The Year of Waste Free Living is Over

I made it! One year of not sending anything to the landfill. It was a lot of fun, rewarding, and in the end, surprisingly easy. Boring, even.

Behind me there, you see it – 1 year’s worth of accumulated trash, a whole 5239 grams of it. Well, not quite all of it. I have a bin at the cottage too, but haven’t gone through it yet. Oh, and also the stuff that didn’t fit into the bin: a broken toboggan, a bike tire, and a cracked wheel.

It was easy

A few simple changes made a huge amount of difference. First of all, I replaced all the garbage bins around the house with compost bags, except in the kitchen. That way, the default destination for waste was the compost, and to throw something in the garbage, you had to bring it all the way to the kitchen. Used tissues, dust from sweeping the floor, scraps of paper, etc got diverted right off the bat.

I got rid of my garbage can at work and used a compost bag instead. I would bring the bag home at the end of every week and empty it out. I packed up my food scraps from lunch to bring back home with me to compost daily. Not having a garbage meant that I had to stop using the little creamers at work for my coffee. I brought in my own cream, but would often forget and have to drink my coffee black, which was disgusting.

Whenever someone brought in doughnuts I started collecting the boxes to bring home to compost, and also brought home used pizza boxes or other things from the lunch room.

Changes in food shopping

At first, it was hard to adjust. I had to get away from buying meat at the grocery store, which all comes on foam trays, as well as a lot of produce items that come packaged in plastic bags, like cherries, grapes, and of course prepared items like frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, chips, and ramen soups.

I moved to eating much more rice, potatoes, and pulses like lentils and kidney beans. In the first month alone I lost ten pounds from eating a more healthy diet.

I had to plan in advance before leaving the house. Would I be getting groceries? If so, what did I need and what containers should I bring? Would I get hungry while I was out, or thirsty? Should I bring a cup, or a plate, or food? One thing led to another and if I’d be out all day, I knew that I’d need lunch; and maybe a coffee and water. I started bringing my camping stove from time to time and cooking lunch right at the park. This was great because I could be out with the family and we could have a proper meal even in a busy day, prepared while my daughter was playing with her friends at the playground. No need to go home and stop the fun!

Another big change in my buying habits was to buy more things directly from farmers. Being able to buy directly from them allowed me to accomplish several things:

1. Make direct relationships with the people that produce my food and support local farmers.
2. Reduce my waste by getting veggies without any packaging. I could bring my bins to get filled, or for stuff like baskets of strawberries, I could bring the baskets back to be reused.
3. Get my meat in butcher paper, which is compostable.

At first it seemed daunting, but in the end it was quite easy. I went to farmers’ markets and talked to them. Also, if I was out in the country going by a farm, sometimes I would just go up to the house and ring the bell. Guess what? They are people just like you and me, and happy to sell their stuff! I met Gabriel, in the picture above, in the parking lot of Juniper Farm, another farm that I bought veggies from. I saw him unloading from his truck and went up to talk to him. It turned out that he and his wife own Älska farm, which was across the lake from our cottage. I ended up doing weekly cross-country ski trips across the lake in the winter to go over and stock up; Much more fun than driving to the grocery store! I bought a whole pig from Upper Canada Heritage Meats, and got it delivered frozen, cut up how I wanted, wrapped in butcher paper.

I also brought my custom to butchers. I’d ask them if I could get the meat put into my own container instead getting wrapped up. There, I encountered a variety of reactions, from “That is the stupidest thing I’ve heard” to “we grind our meats at 10 am, if you come then we can put it straight into your container from the grinder”. Recommended: the Glebe Meat Market.

It led me to build a relationship with the local convenience store, Safi’s Fine Foods, which has their own fresh meats and prepared treats like delicious samosas. The people there were on board and are passionate about what they are doing.

I started getting fresh pasta from the pasta store instead of packaged dry pasta. The difference is incredible! I always thought that fresh pasta was to fancypants for me but it turned out that it’s not very expensive ($0.90/100g), and the texture is much nicer.

I got a variety of reactions from supermarket delis. The people at Farm Boy were very happy to cut up cold cuts right into my container, and also to cut cheese on demand. They aren’t the only ones; Nicastro’s were also happy to accommodate.

