why i QUIT zero waste | what i'm doing instead 

Plastic is literally everywhere. Microplastics are falling in rainfall and being found in the most remote areas. It has entered the food chain. Those are facts. Recycling turned out to be a con, since everthing just got shipped out to Asia. Tragically, the concept of saving the environment isn't even a real concept. The environment will always be here. The question is, what will that environment be like and are you going to enjoy living in it? If not, what are you personally doing that is contributing to the polution and waste. Getting involved in politics would be a good start. Stop sitting about letting people who don't care run your towns, states and country. Look at your own lifestyle and do your best within your means.

like i mention in the video multiple times, plastic pollution is a huge issue. but scientists have reason to think that simply forgoing plastic by replacing it with other materials may exacerbate the climate crisis. i completely agree that those of us who want a better future should make our voices heard, but i disagree that we can't save the environment. it's a living entity and our actions have threatened and even destroyed ecosystems all across the globe!

standard practice also with milk. i know some brands in uk started doing it again.

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100% nailed it! i find myself relating to the conversations in reddit forums about anti-consumerism and frugal minimalism wayyy more than i relate to the zero waste / plastic-free groups😅

Yes! I'm gonna use shein as an example to add to your point you already made if that's okay. Shein is cheaply made mostly plastic based clothing using labor that's less than legal. Same with temu for their products. And it's cheap, and trendy, so people will buy so much of those things. And they don't wear or use the things at all or more than once. It's different I'd someone buys one thing occasionally from them. But most times those items just end up in landfills. Thrift stores were filled to the brim with shein clothing at one point and the shein clothing didn't sell. So eventually it ends up in the trash. Whereas you can get things from say a thrift store or brand new and make sure it's something that will hold up, and use it until it rips or breaks. And with clothing. You can repurpose it even though it ripped. Bedding stuffing for a pet, handmade pillows, rags for cleaning if the fabric is absorbent, if the pants just have holes in them, cut them shorter and turn them into shorts, or patches for holes. Learning to sew and taking a few ripped clothing pieces and combining them into a new thing. I think that'd be a big huge step, and it'd be a similar concept for just about anything. I'm an artist as well so being able to take something I can't use anymore and turning it into something else can really reduce waste as well. But eco friendly won't be effective if you're still buying too much, not using all of it in time, and it goes bad, or it breaks and you just toss it instead of reusing it for something else. By the way I love the idea of making your own croutons and Peta chips from the bread you've made, very smart

Absolutely agree that "frugal minimalism goes hand in hand with sustainability." I use the term "ecofrugality" (and have built a whole blog around it) to refer to the combination of the two, because I think they are two sides of the same coin.

@@amylivingston4590 that's wonderful! i'd love to check it out 🧡

@@allisonfromearth By all means! It's here: ecofrugality.blogspot.com/

your mom is goals! i think the problem with the zero waste movement is that we rely too much on "common sense" [which isn't actually that common] and take our intuition as fact instead of looking to the science. i'm a *relatively* smart person but allowed myself to be swayed by greenwashing and cleanwashing propaganda. reducing consumption should be the main point, but i think that point gets drowned out when the message becomes "you need a reusable swap for that" or "plastic pollution is a bigger problem than emissions"

the lifestyle your mom has been living for decades should be the gold standard and is exactly the kind of thoughtful approach i hope to encourage!!

I agree with this. While plastic might be a more environmentally friendly option in some cases when it comes to climate change and emissions it is NOT more friendly when it comes to microplastics and the HUGE amount of studies that have been done on their effects on the health of people, animals, and their environments. The more studies that come out, the more we can see that plastic is really bad for us. But again: it's really hard to make the change away from plastic when in some places, like where I live, there is almost no packaging that doesn't have plastic in it. I can only grow 5 months a year, our farmers market is open may to October and is really small with limited variety. So I do use plastic, but with limitations and making sure that I try to do as little packaging across the board as possible.

