Are you interested in cutting down your waste but don’t know where to start? This zero waste guide to beginners will walk you through the first steps you should be taking on your journey!

1. Use what you already have.

2. Start with small things.

3. Start from what you feel most comfortable with.

I mentioned earlier that kickstarting your zero waste journey by making your own beauty products might not be the best idea, but if beauty is something you’re very passionate about, that might just be the right step! There are lots of different paths towards zero waste such as dietary changes, minimizing consumption, and changing what you consume – just to give you a few examples.

If you feel particularly passionate about plastic pollution, maybe starting to cut plastic out of your life could be the first step? If you’re concerned about pollution and toxins, maybe you can start looking for more eco-friendly products to replace the brands that you’re currently using. There’s something for everyone!

4. Don’t do everything at once.

When you get excited about something you want to do it all at once. It’s only natural. Unfortunately, some aspects zero waste living can take some time to get used to and it can get very overwhelming both mentally and financially if you’re trying to change your whole way of living all of the sudden. Start from one thing at the time and when you feel like you’ve mastered it move to the next one. Good first steps can be, for example, zero waste menstruation, vegan Wednesday, or investing in zero waste hygiene products. 

5. Borrow, rent and buy second-hand.

If you feel like there are items that you truly need to start your zero waste life, have a look at second hand markets before buying something new. If there are items that you only need occasionally, consider borrowing or renting over buying. The less material you buy, the less resources are wasted! Living zero waste is not only about minimizing the trash in your bin but also cutting resource use in the production phase!

Libraries and streaming services are great but there are more options out there! Going to a wedding? Consider renting your dress! Do you spend less than five days a year doing gardening? Maybe a family member or someone in the neighborhood can borrow you the items that you need for those days!

6. Look out for greenwashing.

Capitalism has unfortunately but not surprisingly, discovered people’s interest towards more sustainable life and is now attempting to profit from people’s will to consume less. Lots of zero waste products are nothing but green washing and it’s important to really consider what you need before buying anything "green".

There are of course products that are worth investing in, such as zero waste menstruation products. There’s obviously nothing wrong with replacing a used deodorant or a razor with a new zero waste alternative. But do you really need bamboo cutlery, steel straws, or an unethically produced t-shirt that states that you’re now living the zero waste life?

7. Connect with other people.

Getting into zero waste can be particularly hard if you got no network around you. By this I mean that you might not know anybody who is into zero waste and who you could rely on when things get hard, you have questions, or you don’t feel supported by your friends and family. Believe me, you're going to need someone.

The good news is that there are plenty of zero waste groups on Facebook that make it super easy to connect with other sustainability enthusiasts. There are some bad apples that are filled with negative Nancies, but a lot of them have very lovely and supportive people. I can warmly recommend, for example, Bad Vegans and Intersectional Environmentalist’s Journey to Zero Waste.

When I was growing up I did plenty of things that I’d nowadays refer to as zero waste or sustainable living, but back in the days there didn’t seem to be anything special about it. It was common sense to pick your own goods from the forest and use the resources you could already access. Maybe because of this, it blows my mind that these little actions now need the sustainability labels to guide us towards the path of more conscious living.

I was late to the environmental movement. I had heard about things such as climate change and specie extinction from a fairly young age, but for some reason, these topics had never truly sunk in. I’m not saying that I was completely unconscious: I had been shopping second hand for most of my life, I was vegetarian, and I know that somewhere there icebergs were melting and that temperatures were rising.

Even when I learned more about the environmental destruction, it still took me a full year or two to understand what it really meant. What I mean by this is that I was willing to go vegan for the environment (more or less successfully), but it wasn’t until I learned about the climate justice aspect of the climate emergency when I truly decided that this had to stop. I couldn’t live the way I lived.

I started to pay more attention to what I consumed, how and where the products were made, and what changes I could make in my everyday life to make it more conscious. The hardest part was kissing goodbye to my long-distance travel plans. I had always loved travelling and I had spent long time periods of my adult years on the road with my backpack. I was particularly drawn on Asia and Latin America but I knew deep down that if I truly wanted to live a more sustainable life it meant that flying for fun had to go. It’s the biggest sacrifice I’ve made on my way zero waste journey.

I’m not perfect. Not everything I eat is locally grown and organic. Not everything I buy is package-free, not even recyclable. I still occasionally fly. And that’s all okay. I’m still vegan, I haven’t bought a single piece of clothing for over a year, most of my food is package free and local, and trying to learn how to make more daily products from scratch. That’s still a lot more than most people do.

My next plan is to really step up my DIY game. I want to learn how to make my own soap, hair products, and skincare. I want to learn how to utilize wild plants more effectively in my daily life, especially in the kitchen. I’m getting more and more interested in permaculture and I’d love to take some time off and work in a permaculture community for a bit. Last but not least I’ve applied for masters to educate myself more about the climate crisis.

Let’s see where life will take me!