About bringing my own containers: At first I would be timid when I asked people to use them, and explained the whole story of what I was doing, but after a while I got more confident and could walk into a place I hadn’t been into before, and ask for them to put stuff into my container like “of course you’d do this, why not?” (hopefully not in a bad way).

I learned to make a lot of foods that I previously didn’t make. I started making sourdough bread. With flour at less than $1/kilo I was able to save a lot of money and have more delicious bread, without any waste at all.

I started making things like pita bread and crackers. I was surprised that you could make your own ju-jubes and marshmallows. Forget microwaveable popcorn in those single-use bags; you can microwave regular popcorn in a bowl, with a plate on top to keep it from flying everywhere. It’s the same stuff!

There’s a lot of stuff that you just don’t need

I used to use a label maker and make labels to keep things organized. Then I got into the habit of using grease pencils, aka China markers. These can write on glass bottles, cans, painted surfaces, and can be wiped off easily with your thumb (special tip – at the bulk store, write the code for what you’re buying on the lid of the container with a grease pencil. No need for the twist tie). This is just one example of stuff that I thought I needed, but for which found a better alternative.

I stopped buying Kleenex and started using cloth handkerchiefs

It’s amazing how much can be reused

The best thing with plastics is also it’s biggest drawback: They last a very, very long time and are very durable. When they enter the waste stream, they don’t break down. They might break into smaller and smaller pieces, but the pieces remain as plastic and will continue to do so for a thousand years or more.

It’s perfectly ok to wash and reuse plastic cutlery and straws! While I tried to avoid them entirely, if I did get a plastic spoon or fork, it was perfect for packing and carrying around with me because it was light and flexible.

Disposable gloves can be reused many times. I put a jar of corn starch next to the box of gloves in the garage, and before I slip a glove on I dust my hands with it. The gloves slide on and off easily that way.

I like using zip ties to keep things organized, but didn’t like throwing them out after. But, if you cut it just before where it goes into the head, to can take just the tail part out and reuse the rest of the zip tie. The rate at which zip ties that came with new purchases came in exceeded the rate at which I used them, so I probably don’t need to buy zip ties ever again.

Plastic bottles with screw-on lids, like mayonnaise or coconut oil from Costco, are great for camping. They are lightweight and tough, so I put my food inside them. This keeps the food safe from raccoons, mice and squirrels (but not bears), and keeps it from getting squished. When camping, I would soak my steel-cut oats overnight in them so that they cooked up quickly in the morning. Dry pasta can soak ahead of time so that it cooks much faster.

I got a bottle of shampoo at a hotel and I’ve been using it for soap when camping. It’s light and doesn’t leak.

Instead of buying a Christmas tree, we used one of the trees that we have around the house. Put lights on it. What more do you need?

Repairing instead of Buying

I started fixing a lot more stuff that I would have normally thrown out. For example, I started sharpening the blades of my utility knives so that I could reuse them. It just takes a light kiss from the grinder to get the blades as good as new again.

My old rain jacket leaked and was useless, but instead of throwing it out I was able to treat it with Silicone caulking diluted in mineral spirits. This made it completely waterproof again, and was easily done.

Mistakes

I made a few mistakes along the way, grabbing stuff that looked tasty and then realizing that I would have to deal with the waste when it was too late.

Have you ever been to a birthday party or meeting where they have those delicious sandwiches and wraps that you’d never eat at home held together with a fancy decorated toothpick? Yep. I made it through three wraps before I realized “damn.” I had to take the plastic crinkly bits off and store them in the bin.

Every now and then I’d go to a restaurant and forget to ask for no straw for my water, and BAM stuck with a straw.

Once I went to Costco and was walking past the senior’s buffet (the samples that they’re always giving away) and before I knew it I picked up something with a plastic spoon in it. It’s in these moments that I would get blown away. THEY ARE GIVING AWAY A TINY AMOUNT OF ICE CREAM WITH A DISPOSABLE SPOON AND PLASTIC CUP! I never thought about the amount of waste generated by these sample tables before.

Stuff that was hard

The biggest difficulty that I had was attending children’s birthday parties. My daughter got invited to these and sometimes I would tag along. They would span lunch, and I’d be hungry, and usually there was delicious food, but with disposable plates and knives. If I showed up with my own plate and cutlery, it would seem pretty judgmental. Throwing them into the garbage wasn’t an option. A good compromise if they had paper plates was to stick to things that I could eat with my hands and sneak the plate out to compost. Often, I just went hungry. Once, I planned ahead and brought in my own disposable cutlery that I could bring home and wash.

