Hello eco-warriors!
My name is Valentina and this is my life without plastic.
WHY I STARTED MY JOURNEY TO A ZERO WASTE LIFESTYLE
Let me start by saying that I was born and raised in Europe where the lifestyle is generally more sustainable... far from zero waste, but way more advanced than here in Miami.
I grew up in a small village in Bulgaria where we used to grow our own veggies and fruits and shopped locally from neighbors.
I can't claim that I lived zero waste, but unconsciously I was producing far less waste simply because of the lifestyle in my home town.
I clearly remember the first time I came to the United States and was introduced to real consumerism. I was exploring Miami when I spilled some orange juice on my shirt and my friend told me: "Don't worry. You can just buy another shirt in this store here."
Over the years, I started falling into the trap of feeling comfortable and being lazy to go the extra mile.
"Let's use these disposable plates so we don't have to do the dishes."
Every thing was just so easy to throw away. The clothes I was buying, the food in my fridge, all of my everyday items...
Until one day it hit me. It was the beginning of November 2018 when I started asking myself...
I alone was producing SO much trash. How could a single person produce this much trash? And if I am producing so much trash, what about everyone else? Are they just as bad? Worse?
So, I decided to embark on this zero waste lifestyle journey.
MY FIRST STEPS
I had this misunderstanding that I had to completely swap everything I own for a sustainable alternative in order to begin living zero waste.
Did I have to own a trash jar, too?
I was so overwhelmed. I was a college student... a very broke college student. I couldn't possibly afford buying all these tools I thought I needed.
Then I realized that the point of this movement is not to make a change from one day to the other, but rather gradually change your habits until you reach your ultimate goal.
I LEARNED TO SAY NO
I began to say "NO." No to plastic bags in the grocery store, no to straws in the restaurants, no to anything I didn't need.
This was the very first step I took and it helped me reduce the amount of plastic and trash in general that I was bringing home. I started buying my produce package-free. If I would find the products I was searching for in a recyclable container, I would pick it instead of the plastic one.
I started making small changes in my day-to-day life and before I knew it, I was mentally ready for the next step.
REUSE, REUSE, REUSE
I learned the value of reusing. The glass bottles I would buy in the store now served as containers for my home-made lemonades. I found out that so many things have a second purpose and why should I throw them away if they can still be useful.
I started experimenting with buying second-hand clothes. At first, I was intimidated to go to Goodwill or a similar store. They are just so big and overwhelming that I would never find anything that I really liked... Until I met the girls from LYNK studio who handpick beautiful second-hand clothes and resell them.
So, now when I was going to the grocery store, instead of simply finding the recyclable alternatives, I was asking myself "Can I reuse the container? If not, can I find this product in bulk instead?"
After a few trials and errors, I started becoming more comfortable with making shopping lists and knowing exactly what stores I need to go to so that I can get the most out of my low waste shopping.
DOWNSIZE
My next step was to evaluate everything I was using and beginning to downsize it into only the essentials. I didn't want to throw anything away. Instead, I would use up my products and decide if I truly needed them.
If not, I would just continue living happily ever after without them. If I did need them, that's when I would look for the zero waste or low waste alternative.
I think that this is the reason I was also able to manage making this change without any financial hardship. I wasn't in a hurry to swap everything. Instead, I took it easy and did one thing at a time.
In fact, I still own some products that come in plastic packaging and I am not planning to throw them away until they're complete used up.
Some other items that I truly never used, I donated to others or swapped with friends.
So... Here I am.
Making one change at a time.
I am far from perfect and my trash definitely doesn't fit in a jar. But, I am trying to make a difference.
This is my journey to a zero waste lifestyle.
This is my life without plastic.
Join me and let's say NO to trash together!
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