Zero Waste Myths

I might have had a little too much fun writing this one...and making that graphic above... There are many myths surrounding Zero Waste, but I'd like to add my favorites.  Some I've listed because the research I did was mind-blowing, and some I've listed just because they're common misconceptions about Zero Waste.

Myth 1: Recycling is great for the environment.

I consider this a zero waste myth because people automatically assume that I just only buy things I can recycle to keep things out of the landfill. It's true, I myself recycle.  But it's a last resort.

In Louisiana, we have single stream recycling, which means we don't have to sort out our recyclables before putting them in the bin.  Convenient, right?  This also means we often put things in there we didn't realize weren't recyclable.  For instance, we might put plastic hangers into the bag with other recyclables.  When that bag gets there, it's likely to be all thrown out.  Even the good recyclables.

If certain items go into the machine, it may cause it to break down and cost the city a lot of money to fix.  Better to be safe than sorry and make sure the entire bag is thrown away.  If you bag your recyclables in trash bags, it's likely they're also going in the trash. I'm guilty of doing this myself.

Lets say you're VERY careful about what goes into your recycling.  Lets say everything you throw in actually gets recycled.  The recycling process often takes up more energy and resources than creating virgin materials.  Anyway, all plastic will eventually go back to landfill no matter what the process is.  And it will stay in the landfill for another 500 years to forever.

The solution is to just buy things you don't eventually intend to throw away or recycle.

Myth 2: There is no recycle pick-up. Therefore, I can't recycle.

Nonsense!  There is a drop-off facility on Tom Drive off of Airline Highway that you can stop by anytime of the day or night to drop off all the recyclables that you've collected throughout the week/month/year (I won't judge your laziness as long as it gets there!)

Myth 3:  Donating your clothes to a Thrift Store is a good thing.

You've heard it before, "Don't throw away your old clothes, donate your them to a thrift store!"
I'm not saying you should throw your clothes away, but that's probably where it will end up anyway. If your shirt has any holes, rips, wet, or mildewy when it comes into the store, it's automatically thrown into the trash.

According to huffingtonpost.com, Goodwill will keep their clothes for one month before it's sent off to a Goodwill outlet, where it's sold to bulk clothing outlet stores or 99 cent Goodwill stores by the pound.  Prices are set very low to keep them out of the landfill.  But even so, a lot of clothes from these thrift stores are dumped, or sold overseas.  Wherever the clothes are sent, usually places like Africa, they're sold cheaply.  This takes an effect on many of their local shops, seamstresses and tailors making it hard on their economy.

Next time you need to drop off clothing, make sure that it's in good condition and drop it off at a local thrift store.  If it's got a few rips or holes, make some use out of it.  I personally have cut up shirts that I use for rags and will continue to use for rags until they're unusable.  "But you can only have so many rags!"  This is true, but keep in mind it's still important to buy responsibly.  Don't buy so many clothes.  You don't need them.  Learn to only buy what you'll love.  Try to get 100% cotton.  It's easily compostable and holds up for a long time.  Buy from companies that sell high quality clothes.

Doing a little research on Fast Fashion, I was shocked to learn how your common clothing companies do so much to make sure you're back in their store every couple of months.  They purposely make their clothes disposable within a few weeks and have constant shipments of new fashions sent to their store every two months so that you end up living off of their sales rack. "Sales rack."  Sound like you?  Think you're being thrifty?  Think again.

Ugh, there's so much to talk about on this subject but for now all I can say is to look up Fast Fashion and the Slow Fashion movement.

Myth 4: Composting will solve your food waste

Composting has it's limitations.  You can't put too much dairy or oily food into your compost.  Most will say don't throw any meat into your compost either.  I will in very very small amounts, but I eat very little meat.

The best way to solve food waste is try not to waste food.  Try to find solutions to food you can't compost.  Baton Rouge and it's surrounding areas do not have a public composting as far as I know, but maybe you have a family member or friend who does it.

Myth 5: Zero Waste means creating literally ZERO WASTE

I see this all the time.  "You aren't really living a ZERO WASTE lifestyle if you create even a little bit of waste!" It's true, we get our food from bulk bins and those bulk bins are filled by using plastic bags.  And yes, we do create some food waste.  And yes, we are forced to recycle sometimes.  Zero Waste isn't about living a literal Zero Waste lifestyle, it's about striving for Zero Waste the best we can.

In our world it's literally impossible to live a zero waste lifestyle, but we do anything we can to try. For instance, it would be better if if bulk bins were filled without the use of plastic.  If we could convince them to stop using them and find an alternative, that would be great!  But sometimes we just have to be satisfied that we didn't create a TON of waste and only created a little.  Sometimes we have to be happy with the small wins.

Myth 6: Living Zero Waste is expensive

I've been meaning to do an entire post on this because I know it's on everyone's mind.  There's a lot to cover, but the short answer is... drum roll... it is what you make it.

Bam. There it is.  If you buy expensive things, it's more expensive.  If you buy cheap things, it's cheaper.

When we go out to do grocery shopping, most of our 'list' contains fruit and vegetables.  More vegetables than fruit, because fruit is expensive.  We buy beans out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods (because they're the only dry food bulk bins around) and we pay more for them, but we also aren't buying frozen pizzas, or cans of food, or snacks.  We just simply aren't buying a lot of things that we used to.

