This is a question I get asked all the time. And yes, YOU can do it! If you are putting out one very full bag of rubbish every week, it may seem totally impossible. But just look at how I started, and how many bags of rubbish I have filled up this year. And reducing our household waste, was actually way easier than I thought it would be.
When Archer was a newborn, we were putting out one bag of rubbish a week, and we thought that was amazing! And it was! We were a family of three, with a little bubba that produced about 2-4 dirty disposable nappies a day (we were using cloth and disposable) and we were only producing one bag of rubbish a week. I was so proud of us. But now, we are a family of four, Lucas is in nappies full time, and we are edging closer to our goal of only putting out one bag of rubbish a year. I would have never believed that back then.
So how many bags of rubbish have we put out this year? Because you have to remember, one bag a year is our goal. It won't happen overnight. And no, we're still not there. We just put our first bag of rubbish out for the year. For the YEAR! So far this year we have filled up ONE bag of rubbish!!! I feel secretly happy inside to see how amazed people are when they find out we have only filled up one bag of rubbish this year. Their reaction is usually "what?! We fill up one bag a week"!
So where do you start?
I think the best advice I can give you is to start small. Like I said, it doesn't happen overnight. Pick things in your life that you can change easily. Once you are used to that change, make another change. And so on. The biggest one for us was food scraps. Once we started using our worm farm and bokashi bin, our bin not only filled up slower, but it also stopped being stinky!
I would also encourage you to look at one area in your house or life at a time. I think first I tackled the food scraps. Then my shopping bags. Then my takeaway food and drinks. Then my pantry. Then my kitchen. Then my bathroom. Oh and Nappies. That was a big one too so that was actually one of the first. It makes it easier when you divide it up and conquer one area at a time. It turns into a fun game too! I'm always like, hmmm, I feel like I have done my whole bathroom, but what else could I tackle?! Still debating as to if I go as far as reusable toilet paper, but I just don't think I can do it!
If there IS something that is a deal-breaker (like the toilet paper) don't feel bad about it. There are occasions where I have to get a takeaway cup because I forgot my reusable coffee cup. And I'm ok with that. Ok, I'll admit, I do feel a little uneasy about it. But then I remind myself of how much I have already kept out of the landfill and give myself a pat on the back.
If you are REALLY struggling with where to start check out my blog post: 10 Easy Steps Towards Zero Waste. You might find something helpful in there to get you started. And something is better than nothing right? Even if all you can manage is changing to a bamboo toothbrush. Go you! You will keep so many plastic toothbrushes out of the landfill. And you may inspire others to do the same.
I know it seems like a challenge in the beginning, but if you do want to reduce your rubbish to one bag a year, you CAN do it. I believe in you. It just takes small changes, one at a time. Before you know it, you too will just be putting out your first rubbish bag for the year.