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Most of us who try to inspire people into starting a free waste life aren’t living a zero waste life yet. Why? It just doesn’t happen overnight. And chances are that if you try and make a significant life change happen immediately, it won’t stick. We hear stories about zero wasters who produce a jar of trash a year, but they’ll all tell you the same thing – it’s a process.

So if you have any interest in starting your path to a free waste life, here are some inspiring tips:

Ask yourself “why”

Establish why you’re deciding to explore a zero waste life and get specific with it. It can help you return to it on a daily basis as your inner motive. Almost everyone who goes zero waste has a “why” behind what they’re doing, which helps them stick to the routine.

Tattoo it on your hand, write it on your wall – but always come back to your WHY.

Track your waste

Dig through your trash. Just joking… kind of.

Tracking your waste is the easiest place to start. This way you can prioritize which areas you want to solve right away and the steps you want to take first. Which leads us to the next point...

Prioritize

You might realize you’re generating a lot of trash by buying to-go coffee and takeout food during the week. Prioritize making your coffee at home and taking your coffee in a reusable cup. Meal prepping and packing not just help you to cut down on your waste, but also save a lot of money. Another section we usually don’t think about is beauty and hygiene products. Nowadays there are many brands that sell products in bars, bulk and refills.

It can feel overwhelming when you look at everything at once and realize how much waste there’s in your life, but it becomes way easier when you start breaking it down in different areas and sections.

Replace items as they run out

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to buy every zero waste alternative at once. Wait for your non-zero waste items run out so you can start purchasing zero waste alternatives. Throwing out unused items would be a pretty wasteful thing too, right? For example: if you just spent an arm on a new bronzing powder, use it. Then once it’s out, you can switch to a brand that offers refills and a zero waste alternative like ones with a plastic packaging that you can switch the powder container once it’s over. And chances are that the non sustainable alternative will be on par, if not more expensive than the zero waste item.

But talking about using up your old items...

Recycling old items

The goal here is a zero waste future, so don’t go throw your old items in the trash yet! First, recycle everything you can. Find ways to reuse old items, donate or gift them to friends and family. What about a garage sale or swap with friends? To keep matter out of landfills is the major goal of zero waste living. When in doubt, check out TerraCycle program. They have tips on recycling just about anything. #badass

And don’t forget: it's a process!

It won’t happen fast, and it might take even years to go fully zero waste if that’s what you want. But the important thing is that you’re making an effort to make a change and no effort is small. Everyone’s journey is different so don’t compare yourself. It’s inspiring communicating with other zero waste-rs and there’s a lot you can learn from each other experiences. Be supported by other people – not intimidated.

So what do you say we do this thing together?