5 simple ways to produce less rubbish!
Two plastic bottles, a juice carton, a wrapper for a sandwich, salad or coffee bought to go, a piece of candy and some plastic bags… Does it happen that your daily rubbish list is the same or even longer? In today’s article we have prepared some ideas to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce.
The ‘zero’ and ‘less waste’ movements, which primarily aim to reduce the amount of waste we produce, are gaining popularity. According to statistics, an average Pole produces as much as 315 kg of municipal waste annually!
Not convinced it’s even worth it to cut down on waste production? Follow this link https://www.theworldcounts.com to see how many tonnes of rubbish we have thrown away around the world so far. The number is constantly growing and is strikingly impressive… Unfortunately, more and more rubbish is also ending up in our environment – forests and other green spaces are being littered, seas, lakes and oceans polluted.
What does less waste mean?
In line with the “less waste” concept (which literally means “less waste”), we should make smarter purchasing decisions, use leftovers and scraps, limit our consumption and use our food responsibly, among other things. You may already be following some of these principles.
And what then is ‘zero waste’? It is a more radical concept based on a few simple principles, known as the 5Rs. There are five main ones:
- Refuse (refuse) all unnecessary waste such as leaflets, plastic packaging.
- Reduce consumption of unnecessary products, including over-packaged, disposable and poor quality goods that quickly become waste.
- Reuse products you already own, for example a glass bottle as a vase.
- Recycle and separate waste.
- Compost (rot) and buy products that will decompose and return to the environment in an environmentally friendly form.
Putting these principles into practice can be very difficult to do overnight for many reasons, but we’ve put together some simple ways you can start taking care of our planet today.
Use your own packaging
The first patent for minimising food waste is to use your own packaging. Nowadays, the possibilities are growing – if you like to drink your coffee “on the go” and buy it to take away in a particular café, it is worth having your own insulated mug or a special bottle with you (of course, you can prepare your coffee or tea at home in advance and enjoy your favourite hot drink for a few more hours).
This way, if you drink such coffee every day on your way to work, you will not throw away as many as 20 paper/plastic disposable cups in a month! That’s a lot of waste. Some coffee shops also offer a discount for buying coffee for your cup, so it’s not only minimising the production of waste, but also reducing costs. Additionally, it’s definitely a good idea to drink tap water and stop buying bottled water. If you don’t like the taste of it, filter jugs and bottles are a good option.
Also, some companies recycle their filters – it’s worth paying attention to this when choosing a jug or bottle. If you travel a lot and/or often eat takeaway meals at work, school or university, it’s also worth thinking about carrying your own cutlery. You can buy special ‘travel’ mini sets, but of course taking a ‘fork, knife, spoon’ set with you from home will work just as well here. Of course, any lunchboxes or other types of food storage containers are also welcome.
Do green shopping
You can also increasingly take your own containers with you to the shops and buy, for example, cold cuts, cheese and other products by weight. This eliminates unnecessary foil and paper. The same applies to restaurants, cafés and bars. More and more such places allow you to pack cakes or take-away meals in your own containers (just as you can get discounts on coffee or tea poured into your own cup).
There are also shops where you can buy practically anything for your own packaging – grains, spices, seeds, dried fruit, pulses, etc. If there is such a shop in your area, I strongly urge you to take advantage of its services. It is not only good for the environment, but it also supports local, family businesses (such shops are usually small, local initiatives).
If you don’t already have one, be sure to get a larger fabric bag. Smaller bags will also be useful – linen, cotton, custom-made or sewn by yourself from old curtains, sheets, tablecloths or thin towels lying around the house. You can pack bread, fruit and vegetables into them.
If you do use plastic carrier bags, try to keep them as small as possible – for example, you can pack different kinds of bread rolls in one bag and then tell the cashier how many are in it. Items bought by the piece, such as garlic and avocados, also do not need to be packed in separate bags.
Use your creativity
What you can do yourself! Of course, it all depends on the time you have, as well as your abilities and skills, but contrary to what you might think, you can prepare a lot of things yourself at home. It’s not just about salads, sandwiches or entire lunches for work. Fitatu and its recipe base will be happy to help you with that 🙂 Instead, you can start baking your own bread and cakes, pickling vegetables – cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, garlic, preparing juices in a juicer or smoothies in a blender…
There are many possibilities, and implementing these solutions will have a positive impact not only on the environment, but also on your health and your wallet. If, in addition, you have a garden or some space on the balcony, growing your own vegetables can be an interesting idea and hobby. At my place this year you could find delicious cherry tomatoes, lettuce and herbs – basil and mint (and it’s “only” a balcony!).
Perhaps there is a food co-operative in your town, an initiative which (in a nutshell) brings together on the one hand small producers of food such as vegetables, fruit or dairy products, and on the other people who want to eat healthier and more ecological food. Such a cooperative operates, for example, in Poznań. On their website you can read a more detailed description of their activities. https://poznanskakooperatywa.pl.
Don’t waste food
Above all, don’t buy too much of it – if the pack is bigger than you need, then try to plan your next meals using the product yourself. Recipes that contain it, you can find in the “Recipes” section in the Fitatu application.
In addition, it can be an interesting experience to eat what you can, whole. It may seem funny, but apples and pears can easily be eaten with the skin on, which is not only zero waste, but healthy and often very tasty.
Although we don’t always know it, you can also use many items that seem like waste – make pesto out of radish leaves, add cauliflower leaves to curry dishes, or, if you have dry bread left over, make breadcrumbs out of it and don’t buy it in the shop. We are limited only by our imagination (and, of course, by the “edibility” of individual parts of the products, but here we can be pleasantly surprised).
Pay attention to packaging
Pay particular attention to how individual products are packaged. Some sweets and snacks are packaged in a single wrapper, with several/some extra small plastic bags inside.
It’s also worth buying tea in leaf form – then we don’t have to deal with individual bags (which can sometimes be packed separately in another small plastic packet – a nightmare!), but with one carton, jar or tin. These in turn can be used in the future as containers or decorations.
I know that cutting down on junk food is not always easy and not always possible. Make changes calmly, at your own pace and ability. Every small step counts. Don’t have time to bake bread or the composting conditions to grow plants on your mini balcony? Start taking your own mug to your favourite cafe and don’t take coffee to go, and take your own favourite bag to the shop. This is also important and helps! It’s all about trying to make a difference and getting more of it, if possible.
Be sure to let us know in the comments what your tried and tested ideas are for reducing waste. Or maybe you are already using the solutions proposed in our list? 🙂
Remember also that meal planning helps in reducing waste production. For this purpose, it is worth using the Fitatu application. More information about Fitatu can be found at: https://www.fitatu.com