“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly.
We need millions of people doing it imperfectly“
Anne-Marie Bonneau
Love what Anne-Marie is saying. I’m no expert on zero waste lifestyle but as a designer, I try to design something useful with less packaging and eco friendly. And, it stressed me out when the first time I came back to Jakarta and noticed the amount of single-use plastic used in everyday life.
After a fast introduction and long progress, my mum has finally agreed on using mesh linen bags, cotton bags, and green bags for groceries!
It’s not easy to change someone’s habit of using less plastic. But we can always start somewhere. Here are some of the beginner step we could do for a sustainable life and doing zero waste imperfectly:
- Swap the produce single-use plastic to cotton bag/mesh bag. If you have extra money to buy, go for it. There is plenty of eco-friendly stores that sells it! If not, we can always make it ourselves from an old pillow cover with a basic sewing skill.
- Avoid pre-packed meat at the supermarket. Not only that most meat is packed in a plastic box but the supermarket tends to sell it at a higher price than your local market. Always remember to bring your own box/silicone bag / Tupperware every time you plan to buy meat at your deli/butcher shop.
- Always bring your green bag! Finally, most major supermarket and malls in Jakarta has banned single-use plastic bag on 1st July 2020! It affects plenty of businesses because they have to make their own printed paper bag and green bag. Especially in the middle of the pandemic crisis, not many have spare income to make green bags. Pack your own green bag and always have it ready anytime you need to buy something from grocery/restaurants/shops.
- Choose wisely the product’s container. Whether it’s glass, plastic, carton, or if the packaging uses too much plastic wrap. And, always ask yourself if you really need to buy it or you can easily make it. For example a jar of jam which mostly comes in a plastic container in third world countries such as Indonesia. But I will always choose glass containers that I could repurpose it as a jelly molder or spices jar later on.
I would love to hear what your aims are for a zero-waste grocery. Doesn’t matter how small, we all need to start somewhere and we’re not aiming for perfection.
