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How To Start A Zero Waste Lifestyle (And Stick To It)

The way that we live our lives in the 21st century has changed immeasurably and is barely recognisable from the late 1980s and 1990s. The internet and social media have suddenly come to the fore both on a personal and a professional level, and thanks to global icons such as Greta Thunberg, living sustainably and in an eco-friendly manner, has become essential for those who care about our planet. Global warming is becoming more and more evident with ice caps melting and sea levels rising, and pollution due to industry and the burning of fossil fuels has gone off the scale. Our seas are full of plastic which is causing havoc to wildlife, not to mention our own food chain. As a result of these issues affecting our planet, many people are choosing to live a zero-waste lifestyle, to try and undo some of the harm we have caused our planet, so if you are interested in learning how, and also how to stick to this new lifestyle, then read on to find out more. 

Learn the five R’s

The first place to start when attempting a zero-waste lifestyle is to learn the 5 R’s, as these will be your reference guide throughout your journey. The first is ‘refuse’ and this simply means that you should refuse anything that is not essential in your life, for example, a takeaway coffee. The second is ‘reduce’ and by this, we mean that you have to reduce what you do need in life down to what is absolutely necessary. The third is ‘reuse’ which refers to items such as plastic bags that can be used multiple times. The fourth is to recycle and this covers everything that is not possible under the first three R’s, and the final rule is ‘rot’ which refers to composting everything else. Keep these five golden R’s fresh in your mind as they will be the basis to everything that you do from now on.

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Eat real food

The next step to leading a zero-waste lifestyle is to change your diet so that you are eating real food that is bought from local stores rather than supermarkets. This means that your food should be fresh, whether it is fruits, vegetables, meat, or dairy products, and will have minimal or no packaging. Have you ever noticed that processed foods or even fresh food bought from supermarkets are covered in wrapping and packaging? This packaging is extremely harmful to our planet and nine times out of ten is completely unnecessary. By switching your diet to real, fresh produce, you will not only be doing your bit for the environment, but you will also be helping yourself to a healthier lifestyle by cutting out heavily processed sugary and fatty foods. Eating healthily is a win-win situation for you and planet earth!

vegetables

Buy sustainably

No one is suggesting that you don’t enjoy the finer things in life when you are living a zero-waste lifestyle, it is just important that you consider all of your purchases. You might need a new watch, for example, so professionals from Puratium.com can help recommend something that has been manufactured with sustainability in mind so that you know that all the components that are resourced for the watch come from sustainable sources using the greenest technology. This way you are still able to treat yourself to a gift once in a while, but you can do so safely in the knowledge that there will be minimal impact on our planet. 

Join a zero-waste community

Changing the way that you live your life can be difficult and often it is very easy to fall back into old habits. This can be avoided if you join a zero-waste community as you will be able to push each other along to live sustainably by motivating each other. You can also launch projects in your local area to raise awareness, and you can push businesses to reduce their waste footprint as much as possible. Doing things in a group is a great way of staying focused as nobody wants to let each other down, so, join your local zero-waste community, and if there isn’t one, then start your own!

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As we have learned, if you want to lead a zero-waste lifestyle, then the place to start is to learn the five R’s, and then to let them govern your lifestyle. Change your diet so that you are eating real food, as this will cut down on packaging, and buy personal effects sustainably and in the knowledge that they have been manufactured in as green a manner as possible. Finally, join a zero-waste community and then you will be best placed to start, and then stick to, your new lifestyle. 



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