We also only buy for that week to make sure we aren't wasting anything.  And trust me, very little gets wasted.  We make a lot of our own foods at home like noodles, ice cream, pickles, cookies, and crackers.  All foods that costs little to nothing.  We cook a lot of meals instead of buying microwavable meals, which means we're saving in the long run.  Today we cooked some red beans and rice with a sweet potato on the side.  That costs us...what? $1.85?  Something like that for the entire two meals and some leftovers in the fridge?

We also buy a lot less in general.  We get all of our clothes, furniture, and decorations either for free or second hand.  We only buy what we need when we need it.  A handmade wooden broom and dustpan, one that's great for the environment because it's not plastic, will costs significantly more, but I already have a plastic one from before my zero waste days and I intend to make it last for a very long time.  We make our own cleaning fluids. We don't need aluminum foil. I'm not going out and buying a new dress just because it was seen at the last party.  I'm not giving into stupid ideas our society wants us to believe in.

So in general zero waste will save you lots of money if you usually spend lots of money.  If you're a very frugal person and you spend almost nothing, then you may actually spend a little more living zero waste.

Myth 7: It's hard to live Zero Waste

Yes and no.  I don't like to tell people it's hard because to my husband and me, it's really not.  Sure, it's tempting to make a Taco Bell run sometimes, and when we pass by the strawberries in their clamshell container, I want to cry.  But other than those times, it's not all that bad.

I feel like a warrior most of the time when I think about all the things I've cut out of my life.  People tell me that I'm an inspiration and that makes me feel like I actually matter to the world.  Not only is it not that hard, but it's so worth it when you're told great things about yourself, and even better, when you've inspired someone else to start changing their habits.

My advice is to take baby steps.  Living zero waste is going to be a quite a shock if you aren't already recycling and lowering your shopping habits.  I found that recycling lowered my waste by 40%. Composting your food waste will lower it by a lot more.  You'll be proud of your habits when you're only taking out the trash once every two weeks.  And don't be discouraged if you go back to your old habits for a little while.  This is a lifestyle that our modern world isn't keen on making easy.

Myth 8: You can't live Zero Waste if you have children

No, I don't have children, and yes, I'm positive it's easier to live a zero waste lifestyle without children, but I follow a lot of men and women on social media all around the world who have children and live Zero Waste.  It's very possible and it's a good example for our new generation.

I have no advice for dealing with children and schools and diapers and all the little things that go into raising children, but there is so much out there on the internet waiting to be researched.  So don't think it's all for the young hipster kids with no real life or family.  Everyone can live a Zero Waste life.

Myth 9: You can only live Zero Waste if you live near a bulk store

If you live out in the 'sticks' of Louisiana I almost envy you.  I love the city, don't get me wrong, but living out in country towns may have a few benefits.  For one, you probably own a house, which means you can compost, grow a nice big garden to grow food, and bury things that can't be composted quickly.  You probably have more access to woods that you can toss food scraps into when you want to be lazy.

On the other hand, yes, it is difficult if you live in a place like Satsuma or New Roads to get to any bulk stores, but this shouldn't stop you from living zero waste. It's only going to take a little more planning.  Take a trip once a month to the Whole Foods in Baton Rouge and get what you need for the month.  Or tell your local grocery store that you're interesting in using bulk bins.  I email grocery stores all the time and I almost always get a reply back.  Usually it's asking if I can order their meat or cheese in my own container.  I've always gotten good responses back on those requests.  Your word won't go unnoticed.  That's the first shocker I've learned from living Zero Waste: grocery stores are willing to make arrangements.

Take advantage of what you DO have in your area.  I'm certain your grocery store has package free fruits and vegetables.  You may have a farm or farmer's market nearby.  What you can't find in small containers, buy in bulk.  I always buy my flour and sugar in a large paper sack from the grocery store instead of out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods because it's cheaper.   Store your recyclables in the garage and take them to your local recycling center (even if it's an hour away) whenever you can.  When I used a lot of recyclables, I dropped them off every few months.  Usually it just piled up in a large container in my closet until I finally got sick of it.  I ALWAYS take a cotton bag with me and a reusable cup to avoid plastics when I'm running errands.  You can do this anywhere you live.

Myth 10: It's too weird.

Yes, you will not likely come across many people who have heard of Zero Waste as of 2017. Hopefully that will change.  But I've found that most people I interact with are very supportive of the idea. I've not gotten a negative response yet, just questions that I answer honestly. But everyone agrees we create too much trash.  That eating a frozen pizza is probably not that good for you.  That buying less is better.  Not a whole lot of argument there.

So you're probably wondering what I do when I bring my reusable produce bags full of apples and cucumbers up the register.  Nothing.  No cashier has ever cared that I wanted to use my own bags. They have never cared if I wanted to put cheese into my own container, or that I wanted to use a Crown Royal bag for my rolled oats out of the bulk bins from WinnDixie.  The guy at the gas station could care less if I wanted to put my drink in my own jar instead of using their styrofoam (just ask first.) And the lady at the Raising Canes thought it was very cool and interesting when I explained why I wanted lemonade in my own container.

I used to be very shy before asking to see if I can use my own things, but I have never found it to be a problem.  Besides, if they turn me down, so what?