@@brickbardalso single use plastic products are a lot more harmful to the environment

best comment award 🏆 this whole video is literally me calling myself out lol so don't even think about feeling bad! just trying my darnedest to not be so attached to preconceived notions so i can refocus on the things that move the needle in a positive direction 🧡

This! All 3 adults in my house have ADHD, so we have trouble with home care. We buy a LOT of duplicates of things that are easily lost, or disposable things like baby wipes. Since the 2 kids are also neurodivergent with food texture/taste sensitivity, we buy a lot of food in disposable packaging because it means they eat something other than nuggies and fries. My motto is "anything is better than nothing, but nothing is worth making your life unlivable."

Oh also noticed, 2 of my 4 bags are polypropylene, which the first source only lists you needing to use it 11 times for it to be better than plastic bags definitely have done that.

i agree they beat out plastic bags, like i said, if you're able to use them as many times as required to meet the environmental payback period. but i've been in the ZW movement for over 5 years and brands have sent me at least 3 reusable bags that i never asked for or needed. i've also noticed many people buy extra bags just because they're cute, not because they need them!

I recycled my plastic bags and found/sewed old ones to make a bag that I wont use. Because Its ugly and I am how in love with it😂 My plastic thst I do have (most of my things) will last forever and is already 7+ years old

NAILED IT! thanks a million for this thoughtful comment 🧡

How much co2 does extra plane passenger add?

well said, there are many habits and behaviors i'm bringing forward with me, but also a lot i'm trying to unlearn 🧡

yes! and it's so hard to resist! i come from a background in design and the beauty of ZW is what first appealed to me tbh. while i don't feel it's necessary to completely detach yourself from aesthetics in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle [the secondhand economy exists, after all!] there's definitely this pressure to over-consume certain swaps and go out of your way to shop plastic-free! thanks for watching 🧡

way to make my absolute day!!! thanks so much for that, you've warmed my cold shriveled heart!

Was having Steinway piano linked to the energy usage?

All this to say there is rarely ever a “right” answer when it comes to low waste! First paper was the enemy, now plastic, but there are so many other factors like you mentioned! I think as long as more people start to learn about “zero” waste actions and focus on reduce first, then reuse, we can make a change for the better

@@cjr790 i totally see where you're coming from, but from the way i understand it [could be misinterpreting the data], the US sends 30% of our glass to be recycled, but of that 30% we send, only 40% is actually being recycled into new glass packaging -- the rest is incinerated, gets used as aggregate for constructing highways and things, or goes to the landfill. so it's like a fraction of a fraction. i totally agree that the plastic recycling rate is even more abysmal, but it's almost like comparing apples to oranges because the two types of materials have different carbon footprints. everyone talks about how wasteful single-use plastic is [and i agree], but the way we dispose of glass -- an even more resource-intensive material -- is worse in many ways! i'm really hoping for a better solution in the US, but until that happens, it seems plastic is oftentimes the more eco-friendly option for packaging 😩

Totally agree! I’m allergic to coconut oil and it’s REALLY hard to find good soap that doesn’t have it. I did end up making the switch to bar soap from body wash and I found one that comes in paper packaging.

Yep. I have tried a gazillion "natural" deodorant. All failed in some way or another. I use regular deodorant from the grocery store and my armpits are happy and I don't smell. Life is good when you do what works for you😊

oh that is so fascinating, thanks for sharing that with me! we live right near the university of north carolina at chapel hill and i love the fact that they have compost collection bins set up here and there, and they use the compost to feed the community garden! it's so neat. i think they also have some kind of water catchment but haven't looked into it yet 😍

I agree with you about consumerism, but there's just no way people are returning half of the items they buy. In the spirit of this video, I looked it up and found this: "The rate of return on Amazon items ranges from 5-15%; however, returns for consumer electronics and clothing can be as high as 40%."

Clothes sizing should be standardised definitely

@@consultinghistorianI think the clothing should have more/ and measurements available so we can measure ourselves and buy what fits based on that. It would make things so much better

We use mason jars for everything and we've been reusing them for years. They are very versatile

hear, hear!!!

