PRACTICAL IDEAS TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE

Victory, at last!...I've convinced him to give it a chance.

Ok, so it's not as much a victory as it's a small (but very significant) step towards more mindful shopping practices. After years of fighting the battle to reduce disposable waste on my own, my husband has joined the team and became my sidekick- because every Natural Superwoman needs a sidekick- and things are looking up. The fact of the matter is that a huge part of our fresh produce shopping is done by my better half on a daily basis and up until now he wouldn't hear about making an effort to plan ahead or refuse plastic bags.

But the time has come for him to give it a chance and I armed him with the necessary tool kit because the secret to success in this game is BEING PREPARED at all times.

It was time to up my own game as well. I've been regularly carrying 3-4 tote bags in my bag but sometimes they just wouldn't be enough, especially when purchasing loose spices, lentils and fragile produce that needs to be packed individually. These are usually packed in plastic bags or at the very best, if you make your intentions clear, paper bags, but the thing with paper bags, as environmentally friendly as they may be, they are also wasteful and disrespectful in a way that only us humans are able to justify.

So I grabbed 4 used pillow covers in the pursuit of up-cycling them into drawstring bags in all sizes for the above mentioned purposes and they turned out so well that I persuaded my husband to give them a try as well. Just keep a palm leaf basket with a few drawstring bags on stand by in the car for whenever the opportunity arises to purchase fresh produce and avoid its disposable packaging, and he said he'll give it a try, yay!

His only concern, as is the concern of many of you, was how to persuade the vendors of the validity of his request and this is the responsibility of possessing any knowledge, the duty to spread and promote intellectual and moral stances that are of common benefit for all.It's not easy, I know. It's been years since I've been doing this and I still find myself caught up in debates with vendors explaining that, however well intended their insistence on "fresh, new packaging that is also free" I have to refuse it on account of it poisoning us all while we're too busy continuously shopping.

So let me show you my new drawstring bags and some of the other practical adjustments we've made in the pursuit of reducing our disposable waste.

Basket & drawstring bags

Drawstring Bags

Different Sizes for Different Uses

#1 FRESH PRODUCE STAND BY KIT

A light weight palm leaf basket with a generous set of drawstring bags in all sizes.This set goes and stays in the car and is ready to be used when needed.I up-cycled old pillow covers and gave them a second (hopefully long lasting) life and I used up every bit of the material when making bags from the tiniest to larger sizes.

Compact Pouch

Pouch Contents

#2 EATING OUT KIT

I recently made this purchase and I couldn't be any more excited about it. We don't eat out as often as we once used to, actually we eat out very rarely but every once in a while we will be in mood for some fresh juice, coffee or ice cream...maybe even a chaat. The problem is all of these (and other foods) are served in disposable serving dishes with disposable cutlery. I just cannot justify the use and waste of these for the mere 5 minutes it takes for us to consume the food.

This kit consists of 4 double walled steel bowls, suitable for drinks as well as solids, 4 spoons and 4 steel straws and it will also make its home in the car and serve our needs when we happen to be in the mood for something yummy on the go.

#3 REUSABLE LUNCH BAGS

I have made different types of lunch/snack bags in the past but this one is by far my favourite design. I lined these with a water resistant material on the inside so dry and juicy food items can also be inserted in it. The height is adjustable as per the amount and type of food you're carrying and its overall size is perfectly suitable for fruits, sandwiches, rolls, nuts, granola bars etc.

Are you a savvy seamstress or even just a beginner at the sewing machine? Give making these lunch bags a try. View Tutorial

tote

Folded tote easy fit

Bags I regularly carry with myself

Little space when folded

#4 FOLDABLE TOTE BAGS

There is something about these tote bags that fold into a small pouch that make them so hard to excuse not carrying them around and having them at hand when needed.I usually carry 3-4 of them with myself and they come in handy all the time.

Should you want to make one for yourself I recently posted a tutorial on how to up-cycle an old pillow cover into one of these foldable tote bags.

#5 BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSHES

I always try to use my toothbrushes for as long as I can and regularly keep them for the maximum recommended period of 3 months, even when they are no longer brushing effectively just because I feel so bad discarding them so often.

Just imagine if everyone in Karachi changed their toothbrushes every 3 months we're dumping about 70 million brushes in the landfill each year...and it's all plastic, you know what that means.

So we recently switched to bamboo toothbrushes that are recyclable and biodegradable. Miswaak sticks would be the ideal no waste solution but for a middle path option these bamboo toothbrushes will do. Bamboo toothbrushes are now available on the Gavrilev Shop, you can get them here.

#6 REUSABLE STEEL STRAWS

Disposable straws are extremely overused in Pakistan.I can't even try and make a rough calculation of how many cheap plastic straws we must be discarding on a daily basis, it's horrifying.Even before we managed to get these steel straws we were using sturdy plastic reusable straws that came with a set of mason jars I bought. Once you get the hang of washing and reusing them it's actually not that difficult of an adjustment...and this is the case for most adjustments, just take it one step at a time.

You can find the straws and cleaning brushes on the online shop here.

#7 MENSTRUAL CUPS (AND WASHABLE DIAPERS)

Disposable pads/tampons and diapers have a high impact on the environment. They are usually individually and collectively packed in multiple layers of plastic, they also contain plastic and other harmful synthetic components and their manufacturing is resource and chemical intensive.

I got the good fortune of getting a Moon Cup from a generous friend. It's a more sustainable solution to the billions of disposable pads and tampons being dumped in landfill every year. Another alternative is reusable/washable cloth pads but in my opinion these are not optimal in the humid summer months of Karachi, which last for roughly half an year.

Luckily there is a local company selling menstrual cups so you can give it a go as well. Recircle

Should you find yourself in need of reusable/washable diapers, they're now available on the Gavrilev Shop here.

There you have it, I hope at least one of these gets you inspired in one way or the other. It's a long tedious road ahead but it's worth the effort in the end.Welcome aboard the Low Waste Express.