Plastic, zero waste, and starter kit

    My dearest readers,

  One of the changes that have started to be echoed and voiced by environmental activists is the anti-plastic movement. What is it? Ever heard about zero waste?

First and foremost, I'd want to thank Ms. Rina, my Critical Listening and Speaking lecturer, for indirectly inspiring me to write this post, because CLS subjects on environmental issues have supplied me with fresh new perspectives, notably on the problem of plastic trash. You should view this video first before I start talking about it!

    This video illustrates the 3 fate of dumped plastic bottles. The first bottle will end up in the landfill, which gradually become a mountain of trash, will fill the space with each passing day. When the rain comes, the puddles in the garbage pile will absorb toxic compounds contained in plastics and combine together called leachate, flowing into groundwater and streams, poisoning the ecosystems and destroying the habitats.

    The second bottle journey starts upstream and ends downstream, leading to the sea. After months of bobbing in the ocean, it will eventually sink into a large vortex, where garbage accumulates, which is known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Some animals, like birds, are entangled on it. Other animals, will mistake the brightly colored plastic for food.

    The third bottle has a different fate, compared to the other siblings. thanks to good waste segregation and management, the bottles are taken to sophisticated machines to be reborn as new plastics that can be used properly.

an abundance of plastic debris polluting marine life

What are your thoughts on the illustration above? Isn't it horrible?

Let's get to the next point, which is zero waste. Zero waste is a philosophy and a way of life that promotes resource life cycles so that items can be reused. Avoiding single-use plastics or plastics that are only used once is another part of achieving zero waste. As mentioned in the video above, the idea is to prevent rubbish from being transferred to landfills and piling up, or from being pushed into the sea by currents, endangering habitats.

"Ahhh .. I can't live without plastic."

"How could humans live without making trash?! Impossible!"

    Hmmm...

It's valid, plastic has become a pivotal part of human life. Where don't we find plastic? We assuredly own an uncountable amount of household items and personal essentials made of plastic, right?

    Just a moment. Don't give up just yet.

   The most crucial aspect of zero waste is trash minimization, which cannot be achieved solely by recycling. Especially considering our country's relatively limited recycling capacity. To achieve zero waste, we must reject the use of materials that are harmful to the environment, difficult to degrade, and, of course, single-use. We should avoid using items that have the potential to become waste and limit our consumption.

    This is my second year living a zero-waste lifestyle, based on my personal experience. It all began in 2018. Yes, zero waste is not an instantaneous process, but rather a long one, given that it is a way of life. Consistency and perseverance are required. Do you want to start living a waste-free lifestyle? Here I present to you my own basic packs. Always keep in mind that becoming zero waste isn't expensive. It does not compel you to purchase the items listed below.

• Stainless steel straw and reusable bottle

This must be something you've seen before. The stainless steel straw, on the other hand, is very popular among young people these days. This item is ideal for those of you who enjoy spending time in cafés, aside from its attractive appeal! We Indonesians, on the other hand, prefer to slurp directly from the glass! It even has its own term, "ngokop," to describe it. Lol.

• Cloth menstrual pads

    A menstrual lady has contributed to the residual trash in this country at least once a month. Menstrual pads are still the most commonly used by women in Indonesia during menstruation. As a result, the number of pads made of non-biodegradable materials continues to rise, despite the fact that natural decomposition of this waste takes 500 to 800 years. Apart from the difficult-to-reduce nature of sanitary waste, this situation is aggravated by the lack of technology in Indonesia to process menstruation pad waste in landfills. As a result, the vast bulk of existing menstrual pad trash was buried in landfills.

   Consider how much garbage of disposable menstrual pads we've generated thus far. Fortunately, there are various alternatives to menstruation pads, including cloth pads and menstrual cups. To be honest, I decided to buy cloth menstruation pads in the marketplace since I found it more convenient. Colors, designs, and sizes are all available!

• Reusable cotton pads

    After a day of activities, cotton is a mainstay for removing makeup and cleaning your face. However, cotton can also cause environmental hazards. As well as being non-recyclable and non-degradable, it takes a ton of water to produce each single-use cotton layer. Cotton crops (except those made from organic cotton) are also planted with pesticides which damage the surrounding environment. In addition, cotton cultivation reduces soil quality.

    Now, there are a lot of reusable cotton pads that are sold in various types in an online shop or a store somewhere. Thus, by using reusable cotton pads, we can keep our faces healthier, smoother, cleaner, fresher yet still protect and maintain the environment sustainability.

• Shampoo bar

Looks foamy hahah, it has been used:))

If you switch to solid shampoo, you will reduce single-use plastic packaging by at least 8 bottles per year. Just imagine, in 10 years, that would be 80 bottles per person. Now, multiplied by half the world's population. The result is about ... 300 billion bottles. Don't worry about the price! A lot of affordable shampoo bars are sold in the marketplace, nowadays. I myself bought it for 0.65 USD!

• Totebag

That's my dad's hand!

    One of the obstacles I usually face is, I frequently forget to bring my bag when shopping. This is because I stopped by the supermarket all of a sudden, in which I only bring my wallet and cellphone :( However, the good news is, my mom has started adopting my habit pattern, so that when my mom goes to the market, she always brings a bag from home.

    Last but not least, 

You can't be this perfect sustainable person, you can't have zero negative impact on this earth, but you can do what works for you, what you want to do and even if it's just reducing impact by tiny amount, that's still better than doing nothing. It's the intention that matters rather than like an all-or-nothing, i have to do everything or I shouldn't do anything.

Bonus, my lovely plants are growing fast! Finally living "the happy gardening life" :3

Cheers,

Imelda