Instead of buying the face rounds or making them just use face cloths/ face towels. The little square towels in the same aisle as all the other bathroom towels, their purpose is for cleaning your face anyway and they are cheaper to buy as well and you don't need a lot of them and are reusable and easily washed

whew you and me both! definitely developed a few complexes as a result 😅

reusable bags are the more eco-friendly option in general, we just have to be careful not to over-consume them because it defeats the purpose!

It’s also important to read the life cycle reports because there are a lot of cultural biases in the testing conditions. For example the Scandinavian one used average bag sizes found in stores and the organic cotton bag was smaller than the plastic or regular cotton ones so they doubled the number of organic cotton bags needed as compared to plastic or regular cotton for the same amount of groceries. They also used their standard bags which are thicker than ones found in the USA and so didnt add double bagging which is common in many CA/USA stores. They also assumed every plastic bag would be reused as a trash liner and then burnt for fuel vs just tossed (and lucky if in the garbage). Is it a bad study? No. But it’s important to read the actual studies vs just media reports on them.

One thing worth considering is that many reusable bags exist that are NOT organic cotton. A lot of reusable bags are just a sturdier grade of plastic. They're less resource-intensive to produce and don't take as many uses before you've got a net environmental benefit. And of course, as she mentioned in the video, a LOT of reusable totes already exist and you can very easily find one secondhand if you need it. We don't all need to keep buying new ones.

What is BP?

Please don’t confuse the issues with conflated ideas

whoa thank you! i'm honored you think so 😊

absolutely. the problem arises when "zero waste-friendly materials" create more emissions [which also harm poor countries disproportionately] and are also ending up as trash because they're used in a single-use way. i have zero qualms with the spirit of zero waste -- i'm glad to have been a part of the movement because it taught me several invaluable lessons i'll have with me forever, but we can't deny there's a misinformation problem in the sustainability community. i know firsthand just how many catchy shortcuts eco influencers teach their followings and they're not always helping! reducing consumption? HECK YES. trading in plastic for glass or paper or single-use compostables? mayyy wanna look at the science first!

@@allisonfromearth reducing consumption is key! And I think it should be the leading part of the zero waste movement! Use up what you have first and then try more sustainable alternatives! Just swapping to sustainable items is just a consumerist habits and it’s not what the zero waste movement or the sustainable movement in general is about . We should put an end to single-use habits. That’s terrible

​​​​@@ilariacicconetti2365 if I may add too. Trend cycles also accompanied by consumerism is a big player too. People aim for aesthetic looking alternatives that fit a vibe they're going for. Especially if they're aiming to be like the influencers they watch and follow. Trends are very fast now and one type of aesthetic or packaging type may switch on a dime and then suddenly its not eco friendly anymore. An example for the micro trends thing is Stanley cups. They're reusable stainless steel cups that are sturdy and will last you a long time if taken care of. However people have been consuming massive amounts of these cups. And what will happen when the trend dies is they'll end up in thrift stores, people won't entirely want them by then, and then they may end up in landfills next. They may even skip the donation step and end up in a landfill anyways, as thrift stores and the like won't have space for tons of things, they unfortunately toss what they can't sell or don't have space for (which is why chain thrift stores are just as wasteful sadly) Overconsumption truly is one of the main issues. You can switch to eco-friendly products but many are misleading. While others are genuinely good but people still have the same habits as before when using those eco-friendly options. So it becomes less eco-friendly. Overconsumption, and taking down fast fashion brands like shein and temu, reducing food waste, potentially adjusting what retail stores and the like do with unsold product that they damage and toss instead of donating or selling at half price, we could reduce a good chunk of trash intake. The other step would be oil and gasoline. Many things do need those things but if we found a way to cut that down to necessity, it could help immensely. At least these are my observational thoughts as many of the true wastefulness comes in big companies and brands. Luxury brands destroy and toss perfectly good things too I may add. But this is what I've observed. I truly personally think while we do have responsibility on an individual level, what we do as individuals won't matter in comparison to the bigger sources of wastefulness and pollution in the world. Cars only make up a percentage similarly to individual scale issues. Agriculture is one of the bigger ones (this includes pesticide free products and products labeled as eco-friendly, it still came from an industrial style farm to get enough of that product on shelves for people to buy) Overconsumption is a big one now alongside plastics. Something that could be done instead is reusing plastic containers and bags as much as possible until they quite literally break or rip. I wouldn't recommend this for plastic waterbottles like Dasani ones, but like, pet food bags reused for dealing with trash or pet waste is an example. It'd reduce the need for a huge thing of plastic bags. Or better yet just tossing your trash without a bag if possible or if allowed by the garbage company and recycling companies

