I’ve recently become interested in the waste-free movement. I’ve watch countless videos about the importance of being waste free, its difficulties, and ways to achieve this. Most people don’t even think about the amount of plastic they consume, or just packaging on everything they buy. Growing up I was always taught to recycle, but that’s about all my family did to help sustain the environment. Moving to Austin was a great way for me to begin a zero-waste journey.
Austin is home to the country’s first zero-packaging grocery store, In.Gredients.. They sell everything in bulk, and nothing is in any kind of packaging. Just bring in your own glass jars or compostable containers, and fill them up. Everything is sold by the pound.
Another great place to practice bulk buying is Whole Foods! Most people think of Whole Foods as an overly-priced organic store, but they actually have several package-free options.
Just because these stores are available in the town I live in doesn’t make it any easier to live waste free. Trying to buy things exclusively that have no packaging is very challenging. In.Gredients is a very small store, and they don’t sell everything I need. Although Whole Foods has some bulk items, the majority of what is sold in the stores has some sort of packaging. Living waste free has to take a tremendous amount of discipline and willingness to keep up with it.
In addition to buying things without packaging, a person dedicated to zero waste should also invest in some sort of composting, so that if they do get something with packaging, hopefully it will be compostable.
Although I have been trying to live waste free, I still have a long way to go. This includes sacrificing some luxuries I currently have, just so I don’t have any packaging on the items I buy. Going waste free is a very big step in one’s life, and should not be taken lightly. If you truly want to be waste free, take the plunge and stick with it– no matter how hard it can be.