The *NON-AESTHETIC* Parts of Zero Waste

I love watching YouTube videos for ideas on new ways I can reduce my waste and live more sustainably, but I HATE how cutesy and unrealistically pretty some zero waste channels can be.

Recently a few of the bigger names in the community have started embracing the less aesthetically pleasing parts of zero waste living and that is so great. Shelbizleee is one of the ones I have seen who has started doing a series of these videos busting the chic-minimalist-mason-jar-vibes and having some real conversations about ugly but eco actions.

Her videos (search “the *NON-AESTHETIC* parts of zero waste…” on YouTube) have made me think about which of the things she does I also do, or should start doing.

Here is my version of that video:

Here is a list of these non-aesthetic zero waste (or low waste) swaps and habits that she mentions in her first video and whether I do them or do something else:

Zero waste on the go

This is my backpack:

It goes pretty much everywhere with me and contains all my essentials for dodging waste like a ninja.

Reducing kitchen waste on a budget

Your kitchen is where a huge amount of your consumption happens. Most of the time when I go to the shops it’s for food, which is probably why food packaging is one of the biggest components of most of the bins I’ve seen.

If you bring in predominantly unpackaged food and to use up all of the food you bring in you’ll be most of the way there. Keep your kitchen minimalist to avoid all the plastic tools that get used once a year or break often.

Lunch for a couple of days while I was in Norway – all from a normal supermarket.

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Zero waste pastry and a Harry Potter themed party

It was my birthday last weekend, so I decided to make all my snacks for my party – waste free! Seeing as I was turning 26, I threw the birthday party 13-year-old me would have loved – but twice as awesome. A Harry Potter themed movie pyjama party in a tent fort and eating fancy hamburgers 4 times in 1 day.

Naturally, there had to be party snacks for in between the burger lunch and the burger dinner. I made pumpkin pie spiced popcorn, lemon sorting muffins, cockroach clusters, and both sweet and savoury pumpkin pasties. There were also bulk pretzels and lollies, bought package free. I was darn proud of myself.