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Today is a very special day. The past blog posts have covered bits and pieces, but this is so much more. My friend Sophie and I are working on the ultimate guide on how beginners can adopt a zero waste lifestyle within a year. In this guide I’ll be walking through the zero waste lifestyle splitting each month into different sections of reducing waste.

This guide takes holidays, birthdays and anniversaries into account because those seem to produce more waste than the average day. So for January we’ll just be going over the essentials for this lifestyle. Alright! Let’s get into it.

How to make the zero waste lifestyle easy

Some may have the conception that living an eco friendly lifestyle without waste is very difficult. This month, we’ll be going over the essentials for this lifestyle. With the essential tools listed below, cutting waste will be a breeze.

A lot of the time, starting this lifestyle is difficult because of all the research that it requires to find alternative ways to complete tasks waste-free. That’s where this guide comes in. All of the research necessary to thrive in this lifestyle has been done for you, and will be portioned out in the next 12 months. All that is required is to follow the guide and follow through!

Must have zero waste essentials to thrive in waste reduction

It’s January, and the holidays have just left us last month. So for the first zero waste step, let’s go over proper holiday recycling and Christmas tree disposal. Thankfully Christmas tree disposal is fairly easy. There are 3 main ways to dispose of a Christmas tree.

Most cities and a lot of schools host Christmas tree disposal services where they chip the tree up and turn it to mulch. To find a tree chipping service, search google for the nearest location.

Another way to dispose your tree is to place it in a forest so it can degrade and give back to the soil. Just make sure there isn’t any tinsel or leftover decorations on the tree.

The third way to dispose your tree is a little more exotic. You can see if zoos are accepting christmas trees. The big cats in there love to play with the branches.

Let’s get started on tip number two, proper holiday’s recycling. More specifically, proper wrapping paper recycling. Before throwing the torn up wrapping paper into recycling, make sure all tape, bows, and ribbon is taken off and thrown into the garbage. Also keep in mind that foil and glitter decorated wrapping paper cannot be recycled and has to go in the trash.

After tree and torn wrapping paper disposal is done, it’s time to move onto the zero waste essentials.

The first product is a reusable grocery shopping bag. These are meant to replace plastic bags given by most cashiers at grocery stores and supermarkets. According to the Telegraph, plastic bags degrade within 20 years or so, but they do so much damage to marine life. Sadly, sea turtles are often victims of plastic bags because when the plastic bag is in the ocean it looks like one of the sea turtles favourite snacks, a jellyfish. So make sure to bring a reusable bag everywhere! A good rule of thumb to use when at a store without a reusable shopping bag is to not buy more than your hands can carry.

The second zero waste necessity is a reusable produce bag. Most markets or grocery stores and supermarkets give small plastic bags for produce. Unfortunately, plastic produce bags cause the same harm to sea turtles as plastic grocery bags. Reusable produce bags are cheap, easy to carry around, and most importantly, they don’t produce waste.

Reusable drink bottles are a must have for the zero waste lifestyle. Preferably made of stainless steel, reusable drink bottles replace plastic disposable water bottles. The Telegraph says that plastic disposable bottles don’t degrade for 450 years. This causes trouble for the environment, especially because it will never biodegrade. The Huffington Post stated that plastic water bottles don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade. This means the plastic just breaks down into super small plastics called microplastic. National Geographic said that scientists have found microplastics in 114 aquatic species, and more than half of those end up on our dinner plates. So when we litter plastic bottles and they end up in the ocean, we’re basically feeding ourselves plastic.

Next up, reusable coffee cups. These are very important to have if you drink coffee or tea. The disposable paper cups that drinks are served in from fast food restaurants and coffee shops like Starbucks are lined with polyethylene plastic. This makes the “paper” cups really difficult to recycle. In fact, Independent stated that less than 1% of these cups are recycled in the U.K. To make things worse, the polyethylene plastic breaks down into microplastics exactly like a plastic water bottle. This means the plastic from the so-called paper cups end up in 114 aquatic species, of that 114 species, more than 50% end up on our plate for dinner. So make sure there is always a quality reusable coffee cup within reach!

The next item is possibly the most difficult to remember to ask servers at restaurants to not put in drinks. Although difficult to remember, it’s worth it to make a mental note to ask servers to hold the plastic straw in drinks. For people who enjoy using straws to drink from, be sure to get a reusable straw. There are many different materials reusable straws come in, but there is really no wrong answer. A lot of people prefer to buy a reusable straw once without needing to replace it, and end up buying a 25cm stainless steel straw. These are perfect for large 20oz drinks. For people in the UK, stainless steel straws are available in all local supermarkets. They come with a handy little cleaning brush to make life easier.

