31 Days to low waste

Your guide to becoming “Zero Waste” in 2021

We’re using up earth’s resources much faster than they can be replenished, and recycling is a poor solution, as only 9 percent of plastic gets recycled. Plastic waste is poisoning our waterways, their inhabitants, and us.

If you’re looking for a way to be more eco-friendly (as well as save some money and live healthier), you may want to adopt a “Zero Waste” (ZW) lifestyle. To make things simple, here’s a month-long plan for getting started on your own journey: 31 steps (one per day) to low waste.

Here are some tips to get started.

• Use what you have! Don’t toss your old products to buy new “eco-friendly” ones. That likely means you’ll have to come back to several numbers on this 31-day plan at a later date—and that’s okay!
• Find what works for you—not everything will work for every person.
• Don’t get discouraged. In the words of Anne-Marie Bonneau (a.k.a. The Zero-Waste Chef), “We may never reach the zero in “zero waste” but that’s no reason to take zero action.”

Day	Category	Action	Consider …
1	Planning	Set goals	writing down what you’d like to achieve and why
2	Planning	Learn your recycling rules	researching your municipality’s system so you can recycle properly and choose the best options for packaging based on your area
3	On-the-go	Make an on-the-go kit	a reusable straw, cutlery, napkin/cloth, chopsticks, travel mug, and water bottle
4	On-the-go	Prepare your lunches and snacks	reusable pouches, jars, lunch kits, or divided stainless steel containers
5	On-the-go	Say no!	saying no to shopping bags, receipts, straws, free promotional items, etc
6	Bathroom	ZW bathroom products	cotton swabs made from cotton and paper, or going without altogetherrecycled paper or bamboo toilet paper that comes in a boxsolid soap or liquid refillsa metal safety razor
7	Bathroom	ZW skin care	products that come in glass, metal, or paper tubes, or refills
8	Bathroom	ZW hair care	shampoo and conditioner bars or liquid refills
9	Bathroom	ZW cosmetics	products that come in glass, metal, or paper tubes, or refills
10	Bathroom	ZW period products	cloth pads, a menstrual cup, or period panties
11	Bathroom	ZW oral care	biodegradable bamboo toothbrushcompostable flosstoothpaste powder or tabs
12	Kitchen	ZW food storage	wax food wraps or cloth bowl covers instead of plastic wrapcloth bags instead of plastic
13	Kitchen	Evaluate your diet	reducing your intake of meat, dairy, and seafood, as these are typically very resource intensivelocal and organic products
14	Kitchen	Choose unpackaged produce	bringing your own cloth bags when needed
15	Kitchen	Go bulk shopping	finding a refill store near you or choosing unpackaged foods from the bulk section, bakery, and deli section/butcher
16	Kitchen	Cook/bake something	making a food staple you’d normally buy
17	Kitchen	Compost	investing in a compost system
18	Others	Rethink gifts	giving experiences or second-hand gifts, or contributing to a cause
19	Others	Refuse junk mail	cancelling unnecessary mailplacing a “no junk mail, please” note on/inside your mailbox
20	Others	ZW cleaning products	DIYs or refills
21	Others	ZW laundry products	DIYs or refills
22	Others	Visit your library	the free resources, services, programs, and content
23	Others	Rethink paper products	handkerchiefs instead of tissuescloths/rags instead of paper towelscloth napkins instead of paper
24	New skills	Grow something	a small balcony garden
25	New skills	Repair something	sewing, such as visible mending
26	New skills	Shop second-hand	thrift stores, online groups, and consignment shops
27	New skills	Trade, barter, or borrow	online “swap & shop” groups
28	New skills	Build your skills	knitting, sewing, or canning
29	Thinking bigger	Tell others	speaking to friends and family about what you’re doing
30	Thinking bigger	Help your community	donating your money, time, or talent
31	Thinking bigger	Keep learning	educating yourself about intersectional issues such as race, class, poverty, accessibility, and disability