New year, new you?
At Product Care Recycling, we’re all about making positive changes in our lives to better our community and the planet. There’s no better time to make those changes than the start of a new year! Here are some of our zero waste tips to help you start 2018 off right.
Amanda Monaco
Program Coordinator
“One of my zero waste tips is to read Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home. It’s a fantastic resource with a hundred gazillion waste reduction tips in it! I found it particularly useful because she writes a lot about simplifying your life. The tips on refusing plastic packaging were really beneficial in reducing my garbage. The book is broken down into useful categories, allowing it to be used as a go-to resource when needed.
I have often struggled with how overwhelming and hopeless environmental issues in the world can be. I found that reading this book has made me feel more positive and optimistic about the changes I can make as an individual. When I’ve made those changes and better shopping choices, and I see the contents of my trash disappearing, I feel better about myself, which has made me feel better about the world. It’s interesting that this book was able to do that for me.”
Tara Bushman
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
“When I was younger, my grandparents bought me a lot of knick-knacks. I held onto them for a long time because they were of sentimental value to me, but came to realize that I wasn’t holding on to the physical gifts themselves. I was holding on to the sentiment or thought behind them! Once I got rid of these things, I realized how much waste I had accumulated from these types of gifts.
Buying physical gifts for people – for every Christmas, every birthday – has become a tradition that we’ve all decided to play into. To combat that, I’ve shown my love for family members and friends by giving them experiences and a memory together, whether we see a show or have a nice dinner together. I never request physical gifts because they aren’t things I value. I usually don’t need more things! Reducing consumption and waste in this category made a huge difference for me, and I’m sure it would for many others as well. Plus, you get to spend more time with the people you love and less time cleaning out your closet!”
Kristina Charania
Marketing & Communications Assistant
“As I was transitioning to living a zero waste lifestyle, I realized that most of my plastics were from cleaning products or hair products. My way of avoiding this plastic packaging was to start making my own cleaning and body products! We’ve been conditioned to believe that we need a different cleaning product for our floors, our bathtubs, our toilets, our hardwood surfaces, our bodies…the list could go on forever. This simply isn’t true!
I make my own all purpose cleaner (similar to this) with white vinegar, a bit of dish soap, and tea tree essential oil, and it’s great! It works for all surfaces and doesn’t contain chemicals that are bad for my health or the environment. It takes under five minutes to make, too! Similarly, I make my own shampoo with baking soda and water, and buy my conditioner at my favourite local bulk store in Vancouver, The Soap Dispensary.”
Sonia Authier
Program Coordinator
“My zero waste tip is to always have a little cloth produce bag with you. They’re handy in so many scenarios. If you stop by a bakery for a sandwich or a treat, you can use your bag instead of using a paper or plastic one. If you realize in the middle of the day that you need pasta for dinner, you can shop in bulk sections for those items using your cloth bag.
You can find these bags easily in health food stores, or you can sew them yourself with fabric you have at home. They also take up little to no room in your purse when you pack them. For how small they are, they can save you from producing a lot of waste!”
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