Overall, I have saved money by reducing my waste. I buy less stuff, I buy in bulk, I eat all the food I buy rather than wasting any and so on. But some items do cost more—loose apples versus a plastic bag filled with them or milk sold in a returnable glass bottle rather than in a plastic jug.
Fortunately, some aspects of the zero-waste lifestyle don’t have to cost anything at all, such as your zero-waste kit—the “equipment” you’ll need when you head out into the real world, bombarded by well-intentioned people offering you lattes in disposable cups, plastic cutlery for the catered office lunch, bottled water... It’s a minefield out there!
This kit does require some rudimentary sewing skills. For me, one of the many joys of the zero-waste lifestyle comes from learning to do things for myself.
You likely have many of the items below sitting around in your home.
1. Water bottle
You don’t need an expensive metal water bottle. Yes, they look very nice and work very well. But you could reuse a glass bottle from a store-bought drink. “But glass breaks!” you may say. People don’t seem to worry about glass bottles breaking when they buy kombucha, iced tea, sparkling water and many other beverages packaged in glass.
2. Mug
Similar to the water bottle above, you can get by without an expensive insulated stainless steel travel mug. Packing my own ceramic mug or mason jar has prevented so many plastic mishaps over the years. Those paper take-away cups at your favorite café? They're lined with plastic. Some cafés will provide ceramic cups but many others don’t. Simply bring your own.
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