Just before the beginning of the year I was all set for a year of zero waste. As the 1st of January loomed closer I felt overwhelmed by the challenge I had set for myself. Now that I am 2 weeks into the year I have decided that zero waste is going to be something I am striving towards. I was feeling guilty for not being perfect and I wasn’t appreciating the changes I had made so far.

The changes I have made in 2017:

 

• Only buying package-free fruit and vegetables
• Rice, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, popcorn kernel in bulk
• only using soap in the bathroom
• white vinegar, baking soda and citrus fruits cleaning products
• horse-chestnut washing machine liquid

I plan to make many more changes in 2018 and not to feel guilty about the changes I haven’t made just yet. I’m going to give regular updates of the practical changes I am making through this site and my Instagram account.

One of my favourite things to do is hop on a flight with my backpack in hand ready to discover a new corner of the world. When I first did this 8 years ago when I was 22 my impact on the world around me was not something I thought about. It wasn’t that I didn’t care but I just wasn’t aware. I was oblivious. I suppose in part this was because I had moved to Korea – a fairly wealthy country so despite cultural differences my lifestyle had not changed much.

It was 5 years later when I caught my flight to Bangkok, Thailand that I felt more conscious of my decisions as a tourist and how I was going to spend my money. This was not just about the environment but also the types of industries I was supporting. Exploitation is rampant in so many of the countries in South East Asia.

Knowing where to start can be overwhelming. When I finally became conscious of how much plastic was in my life, I would feel helpless walking into a shop seeing aisles upon aisles of produce wrapped in plastic. How on Earth could I make a difference and where could I start?

1. In the bathroom. Removing liquid soap from your home is an easy and cost friendly way to reduce waste. Using bars of soap are a great way to start! Some people think they can be quite drying on your skin but there is such a huge variation out there now competing against the moisturising liquid soap, with a little effort you can find the one that suits your skin.

• Soap
• Shower gel
• Shampoo
• Conditioner

Not only is a bar of soap useful for washing your hands but when you find the one that’s for you, you could use it even for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. I have always used soap for shower gel and have never felt I was missing out. It wasn’t exactly for environmental reasons – I preferred bars of soap for shaving! I’m pretty new to bars of shampoos and conditioners and I love it. But whatever your reason – bars are the way to go!

Welcome to my journey towards living a zero plastic life. Back in February this year I started to think about my lifestyle choices and the impact they were making to the world around me – how disposable everything was in my life: especially plastic.  It was, however, buying this plastic bottle that started that thought process! Ironic much?!

 

 

 

I was never someone who bought too many plastic bottles anyway but I also never gave it much thought. This reusable plastic water bottle changed my life! It opened my eyes and I could truly see the volume of plastic we use everyday in our lives and I now can never ‘unsee’ it! From there I have made small changes to my life that I believe and hope have made greater changes overall!