Zero Waste

The push for zero waste is a big topic in England right now. So I have been thinking about what we already do, what we could do without much of a problem, and what we should do but probably won't.  Today I will talk about some of the things we do to reduce waste.

What We Do:

We use cloth napkins and not paper
We don't use disposable dishes
We make our cleaning products and store them in containers that once held products like vinegar
We reuse plastic bags, aluminum foil, waxed paper cereal bags, and supposed one use plastic containers over and over again
We have reusable drink bottles
We have a filter pitcher for our water rather than buying bottled water
We reuse gift bags, tissue paper and wrapping paper
We purchase our clothes and household items from the used market so that energy and resources don't have to be used to make new items
I make my own kefir drink and store it in a reused milk container rather than buying it bottle by bottle
I cook from scratch rather than buying boxed items to reduce packaging waste
We turned off the stove and oven pilot lights to save gas and light them by hand to use them
We line dry our laundry to save energy
We use stale bread to make French toast, a strata for dinner, croutons, bread pudding, or bread crumbs rather than throwing it away
We make stock from bones, veg peelings, wilted veg, etc.
We make our own salad dressing and reuse the same bottle over and over to reduce packaging waste
When I use the oven I fill it to capacity so as to maximize the energy being used
I often cook with my pressure cooker to save time and energy
When buying fruits and vegetables I focus on one's with a long shelf life so they don't go bad before we can eat them

Even small changes make a difference.