By now you’ve probably noticed a pattern with the products listed above, they all replace plastic. That’s because according to National Geographic, 91% of plastic is not recycled. Plastic has gotten so out of hand that it accumulated into an island between Hawaii and California called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Ocean Cleanup describes the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s size as twice the size of Texas, or 1.6 million square kilometers. The zero waste lifestyles uses reusable alternatives to plastic because plastic causes countless deaths for marine life and disrupts nature. Places like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch need to be stopped.

Another plastic substitute essential is a canvas bread bag. Finding a loaf of bread in the grocery store that is not wrapped in plastic is a difficult challenge. When purchasing unpackaged bread, the bread needs to be kept in something to keep it fresh and clean. That’s where the canvas bread bag comes in, these are inexpensive and easy to carry around.

When packing up a lunch for school or work, skip the brown bag or plastic Tupperware and use a reusable stainless steel lunchbox. Although brown bags are biodegradable, it’s better to use a reusable lunchbox to cut down the environmental impacts from the production of brown bags. Stainless steel lunch boxes are more expensive when purchasing, but if they’re treated with care they will last a lifetime. Why not use a plastic reusable lunchbox to save money? Plastic lunch boxes will break a lot easier and more frequently than stainless steel lunch boxes. Over the span of a few years, it is likely to save money by purchasing a stainless steel lunch box once rather than a plastic lunch box over and over again because they keep breaking.

Now that we’ve covered the zero waste essentials for on-the-go, let’s go over the eco friendly kitchen products that will cut kitchen waste in half.

Reusable parchment paper and grease proof paper is first on the list. Parchment paper is biodegradable, so it can go in the compost pile when used. However, a lot of the time the packaging for parchment paper is plastic. To avoid the environmental costs of the production, use a reusable parchment paper sheet. Reusable parchment paper will last awhile and over time save more money rather than buying disposable parchment paper over and over again. It’s a win-win, you get to reduce waste AND save money!

Glass food containers are a substitute for plastic tupperware. Glass food containers help store food and spices properly and if they break, glass is extremely easy to recycle. Broken glass can be turned into more glass over and over again without losing any integrity. When plastic tupperware breaks, it has to be recycled. From National Geographic, it is known that 91% of plastic is not recycled.

It’s time to ditch plastic wrap when packing food to go. Try using reusable beeswax food wrap! It’s as easy as wrapping a sandwich, washing the food wrap, then using it all again. It’s very easy to wrap and prevents a lot of plastic waste. Reusable beeswax wrap can be purchased at a cost-effective price or made at home.

The next zero waste kitchen essential is the green alternative to plastic dish brushes. Eco friendly dish brushes with compostable replacement heads are perfect for the kitchen. When the brush is old and worn, all that is necessary is to throw the head into a compost pile and replace it with a new head.

Time to stop using paper towels and kitchen roll and start using cloth rags. Paper towels and kitchen rolls usually come in plastic packaging, this will really hurt the goal of reducing plastic waste. Rags are easy to use and waste no plastic. When the rag gets dirty, just throw it in the washer and run it with cold water. If you get biodegradable and reusable cloth, the cloth rag can go in the compost when it’s too old to use. If you’re in the mood to upcycle, take an old shirt made from natural fibres and turn that into a rag. Natural fibres are biodegradable so when the shirt cloth gets old it can go into the compost as well.

Yet again, another item on the list is to replace a plastic version. Stainless steel ice cube trays are durable and will last for years to come. Unlike most plastic ice cube trays, stainless steel does not contain BPA. National Geographic describes BPA as “what’s known as an endocrine disrupting compound. In the body, these chemicals can act like hormones or disrupt normal hormone functions.” It’s better to avoid plastic and BPA altogether and choose stainless steel.

Next item is kitchen plates and cutlery. Disposable plates and cutlery will produce an extraordinary amount of waste. Disposable plates come in mainly in paper and styrofoam options. Both plates are usually packaged in plastic, sent out on a ship or plane then delivered to retailers. This process produces a lot of C02 emissions into the atmosphere. After all of that, the plates can be used once and then they’re tossed out. The best way to avoid this is to use normal reusable ceramic kitchen plates and reusable cutlery. If using a disposable plate is necessary for some reason, be sure to use biodegradable plates and cutlery that do not come in plastic packaging.

Last but not least, use reusable and biodegradable sponges for those tough stains. These sponges are made of cellulose which can be broken down and fully degrade. However, plastic sponges cannot full degrade. Save yourself the plastic waste and use cellulose sponges to clean up messes in the kitchen.

If you currently have one or more of the products listed that are reusable but not eco friendly, do not throw them out. Simply use them until they cannot be used any longer or give them to a friend. Once you need that product again, purchase the eco friendly version listed above.

That concludes the zero waste essentials for the Ultimate Zero Waste Guide. Next month we will go over an eco friendly Valentine’s Day, composting, and grocery shopping.