​@@ilariacicconetti2365 Now if only people paid attention to reduction and just replaced as needed.

Do we have any research or info about plastic being toxic? The zero waste info I have come across has included almost no discussion of climate change and has had a focus on plastics that end up hurting wildlife. I do value the info about glass, and it is great to know, but in addition to the harm to wildlife, mostly sea life from what I hear, I keep hearing about plastic being toxic. I have not been able to find a reliable source to confirm or debunk this but I will admit I am not as well educated on research methods as I could be. I just thought I would ask bc those two make up almost all of what I have read or listened to on the subject. I have not directly heard a ton of mention of climate change in relation to plastics in the specific zero waste articles and videos I have seen. Not that I have heard it at all, but it has not been the forefront of the messaging I have consumed. So my question stands, is plastic toxic to touch of be exposed to and how harmful is glass to wildlife in comparison to plastic. I feel it is likely safer to use glass in a lot of situations as I do not hear of it being as harmful and it is easier to reuse it and to keep it for a lifetime. I cannot make plastic c9ntinue to be used for the remainder of my life. I feel the argument of glass not really being recyclable also applies to plastic and I am aware of more cons to plastic over glass. So while I agree glass is not a solution, plastic not being as bad as we were told does not necessarily make it the wiser choice over plastic. I need more info and we all need a new opti9n that is better than both.

ah!! music to my ears 🥰 thanks so much for taking the time to watch!

thank YOU for finding value here 🥰

WHY HELLO!! so stoked you enjoyed it and really appreciate you saying hey 🥰

don't get me started on the guilt!! it's debilitating. i'm trying to unlearn all that stuff myself and i'm glad to hear this video helped. the conditioning is so ingrained lol!

Up here in Canada, white sugar is packaged in paper while organic sugar is in plastic 😂. We reuse our sugar bags for uh produce bags in the fridge

@@AlphineWolf In my area of the US, it depends on the brand of sugar and the size of the package. There is a lot of sugar in paper bags here, but I buy the raw turbinado kind and a small paper box is more expensive than a large plastic bag. If I'm baking cookies for gifts or something like that, I'll buy the regular white sugar in a paper bag.

absolutely! preservatives prevent food waste!

good point, i'm friends with an oceanographer and she used to advocate for a zero / less waste lifestyle but has since switched her approach to advocating for better waste management policy -- from my understanding it's because the ocean absorbs so much CO2, which is in many ways worse for oceanlife. plastic litter and microplastics are a huge deal but greenhouse gases are an existential threat, so i guess it's kinda short-sighted to advocate for lifestyle changes that could quite possibly raise people's carbon footprints 👣

ahaha it's one of my favorite expressions! i think i got it from an early 2000s tv commercial or something?! def didn't make it up though i wish i did 😂

thank you SO much for finding value here, and for finding ways to do what you can! errand-stacking is amazing

the mushrooms are a great example, it goes very well with the example i give in the video about loose potatoes vs. potatoes in nets! not sure if you missed it but i said exactly that 🧡

I did see that. We don't get potatoes in nets in the UK, they are always in plastic bags or loose. The supermarkets have a lot of control over our farming here sadly. @@allisonfromearth

thank you for this!

