Moving Towards Zero Waste Living

Todays post is a little different to our usual, I wanted to share with you my biggest intention for 2018. I wasn't going to share it here on Steemit but it's just another way to keep me accountable. I've never been into the whole 'it's a New Year better write out a list of goals to achieve' but I thought why not have a set of intentions that I hope to live my life by for 2018, if not forever?!

So that brings me to my biggest intention for 2018 - moving towards zero waste living. Unachievable? Possibly, but I'm going to give it a red hot go! Considering Daniel and I are a couple of salty sea dogs we spend the majority of our lives in or around the sea. After travelling near and far we have seen our fair share of beautiful beaches and equally trashed, waste laden beaches too. It's absolutely heart wrenching to see! We also recently watched A Plastic Ocean which was a very sad reality to watch.

We have always been mindful of our waste, recycling and doing things the 'right way' but at the end of the day it's all waste and is there really such a thing as getting rid of it? Sure you can put out the rubbish or take it to the recycling centre but it just becomes someone else's problem. With this in mind, around mid Dec I started reserving books on books on books from the local library and reading up on how I can achieve a zero waste lifestyle. As well as via many great blogs and online resources.There are so many great tips I have learnt and it's always refreshing to know there's something more I can be doing.

Many resources speak of a common theme of the 5 R's for zero waste living:
Refuse
Reduce
Reuse
Rot
Recycle

So here are a few ways or things I'm going to change:

• Stop single use plastic whether it's not buying packaged goods, refusing a straw, plastic cutlery etc. Buying ink refills as opposed to new pens, a reusable stainless steel razor as opposed to disposables. I always have my reusable bag in my handbag so plastic bags have always been a thing of the past for me!
• Be mindful of buying things, even gifts.
• Re-use current household bottles and products by making my own. ie. Cleaning products - there are SO many great recipes and ways you can make your own, chemically free products. Also body products, soaps, shampoo and conditioner. The only thing I'm unsure about is toothpaste right now. Any thoughts?
• Grow my own produce and get back into composting.
• Shop at the farmers market and return any plastic trays the following week.

These are just a few things I'll start with. I would love to hear any other tips or suggestions you have?!

And here are a few very alarming facts about plastic, with the majority from the documentary A Plastic Ocean:

• Nearly 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year- half of which is for single use.
• Over 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.
• Plastic packaging accounts for 40% of total plastic usage.
• More than 1 million bags are used worldwide per minute.PER MINUTE!!!
• Over 1 trillion are used yearly.
• Over the last 10 years more plastic has been produced than in the entire last century.
• Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year.
• The average American used 167 disposable water bottles and recycled only 38 of them.
• 550 million straws are thrown away in the USA daily.

(Image From Brisbane Powerhouse).

Of course I am well aware that I lead a very privileged life in the sense that I have the option to refuse buying food that comes in plastic, that I have options and choices with almost everything I do and this isn't the case for everyone. I would love to hear your biggest intention or goals for 2018! Perhaps we can help to keep each other accountable 🤞

Also if anyone knows of great voluntary organisations or foundations dealing with plastic then please also let me know in the comments, I'd love to donate to them! Either with my time or financially when/where possible! And finally, a great quote taken from the Plastic Oceans website “Don’t expect to see a change if you don’t make one'.