Zero waste challenge: My week of reuse, recycle and reduce

IMAGINE squeezing a whole week’s worth of waste into a tiny jar. That was the reality of reporter Stephanie Timotheou when she took on the zero waste challenge.

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“WHAT’S the zero waste challenge?

Several family members were more than a little curious when I told them about my seven-day experiment during which I would only be allowed to dispose of as much rubbish as I could squeeze into a small glass jar.

As someone who tosses just about anything in the bin, from slightly bruised fruit to one-day old pasta, I knew I was in for a tough week.

But I’m not one to shy away from a challenge and was keen to prove that anyone can live waste-free.

Stephanie Timotheou did the zero waste challenge where her week’s worth of waste had to fit in this tiny, glass jar. Picture: AAP/Roy VanDerVegt

THE CHALLENGE

So what does it actually mean to have a zero waste household?

In a nutshell, it encourages people to shift their behaviour to avoid waste, rather than simply recycling, reusing or disposing of it.

This includes not using plastic bags to carry fruit and vegetables, canned and packaged goods like tuna, corn, pasta and sauces, pre-packaged meats from the supermarket and toiletries such as toothpaste, cotton buds, shampoo and face wipes.

“One of the obvious reasons why being zero waste is important is the issue of plastics in the ocean and environment,” KESAB Environmental Solutions executive director John Phillips says.

“While it’s an issue aesthetically, when it eventually breaks down into tiny pieces in the marine environment, it’s digested by fish which we consume so ultimately it enters the food chain.

“If we don’t do something about reducing pollution and proper disposal, we continue to damage the environment and continue to throw stuff into landfill.”

For seven days I was tasked with saying no to any packaged goods.

For any waste I did collect, it had to be placed in a small glass jar.

My weekly waste couldn’t exceed the jar’s limit, otherwise I would get a big, fat fail.

Bulk wholefoods at Goodies and Grains, Adelaide Central Market. Picture: Stephanie Timotheou

WHAT MY WEEK LOOKED LIKE

I began my challenge by doing some research on the types of food and products I could easily eliminate from daily life.

Armed with a stack of reusable food pouches, I headed to wholefood retailers Goodies and Grains and House of Health in the Adelaide Central Market, as well as grocers The Simple Market in Mile End and Tony & Mark’s in Torrensville.

I stocked up on food that could be purchased without packaging, including loose fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, nuts and legumes.

It was as simple as filling up my reusable bags and getting them weighed at the counter to determine the price.

Everything from lentils and quinoa to flour, couscous and tea leaves is priced by the kilogram, so you only pay for the amount you need.

This prevented any plastic bags from coming home with me.

I then popped all my shopping in a reusable, hessian bag and off I went.

On my initial shop, the only waste I was left with were rubber bands and a product tag from bundled vegetables like bok choy and asparagus, the packaging my reusable bags came in and a milk carton.

Not too shabby for an amateur.

Usually lunch consists of sandwiches wrapped in glad wrap and a canned three-bean mix salad with celery and cucumber.

To get around this, I popped sandwiches in containers and made my own bean mix using loose chickpeas and cannellini beans.

It look a little extra preparation – I needed to let them soak overnight before cooking them the next day – but it prevented me from having to buy canned beans from the supermarket.

Now I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of enjoying takeaway at least two times a week.

Despite my best efforts, I did cave in on one occasion, which meant I had to contribute cardboard and a paper bag to the waste jar.

“When people purchase takeaway they are potentially purchasing eight or nine pieces of litter at a time,” Mr Phillips says.

“For example a hamburger has a wrapper, then you will get chips that come in their own separate packaging and a drink with a cup and straw, not to mention the carry bag.

“More often than not you see this sort of stuff dumped in a carpark or along our roads and highways.

“It’s one thing for these products to be recyclable, but is it actually being recycled? That’s the bigger issue.”

Coffee is a vital part of my day, so I invested in a keep cup to ensure I could continue enjoying that glorious caffeine hit from my favourite cafes around town.

As for things in the bathroom, I popped my creative cap on and made my own toothpaste (a combination of coconut oil, bicarb soda and peppermint essence) and managed to find a shampoo and body wash bar with zero packaging.

For the record, my homemade toothpaste tasted like sh*t, so if you’ve got some other recipe ideas feel free to send them my way.

Although I wasn’t overly keen on it due to hygiene reasons, I replaced tissues for a handkerchief and refrained from using cotton buds for my ears – technically they’re self cleaning, right?