@@allisonfromearth Of course. I too initially saw some utility (and frankly thought it was cool) that more people were at least becoming aware of environmental issues. But very quickly the veneer came off when a lot of these "eco activists" continued to peddle their content while making frankly bad decisions. An immediate one that comes to mind is Levi Hildebrand. He bought a home that he ended up deciding to sublet anyway and not even live in (think of the land use footprint for something you're not even using ie; material use, construction waste, loss of green space, etc) and decided instead to drive across the entirety of North America in a Prius (yes, it's hybrid, but still burns gas). In those two decisions alone, from an environmental management perspective, he used up more resources than any amount of plastic bottles or bags he could waste in a life time.

a stainless steel container that you use for years and years and take real good care of is the better option IMO!

thank you for watching!! 🧡

it loves you back 🧡

I bought that book and I'm ready to give it to a thrift store.

how sweet, thanks so much for that 🧡 the study i reference explains how it causes more emissions! but cutting back on both water and soap is helpful, which is why i recommend only using existing wax wraps on non-messy food items 😊

So, I thought that using a plastic "tupperware" style container would be a more sustainable option than either the beeswax or the plastic wrap, but it has to be washed also, so maybe not?

this is such a perfect example! on the one hand it's true that plastic pollution is a big problem, but on the other hand plastic's done so much in the area of food preservation. a tricky beast indeed!

I didn't know there were places to refill on shampoos and conditioners. I might look into that if it's cheaper than buying new bottles of shampoo and conditioner when I run out. I haven't been able to find a reusable method for the old bottles yet but I may figure something out for them.

@@Its_Asteria I live in Canada so this may be different for you but... at my refill store the products are far more expensive to buy. Usually 3 to 4 times the price of a regular store brand. 750ml of dish soap is $15. If money was no object I would love to buy all of the products that they offer. But I really don't think it is very affordable for most people.

There is a company called Tattler that makes reusable canning lids. There's a bit of a learning curve, but well worth it. The gaskets are reusable for up to seven times. The other company is Harvest Guard, but there was an issue with the gasket material being non reusable. There were supply chain issues during the fancy flu a couple of years back, and the gasket material turned out to be single use. Also, a Food Saver with the canning jar attachments for the regular and wide mouth canning jars, and a Food Saver cannister for the smaller odd sized jars would eliminate a lot of the air problems. Rain Country even has a video on using a brake bleeder instead of a Food Saver machine. And a plate over a bowl would eliminate one of those goofy beeswax wrap things.

the way i understood #deodorantdebacle with my whole being 😂 thank you for this comment!

such a good example, thank you!

i already did!

🧡🧡

love her!!! i'm so glad she's been looking into the science behind certain sustainability claims 😍 and thanks for the suggestion, def adding dumpster diving to the list

​@@allisonfromearth😊

Zero waste is like arriving at infinity! It isn't a thing!! 😮 I'm retired and looked from afar at a lot of the younger bloggers in recent years with their little Mason jars, crazy DIYs and bamboo this and thats and yawned. I prefer to think I live a sustainable life. I don't waste a lot. I garden, compost, can my own food and live a simple life back here in the mountains. I only buy anything new or newer when I totally wear the old item out. The more time I spend doing other more creative things, the calmer I feel being away from worry about consumerism. P.S. I always thought lady who put a years worth of trash in a Mason jar secretly went around at night putting all her nasty garbage and greasy pizza boxes in her neighbors' dumpsters the night before pick up. 😊

admittedly i don't know a whole lot about BPA but i've heard from some of the science podcasts i listen to that following the public outcry against BPA, it was replaced with a different chemical (maybe a few different ones -- i don't remember) that has much less research behind it and could potentially be worse. it's referred to as a case of "regrettable substitution" which is apparently the same thing that happened after the public demanded parabens be removed from products. long story short, i'm not 100% sure, but i try not to microwave food in plastic just to be on the extremely safe side

💯

sooo not evil!!! 😂🧡