I did it! Almost no waste produced from two weeks of eating! I am very glad that I did this challenge. I learned so much along the way, such as how to recycle milk cartons efficiently, the truth about reusable plastic containers, and easy new recipes.
Here is all my trash collected during this challenge.
Just a bunch of produce stickers and labels, a bouillon cube wrapper, and a foam egg carton I mistakenly thought I would be able to recycle. I’m almost surprised I completed this challenge with so little trash. I had no expectations going into the challenge, so I’m happy about how it turned out. Looking back, it was not too hard, speaking just for these two weeks. However, I am not sure how long I would want to continue past these two weeks to the same extent of reducing waste. I felt limited in the foods I could buy based on their packaging, especially regarding meat, bread, and yogurt. Grocery shopping also took a lot longer than my usual one trip to the store a week. Although some extra trips were due to COVID-19 food shortages, I did have the additional stop at the food co-op, but I think those would feel like routine with time. In the future, I will continue to do my best in choosing the foods with the least amount of packaging or most eco-friendly packaging and bringing my reusable containers to buy in bulk as much as possible, but I’m not going to let it cut out certain food groups that I can buy. Sometimes, it is just not feasible with the nearby resources to be completely zero waste. I have learned that a lifestyle like this one is very dependent on your neighborhood grocery stores and sometimes budget. I noticed that in some stores, large bulk food items are cheaper but come in packaging that bulks them together, forcing the zero-waste shopper to buy them individually. Local and organic foods are also generally more expensive. To my surprise, I only spent about $45/week on all groceries, which is probably just slightly more than my usual. Keeping in mind that I didn’t buy meat and yogurt, which are usually my most expensive items, it is doable to stay on budget!
As I end this challenge, it is not the end of my goal to help reduce waste. One day, I will probably invest in a few more sustainable products. These are the ones on my wish list:
Reusable produce bags (the plastic ones at the store tear and do not last)
Glass food storage containers (no more microwaving plastic!)
Mason jars (to store bulk foods with an airtight seal)
Small food processor (saves time on chopping and expands homemade food options)
Reusable silicone food bags (the reusable plastic ones stain and wear out easily)
I am so thankful I embarked on this two week zero waste eating journey!