The thing I found most difficult during the week was replacing packaged snacks (think Tim Tams and chocolate bars) for homemade treats.

At the start of my challenge, I felt a little unprepared and couldn’t resist a sneaky chocolate or three, so into the jar went some wrappers.

As I got deeper into my zero waste week, I decided to make my own chocolate brownies.

I lined the tray with coconut oil, which meant I didn’t have to use baking paper. Nifty right?

Instead of treating myself to a bag of popcorn, I also bought loose popping corn kernels and made my own.

Better still, there were no preservatives or artificial ingredients in my homemade creations.

A win for the environment and my gut.

At the end of the week, banana peels, carrot skins, cucumber ends and egg shells were composted instead of being chucked in the bin – something I am usually guilty of doing without so much as a second thought.

And who knows? I might even end up with a sprouting tomato plant or capsicum crop from the seeds that were unintentionally planted.

THE VERDICT

After seven days, my little glass jar was no more than three quarters full.

The truth is, it’s not rocket science.

Having a zero waste household is not difficult to achieve and if I can do it, anyone can.

My weekly shopping bill was slightly higher than normal – I paid $6.83 for 500g of pasta as opposed to $2 for the same amount at the supermarket.

Food prep took longer, but the meals were better for it.

Another wasteful item that was easy to rid from my household was the good old plastic bag.

I spent $15.95 on five reusable food pouches, but I saw it as a one-off investment for a world of difference to our environment and marine life.

Mr Phillips says running a zero waste household is a great achievement, but getting people to recycle correctly is an equally important step toward a cleaner, greener state.

“It’s about personal action and behavioural change,” he says.

“We work to encourage waste minimisation and that means changing people’s behaviour and choice as a consumer to use less plastic, use the right bins and encouraging industry to adopt and promote more sustainable practices.

“We are inundated with shelves filled with packaged products so it’s important we manage this waste by helping people understand what can be done.”

With Plastic Free July around the corner, there’s no better time to try your own zero waste challenge – even if it’s adopting one or two things instead of changing your entire way of life.

You’ll be amazed at how much waste you can save and how infrequently you actually have to take out the trash.

Because let’s face it, nobody likes bin night.

Before I started my zero waste week, I got some handy tips from the guys at Green Industries SA:

1. Avoid

One easy thing we can all do is simply avoid buying things we don’t need. Try and be mindful of your consumption and avoid buying things that won’t last, or that are hard to recycle when they do reach the end of their usefulness. Easy things to avoid are ‘throw away’ coffee cups. As consumers, we need to let the retail and commercial sectors know we don’t want unnecessary packaging, non-recyclable packaging or non-compostable packaging.

2. Reduce

Once you’ve done all you can to avoid consumption, the next step is to reduce consumption. When purchases and consumption can’t be avoided, aim to reduce your commercial and carbon footprint. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible to reduce the amount of car travel and use public transport, cycle or walk. It’s possible to purchase smartly to try and reduce the amount of fresh food purchased in one large shop (Australians waste 20 per cent of all food they buy – that’s the same as throwing out one bag in five from your weekly shop).

3. Reuse

The saying “everything old is new again” is truer now than ever. Reuse materials first before sending it to be recycled wherever you can. Can you reuse a jar for storage? Can those old clothes be used as cleaning cloths?

4. Recycle

Waste bins across the state still contain too many things that could be recycled. Cans, bottles, containers, anything made of metal, plastic or glass that has had food in it can be recycled. Just make sure that whatever you are putting in the recycle bin is empty and give it a quick rinse in water. We should be striving to recover and recycle these valuable materials as much as possible.

5. Recycle or compost your food scraps

If the food you’ve bought is on the turn, or you have scraps like potato peelings or egg shells, you can stop this becoming waste through your green organics bin. Most councils in South Australia accept food waste in the green bin, if not – compost it in the garden to make a super food for your plants. Many councils will subsidise the cost of a compost bin. Food waste tops the list of stuff you should be recycling or composting, but probably aren’t.

6. If in doubt, check it out

It’s OK, we get it. Sometimes it’s confusing and not always clear what to do with something you want to recycle. Rather than guess (or worse, throwing out a valuable resource that could be recycled) visit recycleright.sa.gov.au or call 1300 137 118 and ask. If there’s any doubt, check it out. Your local council is also a great resource for what can be recycled in your area.