Halloween was tricky because so many treats are wrapped up in packaging. I gave away cans of Coke because they are easily recyclable and the kids LOVED it. I got the pop when it was on a good sale and it wasn’t much more than regular candy.

Financial Effects

I didn’t keep track of what the change was costing me, but overall I feel like I also saved a lot of money doing this experiment. Eating less meat and more beans and rice saved me money. I started maximizing my food beyond what I did before. For example, when I did eat meat, I ate all the fat as well (instead of wasting it). I grew to really like the taste and mouth feel. I saved my bacon grease for cooking the rest of the day. I started keeping veggie scraps (like carrot peels, celery tops and bottoms) to make vegetable broth. Making tortillas from scratch was way cheaper.

Speaking of cheap, waste-free snacks: mix up chocolate chips, walnut pieces, and dollop of honey (all purchased without packaging). Eat with a spoon. Somestimes, instead of walnut pieces, I use almond or peanut butter. If you have a bit of extra time, or are feeling luxurious, heat it in the microwave until the chocolate melts and it becomes all gooey.

I bought more items second hand because there was less waste that way. I scoured Kijiji and the thrift stores for everything. If I needed a toaster, a sieve, even a dish rack, I got it used to avoid packaging. That also saved a lot of money.

Instead of throwing stuff out that I didn’t need anymore, I sold it on Kijiji if at all possible. This brought in money.  I signed up to Freecycle and Buy Nothing groups to give away the stuff that I couldn’t sell.

Repairing and reusing things saved more. We had a fun time making stilts out of old tin cans. Free toy, less waste, and a bit of crafting in the mix!

Being in the habit of bringing around my own water bottle paid dividends. When I was on a business trip, instead of paying ridiculous airport prices for bottled water, I could fill up and drink at the gate, and even bring it on the plane with me.

The Zero-Waste Mindset

Once I developed a mindset of zero waste, this seeped into everything I did. How could I avoid wasting money? I optimized my cell phone contract (saved $30/month), called around and got a better home insurance policy (saved $1000 / year!), and found I was paying too much for internet (another $50/month) all in one week. I sold my car (which wasn’t being used).

Wasting time was another big irritant. I stopped shrugging off inefficiencies in my life and started optimizing: for example, doing my phone calls with my headset while I was hanging laundry (especially if I knew that I would be on hold for a while). Or, planning my cooking so that I could reuse the same pot for different things; less washing.

I started wasting less water. If I could reuse the water from one process (steaming veggies) for another (cooking rice), I’d get more flavourful rice and use less water. If I needed to wash something big, like a Rubbermaid bin, I brought it into the shower with me. The runoff water and soap usually was enough to do the trick.

Instead of warming up the house on hot summer days, I plugged the toaster in out on the porch to make my toast.

Zero waste just became second nature.

I became “That Guy”

When people learned that I was aiming for zero waste, I suddenly became “That Guy.” Like, we’d be at a party, and might be talking about their upcoming wedding and say that at a meal they were using disposable plates, *everyone* would turn to look at me. Or, people would start asking me questions about all kinds of environmental issues.

I’m glad that people might be concerned, but I actually know very little about saving the planet. I’d don’t really know about micro-plastics, or which kind of lawn ornaments are better for animals, or whatever other topic I was asked about. But I appreciate that others might take the time and want to inform themselves. And I never judged other people for their waste, but I was totally up to judging companies and stores, especially for plain nonsense like wrapping up three zucchini on a foam tray in plastic wrap.

I just wanted to do the best that I could get my own ship in order.

I’m Not the Only One

In the year that I’ve been doing this I see signs that zero-waste is becoming more common. One of the diners that I go to stopped using single-use creamers for reusable pots of milk. A&W Canada plans to eliminate all plastic (including straws) from their restaurants, and also to compost all of their food waste. They are just one of the many chains planning to go straw-free: Starbucks is also phasing them out by 2020.

It’s common that when I’m with a group of people and the talk turns to waste free living (maybe when people see me bringing out cutlery from my panniers or something) that there’s another person in the group that is also on some kind of waste-free crusade.

Ultimately, it’s just common sense and the right thing to do. If you’re not doing it, why not give it a try?