Allow me to quickly jump in to re-introduce my sister Jenny before we dive into her second guest post on sustainable living! She began with one small idea: to cut out her use of plastic bags, and from there has grown to reduce her consumption in so many other areas. Her journey has not been about perfection, but about an understanding that if we all make a few small changes we can have an incredible impact on the health of our planet. We’re so excited to continue this series, and see how we can all grow together in our journey to low waste. – Sara
Climate Crisis
The climate crisis and overconsumption are finally being talked about on a bigger scale. Politicians are making climate change a main part of their campaigns, celebrities are using their platforms to raise awareness, and companies are popping up all over to offer creative and eco-friendly products.
With all the attention on sustainable living, it’s so hard to be sure which changes that will actually have an impact. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, so I want to clear up some of the common myths about sustainable living that I hear on a regular basis. “It’s the thought that counts” unfortunately doesn’t cut it when it comes to eco-friendly living, but the good news is that every small appropriate action we take does make a difference.
Myth 1: It’s okay to put compostable items in the landfill
The reality: You know those single-use cups and utensils some restaurants use that say ‘compostable’ on them? They’re made out of bioplastic, which is resource-intensive to manufacture and is harmful to the environment if placed in the garbage or recycling bins. When anything made out of organic material like kitchen scraps or single-use compostable items ends up in a landfill, it emits methane, which is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. If bioplastic isn’t composted correctly, it behaves like petroleum-based plastic, which lasts for decades and harms marine life. Not exactly sustainable living.
What we can do: Reduce demand for ALL single-use items, including bioplastics. Bring your own set of utensils with you. I have a bamboo spork wrapped in a cloth napkin to use on the go. If you use bioplastic items, make sure they end up in a commercial composting facility. Ask the restaurant if they have a compost bin, and if not, encourage them to add one! For things like kitchen scraps, you can compost at home and truly return organic material to the soil.
Myth 2: Recycling is enough
The reality: Yes, recycling is super important, but it’s not the ultimate solution. A single piece of plastic can only be recycled a few times before it’s sent to the landfill, plus a lot of what you put in the recycling bin may not even end up getting recycled! If the batch is contaminated, recycling centers throw the entire lot in the landfill. Recycling can get contaminated if there are food remnants present, or even our old friend bioplastic is mixed in.
What we can do: Let’s change our mindsets from the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) to the 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle, in that order. When you get to the point of recycling, make sure you’re recycling properly and check with your local municipal for what you can and can’t put in the recycling bin. Terracycle has free recycling programs that accept items that you can’t recycle curbside.
Myth 3: Buy eco-friendly products immediately
The reality: It’s very tempting to buy eco-friendly, plastic free products, even though you may have plastic versions of them. I don’t think this is any surprise: it’s not sustainable to throw out things that could still be useful. No matter how eco-friendly a company may be, they’re still in business to make money and some will make you think you need to replace everything immediately.
What we can do: Remember the 5 Rs! The best thing to do is use up what you have, repurpose or recycle it, and then choose a sustainable alternative. That sustainable alternative option could be sitting in your home already, such as cutting up old tee-shirts to use as rags in place of paper towels. Get creative! If you do want to buy new sustainable items, I recommend Package Free Shop and EarthHero.
Altering your lifestyle to be more sustainable is a journey, just like any other change. For me, it has been about gathering knowledge over several years and making small improvements based on what I learn. These were the 3 biggest misconceptions and the lessons I’ve learned so far on my low waste journey. What other myths or misconceptions about living a sustainable lifestyle have you come to realize? – Jenny Adams