A zero-waste lifestyle is surprisingly attainable and affordable. While it is an adjustment, there is a freedom that comes from producing no trash. There is no clutter in your home. There is the satisfaction that your life does not cause harm to wildlife. To the best of your ability, you are not living a life in excess.

I found that even as a poor college student, I was living a life in excess. However, my transition to zero-waste living has brought nothing but peace into my home.

So what does my life look like?

I aim to buy everything without packaging. I buy my food in bulk using mason jars. For now, I am still using up all of my current items that are single-use (tampons, deodorants, razors and everything that eventually has to be thrown out). That’s step one.

Once I use everything up, I find the sustainable version online. There is a zero-waste version of everything! Shampoo bar instead of a shampoo bottle. Toothpaste in a jar rather than packaged in plastic. Bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic toothbrush. These items can be reused, recycled, or composted. So much money is saved over time because the objects last longer. But plastic gets tossed in the landfill, never to be repurposed again.

But what’s wrong with recycling?

At the surface, it’s not bad to recycle. However, it takes more energy to recycle a plastic container than it does to make a new one from scratch. Not even all recyclables end up in the correct bins. At my school and apartment complex, there are so many people that misuse the trash and recycling station. Many things cannot be recycled, also. The solution is to just not create trash. It sounds impossible, but there are so many ways to not create waste.

Cost.

Truthfully, I have and will continue to save money on this lifestyle. I am buying something once and am using it for so long. There is no recurring cost of buying tampons or paper towels each month. Things can also be bought second-hand to continue the lifespan of every item produced in the world, therefore lowering the item’s demand. It’s affordable! I found mason jars for 20¢ each at Goodwill. Not to mention that Winco has the largest bulk section I’ve ever seen, and you can’t hate a low-cost Costco!

The beauty of this all is that you don’t have to eliminate everything you waste. You can pick the aspects that are most cost-efficient and accessible for you. You will not be judged for not doing enough because any progress made is helpful. These are all just ideas for contributing to minimal-waste living.

Further resources.

There is only so much I can discuss in a single article. For more information, I highly recommended the YouTube channel Sustainably Vegan. Immy is a zero-waste vlogger that has transformed the way I view the lifestyle. She is not trying to convert her viewers to being vegan. Her videos are honest, informative and well-edited. Many other books and articles are dedicated to this lifestyle, as well.

Nobody's perfect.

No one is capable of producing literally zero trash. Apples have a sticker on them, and clothes will have a price tag that has to be tossed. Don’t worry, it’s fine. You may not live near a grocery store with bulk options. It’s still OK. The point of living zero-waste is to be conscious of what you’re throwing away. You can’t control everything. Focus on what is in your power, and you’ll recognize there is so much potential for the Earth.