Zero Waste VS Roomates

Here are some tips to maintaining your zero waste lifestyle while living with roommates...

This is not as difficult as you may think when it comes to maintaining a zero waste lifestyle. You can’t tell others how to live their lives, but you can open a dialog and offer a more sustainable way of living. My roommates use plastic and produce trash. That’s okay. But since I’ve started this lifestyle, collectively we are able to be more sustainable in several ways around our home. 

Bar soap is the easiest place to start. You don’t need the plastic bottle of foaming soap no matter how fun it is. Get a bar of soap from a local farmers market or package free store and put it on a tray in the bathroom. Washing your hands just got a whole lot more sustainable.

We have a homemade cleaning spray with essential oils that act as a disinfectant. It’s stored in a plastic spray bottle because that’s what was previously owned, but that bottle keeps getting reused when the solution runs out.

I put a compost trash can on our counter for anyone to throw food scraps in so we can cut down on our kitchen waste. When the little trash is full I transfer it to a tub I keep outside to eventually take to my hometown to throw it in our city’s compost.

Parties!!!

Yes! You can still have a party without waste! This just forces you to be a bit more creative. Snacks can be hard if you are throwing things together last minute or don’t have the time to sit down and make fancy horderves. I buy popcorn at a bulk food store and pop it on the stove or in my air popper.  Another tip is to think about what you would normally buy for snacks and see if there’s an alternative to the packaging. Or see if they’re something you can make from scratch! 

Going along with parties there’s always got to be cups right? Depending on how trusting you are with your friends, just use your own. The same logic applies to plates/bowls. Maybe ask someone to help out with dishes at the end or do them throughout the night. Napkins are also unnecessary. Have a stack of wash clothes on hand for any spills.

Get creative with your decorations! This is where we love Pinterest. Decorations are also not entirely necessary. If you want to use them go for it! But its much easier to stay zero waste with just opting out of them.

Wine and Beer!

The best solution, if it’s available to you, is bring your own growler to a local brewery to fill up. It usually costs less and the growlers are reusable. If not It’s okay to buy the glass and aluminum bottles/cans. Take them to a bottle return when you’re finished. If a store is offering money (even 10 cents) for your bottles and cans you can be. Certain that they are being recycled. This is because for this material it is more expensive to make brand new than it is to make from recycled material.

The most important thing is just to talk about what you’re doing it and why you’re doing it. The easiest people to influence are the ones you live with. Then once they start making strides they’ll be excited to talk to you about it.