In the lead up to world Oceans Days on June 8th, we challenged ourselves to reduce our waste and consume consciously. The average Canadian produces 2.7kgs of waste daily, and only 30% of that is recycled or composted. We wanted to challenge ourselves to see if we could reduce our waste to less than 1kg for an entire week. Since we are halfway through our challenge, we wanted to check in with two of our staff who have taken on the challenge to reduce their waste and consume consciously.
Desiree, Operations Manager
Why do you want to reduce your consumption/waste?
To help make the planet a better place to live for humans and animals on land and sea.
What have you done to reduce your waste/consumption this week?
Presently growing my own lettuce for salads and herbs for cooking. Used only reusable bags, buy groceries that do not use excessive packaging or not at all, pay attention to everything I can recycle or compost. If I can repurpose a container I will i.e. yoghurt containers make great packaging for stewed rhubarb, storing leftovers, ice packs. Buy concentrated frozen Orange juice instead of bottled.
What will you do differently over the next few days, if anything?
Buy from a local farmers market again to reduce packaging and support local farmers.
I am looking into reducing laundry detergent in bottles by going back to powder or testing new non-liquid detergents.
What has been easiest? Hardest?
Since Covid I am shopping less and therefore less waste. Some things you just cannot buy without packaging i.e. vegetarian sausages!
Are you surprised by the amount of waste you have (or have not) accumulated?
I am actually surprised how little waste I have. Shopping less and always being conscientious of the planet has made it easier to reduce waste.
What has been the largest source of waste?
Miscellaneous plastic packaging that does not have the recycling code on it.
What trick or tool have you found most helpful through this experience?
Reduce the number of things that I buy, whether that be consumer goods or food or other. Grow your own food!
Has the pandemic made it difficult to avoid things, like plastic bags, wrappings etc., that you normally would have avoided before?
It is hard to avoid plastic bags as I am only doing online and pickup shopping. There is not an option to use your own bags. I do recycle most of them and use them in my house if I can.
Do you have any tips for those looking to reduce their own waste?
Think where the waste is coming from first and then think of ways to reduce that. Recycle, recycle, recycle. Most people are probably not aware of the number of things that can be recycled. If not sure call the County waste reduction line before you throw something in the garbage. It may be recyclable!!
Rose, Marketing and Public Relations
Why do you want to reduce your consumption/waste?
I have always been conscious of the amount of waste I produce; this is a great opportunity to check in with my habits and make sure I am consuming consciously and doing my best to reduce the amount of waste I create.
What have you done to reduce your waste/consumption this week?
The last time I challenged myself to reduce my waste I found that meat packaging was a major contributor. There is a local butcher that I often buy meat from that wraps my purchase in paper instead of plastic, but for this week I have gone vegetarian.
I use my reusable produce bags at the grocer and I do my best to buy non-packed fresh products.
What will you do differently over the next few days, if anything?
So far, I have generated very little waste, but I noticed a few places where I can reign the waste in even more, like using product alternatives.
What has been easiest? Hardest?
I didn’t have an issue switching to eating veggie, I have a well-stocked pantry with lots of beans and grains. I bought most of them in bulk pre-covid, however if I need to replenish some, most are pre-portioned due to the ongoing health crisis so I may not be able to avoid additional plastic packaging.
Are you surprised by the amount of waste you have (or have not) accumulated?
I am surprised I have generated so little. I cook a lot from scratch so I don’t purchase much packaged food and a lot of the waste I create is compostable.
I was surprised by the amount of items I can recycle. My cat has very particular tastes and loves his pre-portioned wet food. I normally toss the foil wrapper from the top, but I called the waste reduction hot line just to be sure, and lo and behold, I can recycle them. I feel better about giving Mr. Fluff his treat knowing it’s less wasteful.
What has been the largest source of waste?
I don’t have much, but my biggest piece of waste is a bag of veggie chips. I was feeling snacky and grabbed a bag of snap pea chips, it wasn’t until I went to rinse the bag out that I couldn’t find a recycling symbol.
What trick or tool have you found most helpful through this experience?
Easting less meat has definitely helped me to cut down on wasteful packaging. It’s also inspired me to be a more creative cook. My reusable produce bags have been great for helping me cut down on single sue plastics, I always had my shopping tote for my overall grocery haul but I often forgot about the bags for individual items like herbs and tomatoes.
Shopping local has been key. I find that the closer to home something is produced, the less packaging that comes with it. Check out your local markets.
Has the pandemic made it difficult to avoid things, like plastic bags, wrappings etc., that you normally would have avoided before?
I had bulk foods already, but to replenish my pantry I will likely need to purchase pre-packed dry goods. With some stores opening up this weekend, I am hopeful that the bulk store will be able to tare my jars so I don’t need to go the packaged route.
Do you have any tips for those looking to reduce their own waste?
Shop local! Farmers markets and small/local grocers are a game changer. I am a big fan of the Masstown Market by our former office.
Invest in some reusable produce bags, the are usually less than $10 for a multi-pack and they are great to cut down on plastics. If they get dirty, I just toss them in the washing machine after I use them.
Rose and Desiree are well on their way to producing less than 1kg of waste each, and likely less than 1kg of waste total! We will reveal the results of our challenge on Monday June 8th to see if our crew was able to minimize their consumption.
Are you reducing your waste and consuming consciously? Connect with us on social media and share your waste reducing tips!
