Note: This is a guest post by Gabriella Hileman.
Every year, I make it a point to spend 40 days eliminating something from my life. Everything from gossip to coffee has gone under the microscope over the years.
Earlier this year, I was lugging a particularly large assortment of trash bags out to my apartment complex’s dumpster. A few cardboard boxes writhed themselves loose from the mass I was carrying and, getting caught in the wind, left me awkwardly running after and pouncing on them. I hit some kind of breaking point.
I resolutely decided to attempt the low-waste lifestyle, chasing promises of lighter trash bags and a lighter conscience.
Here are some of the realizations it brought me.
1. It’s hard. This sounds whiny, I know, but contemporary Western society is built on the cornerstones of easy portability and extended shelf-life, and that means lots and lots of plastic.
In fact, even some of the zero-waste movement’s most fervent followers have conceded that they are unable to be low-waste all the time. So don’t beat yourself up if you fall short.
2. Finding your people is crucial. Here’s what I mean by that: the biggest challenge I faced in reducing plastic and non-recyclables coming into my home was purchasing food. Buying loose vegetables and staples from bulk bins became the easiest way to avoid bringing home cardboard boxes and plastic bags.
While many stores will let you bring canvas bags for the checkout line, it’s much more difficult to find a store that will allow you to bring your own containers for bulk bin purchases or meat and cheese from the deli. Thankfully, I was able to call around and finally found a health food store that was alright with this.
Engaging with your local community more closely will be your best bet at finding ways to eat well. Farmers’ markets are often a good start.
3. You’ll cook. A lot. During this experiment, since the lion’s share of the carbohydrates I brought home were bought in dry bulk, like rice and flour, I found myself cooking big batches to eat over a few days in lieu of packaged meals. Suddenly, I was interested in perfecting the recipe for wholesome sandwich bread. I also ate many more fruits and vegetables than before.
4. You’ll get creative. Many low-waste sites try to sell the idea that you need to buy this stainless steel food container or that package of beeswax wraps to do low-waste properly. While I’m sure those items can help if you go low-waste long term, I found them unnecessary while starting out, and was able to repurpose things I already had instead. My existing tupperware containers were perfectly fine.
I found myself cutting up old flour sack towels and sewing them into napkins, saving glass yogurt jars to make candles with beeswax from the farmer’s market, and digging out old, neglected yarn scraps for new knitting projects.
And you know what? Many of these projects turned out totally charming and taught me new crafting skills.
5. You will buy less in general. My Amazon cart filled only with cobwebs during this experience. Often not buying something at all was easier than finding a low-waste alternative, and that’s okay.
A low-waste experiment is a great way to get out of a food rut, encourage creativity, and ultimately challenge our relationships with the things we already own.
While I didn’t stick with the low-waste lifestyle after the 40 days were up, it did give me increased insight into how quickly our culture disposes of our existing possessions in favor of the newest model. Sometimes all an old shirt needs to feel new again is a few cool elbow patches.
I appreciated and felt much more in tune with older methods of cooking that predate the standard American diet. There was a kind of peace and intentionality in reconnecting with food that way.
And, as promised, I didn’t have to take out the trash nearly as often.
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Gabriella Hileman is an artist and the creative producer at Becoming Minimalist. She directs and produces the videos on the Becoming Minimalist Youtube channel.
Maria Pinto says
For some of us who may remember, our parents & grandparents did not grow up in a world of mindless consumption with a throw away mentality, not to say we are all like that now.
If any of you here are interested you may try to find the documentary Affluenza that came out some years back but if I remember right I does point out that while the United States is a much less populated country than many others we consume 1/4 of the resources on the planet.
I think it is also about one’s mindset in this endeavor. If you look at it like a chore to minimize/declutter/live more sustainably/embrace voluntary simplicity, whatever path you are on, then it is just that. But if you look at the possibilities of the positive changes it can make in your life & for the planet it can not only be rewarding but fun as well. I now you can’t turn back the clock but once in a while it is OK to put on the brakes.
Valerie Rogers says
Just goes to prove that nothing is new under the sun. When we bought staples and cooked from scratch, the population wasn’t as weak as it is now, and we had less garbage.
Maria Pinto says
Good point Valerie & there is the documentary (I think it is a shorter one) called the Story of Stuff which follows the journey of where our our stuff comes from and where it ends up. It is like when someone (or even ourselves) says I will just “throw it away”, like all the trash will magically disappear, what that also says is “as long as it is not in my backyard).
Gabriella Hileman says
Hi Lisa! Thanks for taking the time to read my article and leave a comment, I appreciate your feedback! I continue to incorporate many habits from this experience. For example, I continue to use a safety razor and buy cleaning products in bulk. I completely agree with you that it is frustrating to learn the depth of the permeation of plastics in our environment – when I found out about microplastics, it shook me to my core! On the other hand, I recognize that we live in a linear economy, and that recycling is very poorly implemented in the US, so while we as consumers can (and should!) take steps to reduce our consumption and disposal of single use plastics, large companies should be doing the same to make widespread impact. It’s better for millions of people to take small steps to reduce waste, rather than a handful of us beating ourselves up for not meeting the same degree of low-waste living we see in videos or on blogs.
For me personally, continuing the lifestyle to that degree was not feasible for the long term at this point in my life, but I will continue to take small steps where I can to reduce waste. I would prefer to be honest about the outcome rather than put myself into a category that others may not feel I fit into.
Carla says
Interesting article though I agree with others that the whole point of posting an experience with minimalism in this format would be to share something sustainable rather than an exercise of trying something only to toss it aside which further supports our tendencies toward consumption. Considering plastic baggies are one of the easiest items to replace with a sustainable product, I agree the article’s premise is a good one but poorly attempted.
