ASSALAMUALAIKUM

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   Have you ever heard about zero-waste before? I have heard about zero-waste a few times before and I thought it is just a challenge just like any other trending challenge that today's youngsters love to do. However, I was wrong. Zero-waste is not a challenge. It is a lifestyle that each one of us should practice in everyday life. To make it short, the zero-waste lifestyle aims to send nothing to landfill, reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled, and compost what we cannot. This lifestyle is very important because our beloved Earth is sick! 

    Look around your surroundings and ask yourself. How much plastic wastes have you seen? How many products that use plastic packaging? How much plastic products you consume? How much food or clothes have you wasted? Believe it or not, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2019, Malaysia has the highest annual per capita plastic use at 16.78kg per person compared to other 6 Asian Countries and ranked 8th in the world for mismanaged plastic waste. If those statistics do not make you shock, I do not know what will. Lots of animals have died because of plastic and our health is also affected because of the microplastic.

That is why the zero-waste lifestyle is crucial, and everyone should start practising it! But where should we start? Here is some beginner guide that can help you start your zero-waste journey!

1. REFUSE THE THINGS YOU DON'T NEED

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This is the most important step that everyone should try to practice. Refuse any things that you don't need. For example a pamphlet or products tester. Most of the time, those items only be used for a few minutes. But it will be on our Earth for months or years. Another example is a gift. Sometimes, sellers will give their customer some free gifts. If you know what the free gift is, and you are sure that you won't use it, it's better for you to inform the seller that you don't want the free gift. By doing that, the seller can give it to someone that might use the gift properly and simultaneously reduce your waste.

It is also an act of saying "NO" to single-use disposables like plastic bags, cutlery, cups or anything that have a one-way ticket to the garbage bin. Saying "YES" to sustainable goods and services is also a part of this point. For instance, say "YES" to free-plastic packaging, shops that allow you to use your own bottle to refill their drinks and etc. 

2. REDUCE WHAT YOU DO NEED

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This point focusing on getting clear about what you need and what you don't need. Reduce mean letting go of the things that you don't need to someone else by donating or reselling. By doing this, you can create more space in your house. Reducing also means that, when you want to go shopping, you must remember that you can only buy the things that you need. This is because too often things that we don't really need quickly make their way to the garbage bin and comes with unsustainable packaging. 

3. REUSE WHAT YOU CAN

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The best example for this point that I can come out with is your jam jar. Instead of throwing the jar in the garbage bin, you can clean the jar and use it to put other things. This is just an example that you can apply, but you can reuse other things too with your own creativity. In the market nowadays, there are many alternative products for single-use plastic products. From disposable cutlery set, organic mesh bag, reusable bag, safety razor, reusable cotton pad, menstrual cup and others. However, for some things like a reusable bag, you don't have to buy a new one if you already have bags. Just reuse it and bring it whenever you want to go shopping! As long as it can serve you the same purpose, it is fine to reuse it. Another thing that you must remember is that, if you have plastic products for example, just use it until it broke. That way, you won't just simply send it to the landfill just because you want to swap your things to more eco-friendly products. That's not a proper way to save our environment.

These are the links where you can find eco-friendly products in Malaysia:-

1. https://shopee.com.my/hygr.malaysia

2. https://shopee.com.my/johandy27

3. https://shopee.com.my/thehivebulkfoods

4. https://shopee.com.my/pyngzerowaste_onlinestore

4. REPAIR ITEMS WHEN THEY BREAK

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Some things can be repaired. It is better for the environment if we repair things when they break. Remember, the more new things we buy, the more waste we send to the landfill. That is why it is better to repair the items when they break. For instance, if your shoes are broken, you can ask a cobbler to fix it for you. As for items that are made of fabric, you can try to sew it back. Soft skills are important in our life. But don't worry. You can always learn it whether online or offline.   

5. REPURPOSE ITEMS THAT CAN NO LONGER BE FIXED

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When you had tried your best to fixed those items, try to think a way that items can be repurposed. For example, worn-out clothing, you can repurpose it for rags. 

6. RECYCLE ITEMS THAT YOU CANNOT USE ANYMORE

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Lastly, compost your kitchen waste. You can try to make one yourself. There are many tutorials that you can find in youtube on how to create your own home composting bin. 

This journey is not as easy as we think. But, every small change or effort that you do is still a good thing and contribute to a better world. Take things one at a time. Slowly, but surely. Together, we can create a much more sustainable world.