Week 4 - Now What?

Our fourth and final week of a month-long challenge to live waste free is over, and although we didn't quite achieve our zero-waste goal, I would say that we had a successful month. In four weeks we produced a little over a grocery bag full of waste, which was mostly stuff we had in the house before we started the challenge.

The garbage we didn't avoid:

1. Dental floss
2. Expired tooth brush
3. Plastic seal from a bottle of Tylenol
4. 3 bandaids
5. A small piece of gauze and its sterile packaging (I think I might try to compost this stuff though)
6. Coffee Cup (Sister-in-law's sister brought Tim Horton's coffee for everyone on Easter morning. Trevor didn't want to be rude and refuse)
7. Plastic wrapping that came around daycare forms
8. 2 bracelets/swim passes from the TCC 
9. Broken plastic headband
10. Broken plastic tongs
11. 2 empty pens
12. 2 candy wrappers (Trevor accepted some candies from a lady at work before he realized that they were wrapped in garbage)

Now that the month is over, I can't see ever going back to living the way we did before we started the challenge.  Plus, it has taken me a whole month to get rid of all the garbage in the house (which feels amazing) so why would I undo all that hard work?

A common misconception is that living without waste is difficult. I don't feel like we are really doing anything different besides being a little more prepared for grocery shopping, and not buying things that create waste.  

I suppose if you rely on convenience items, like prepared meals and individually packaged snacks  to get through a hectic life schedule then it would be difficult to avoid garbage.  But it is all about the choices we make.   The only way individuals can affect change is through consumer decisions

Slow down. Relax. Breathe. Simplify. Enjoy the small things in life, because, as a wise woman once said, they are really the big things.