Ann Van Dyke says
I agree. It reminded me of someone going on a diet to lose weight and then going back to their old habits afterwards. What’s the point of that?
Diane LM Wittig says
I appreciated your article and was wondering if you would share your bread recipe. I do feed my food scraps to my compost pile but hadn’t considered sharing with the deer. Thank you for a thoughtful-provoking article.
Maria Pinto says
Diane,
Here is a simple bread recipe that is on my kitchen counter right now to try.
Irish Soda Bread:
3 cups flour
3/4 cups oats
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp non dairy milk
4-6 Tbsp flour – to knead the bread
430 oven- grease a bake pan
In medium bowl whisk milk & vinegar & set aside 10 minutes until it thickens. In a large mixing bowl whisk dry ingredients & make a well in the center & add milk. Stir with a spatula then use your hands to knead, adding more flour if needed to form a ball. Knead 1-2 minutes adding flour if dough is sticky but not too much. A stickier dough = a more moist, elastic bread. Put dough on pan & flatten to 1 1/2 inches in height. Cut a deep cross on top & sprinkle with flour. Put on the middle rack of your oven 20 to 30 minutes until crusty. Put on cooling rack 1 hour before slicing. The bread is good for 3 – 4 days wrapped in a towel.
You can also slice the bread and freeze some to toast for later.
Here is also a simple homemade and inexpensive Oat Milk. It is not as rich as store bought but great for baking.
Oat Milk:
1 cup oats
3-4 cups water
1 tsp vanilla (opt)
1-2 tsp syrup (maple, brown rice etc.)
1-2 dates (opt)
pinch of salt (opt)
Soak Oats 30 minutes at least then drain & rinse discarding the water. Add the oats, clean water & all other ingredients & blend until smooth. Adjust water for desired thickness. Strain with cheesecloth of milk bag (usually found in health food stores). Store in the Fridge 4 to 5 days in a Mason Jar or other Glass Container.
Diane Lee Minard Wittig says
Thank you for sharing both the recipes so promptly.
I’m looking forward to making them soon, Gabriella
.
Gabriella Hileman says
Hi Diane!
Sure – I used two recipes with good results. I used the basic King Arthur sandwich bread recipe, and also experimented with using whole wheat flour for some of the flour from time to time: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/classic-sandwich-bread-recipe
I also had good luck with this sourdough process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eod5cUxAHRM
Thanks for reading!
Katharina says
I am 41 and grew up avoiding plastic and trash so I have a lifelong experience. Heres what worked for me: 1) use what you have and start by bringing your own bottle/ cup/ Food / container/ Snacks. 2) shop at farmers markets (and dont forget to bring your own bags 3) cook for yourself. 3) recycle 4) get creative 5) challenge yourself 6) dream what you do with all the money you save by helping our planet :-) 7) don’t stop- every saved bag/container/ cup, etc. counts and it gets easier and more natural every day!
Gabriella Hileman says
Love number 7 Katharina! Thanks so much for the encouragement.
Maria Pinto says
Hi Gabriella,
I enjoyed your article but find it a little dismaying that you didn’t stay with it after 40 days. From my point of view it is so important to at least try to adapt to living lighter on the planet & more sustainable, and yes it Does TAKE WORK but in life the most important choices we make do. Then hopefully you can find your own tribe that is also as passionate & for others new to this concept or skeptical, or whatever, our example can sometimes rub off on them is a very positive way.
I am very passionate about this issue and hope there will be continual conversation around it as we can all share what we know, what we have experienced & what we hope to achieve on this journey that truly shows our reverence to Mother Earth & all her creatures.
Gabriella Hileman says
Hi Maria! Thanks for the comment and for reading. While I have kept several of the habits from this experience (like buying food and cleaning staples in bulk), I haven’t kept enough to still consider myself someone practicing the “low-waste” or “zero-waste” lifestyle. I still use ziplock baggies and buy carrots in plastic for example, so I would feel hypocritical claiming to be “low-waste.” But I agree that it is a very positive movement, and am working towards continually reducing single-use plastics in my life, and repairing rather than replacing objects at home. I think it’s excellent that you’re so passionate about the topic, and wish more people would give it a try. :)
Carolyn Murphy says
Interesting experiment…why did you not stay with the plan after the 40 days were up?
Gabriella Hileman says
Hi Carolyn! I kept some of the habits, such as buying in bulk! Keeping low waste to that level was difficult to maintain with my current lifestyle, as our apartment stopped collecting recycling and I don’t drive, so taking large amounts of glass and cardboard to a drop off spot became infeasible. We still buy as may groceries as we can in paper over plastic wherever possible.
Marcia carberry says
We eat as well as grow many fruits and vegetables. I feed the produce scraps to our neighborhood deer population. Yep I know that is shunned by many but don’t tell my 4 legged girls.
During COVID 19 isolation I relearned how to make my own salad dressings and many other meal essentials from “taste alike” recipes off the internet.
It adds up,to less trash, less sodium from premade products and yess more money saved on groceries.
Sibylle says
Two of my biggest steps towards low-trash were these:
1) Bring your own drinks in a reusable bottle/cup. That way, you save on dozens of single-use plastic to go cups, bottles of water, soda cans etc
2) Reduce sweets/candy. Most of it is wrapped individually, in multiple layers, and in plastic containers.
Plus, both steps help you reducing on sugar – tap water/homemade (iced) tea vs soda/store-bought iced tea.
Gabriella Hileman says
These are great tips, Sibylle. A good reusable bottle is a something I love and use all the time. Good point about the sweets!