳旧货店（此处）
●亚特兰大 15 家旧货店的隐藏宝藏（此处）
●曼哈顿8家最佳二手货店（这里）
●乔治城节俭：家居和时尚的 7 个选择（此处）
●旧金山最佳时装、古董和家居用品旧货店（此处）
乌托邦提示：
考虑捐赠你用过的衣服而不是扔掉它！
我们的善意捐赠指南（此处）包含您需要了解的一切。
零浪费生活方式小贴士：自己动手
自制肥皂是瓶装沐浴露的绝佳替代品。
对于个人卫生用品等家庭必需品来说，保持无浪费可能具有挑战性。 然而，随着越来越多的人变得环保，这变得越来越容易。 也就是说，通常很难找到没有塑料或纸包装的洗发水、肥皂、洗涤剂和清洁剂。 但是，只要有意愿过低浪费的生活，总会有办法的。
当你过着零浪费的生活方式时，所有你买不到的没有包装的东西都是你自己生产的。 例如，牙膏可以用小苏打、甜叶菊或药用粘土制成。 您还可以轻松制作自己的自制洗发水或天然沐浴露，并避免使用有问题的成分和塑料包装。
以下是 Utopia 的一些卫生、健康和美容 DIY 项目，可帮助您步入正轨并帮助您实现低浪费或无浪费的生活：
●自制护发素：三种纯天然配方（此处）
●3个肥皂配方：如何制作自制肥皂（此处）
●自制洗手液：两种成分的DIY配方（这里）
●感冒的天然家庭疗法：6个简单的食谱（这里）
升级回收：可持续再利用
升级回收不同于回收和预回收，它击中了“减少”、“再利用”和“回收”中第二个 R 的最佳点。 动手工作可以让你三思而行，避免浪费性消费。 一旦某物超出了其最初的使用期限，问问自己是否无法对其进行有意义的重新利用。 您可以将破烂的 T 恤改造为新的抹布，或者使用周日报纸的彩色漫画部分作为可持续礼品包装。
请记住，创造力是减少垃圾产生的关键。
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