Reuse (Repair)
Reusing is all about taking what you have and using it over and over again till it disintegrates, then repairing it if possible and using it some more.
This step is where a lot of people end up going backward, People will go out and buy a lot of “Zero Waste” labeled things, I know because I did it, everyone does it. If you come across a blogger who says they didn't then run away because they are a dirty rotten liar. Don't misunderstand me, buying things is not bad, or evil, or something you should never ever do. In this society, it is nearly impossible not to buy some things that you will never use again. Many people who are first starting get the mindset of “plastic bad.” and yes plastic is bad, it is overused, under recycled, and takes years and years to go away, and by go away I mean to turn into micro plastic so small you need a microscope to see them. But the sad truth of our reality is that because plastic is so easy to manufacture companies use it religiously. It is nearly impossible to avoid it. So what do we do? We make it so the plastic we get counts. Cut out single-use, make sure to get ones that can be recycled, and use it till it is no longer functioning and is being held together with super glue and tape.
Reusing is all about sustainability. Instead of getting single-use water bottles, buy a reusable one. Don't have drinkable tap water? Get a water filter, will it be plastic? More than likely but it is multi-use. As your items wear out get more sustainable ones. I will make a list sometime of my favorite swaps but for right now here are my top 10
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Top 10 items I can not imagine my Zero waste life without
Reusable shopping bags- I figure by now you at least have a couple of these, everyone does. The important thing is using them and taking them inside with you. If you do not have some my question is: why not? They are one of the first things you should look at replacing in your daily life. But do it correctly, don't just go out and buy the first one you see. Some places like Ikea and T.J. Maxx produce reusable bags made of plastic in an effort to appear green(Greenwashing), while the one I was gifted from Ikea has lasted me a while and is pretty great for bigger things the ones from T.J. Maxx are garbage....literally. You put anything with some weight in them and boom, ripped, torn, and shredded. It all comes down to a design flaw, they have stitching that runs along the top creating a perforation line for a tear to follow. A lot of companies do this as an effort of 'greenwashing' no worries I'll get into that later.
If you are crafty make your own, if not look for CLOTH bags whenever you go out. I managed to find a Cart Daddy on a huuuge discount and use it every time I go out. It has bags of three different sizes that are connected along with PVC pipes that run the width of the cart to keep them up. Since I only shop for myself this is amazing, it helps me sort my items and has helped with impulse buying since instead of just throwing it into the cart I have to figure out which compartment it would go into.
Produce bags/ bulk bags- Kinda a part 1a but I decided it needed its showcase. Produce bags are so unnecessary that it's ridiculous. But alas I still use them. I ended up making my own a few months ago off a pattern that works wonderfully for bigger items, for smaller ones I got some mesh, and even ended up getting some Fabric ones for bulk items. I especially love them when going to farmers' markets as I can just pull out one of the smaller bags for them to fill and weigh.
Reusable water bottle- I got my metal bottle from 64hydro, I tend not to drink enough water during the day so having one with times on the side helps even if I can't see the level. I have heard good things about Klean Kanteen but I have never tried them myself. I also have never tried glass bottles as I am clumsy as no other and would hate to drop it and have It shatter.
Coffee
mug- This is probably a switch you have made already if you are a caffeine addict. With the world in the plague as it is now a lot of
places are not accepting reusable mugs just yet and that is just a
temporary setback. But when the world is back up and running get
yourself one if you don't have one. My personal favorite is my Reduce 24Oz Tumbler my mom got it for me a few months back and I absolutely love this thing. It does how as cold as well as has a place for a straw, I take this to work every day.
Side story: We know right now that the world is still up in arms and if you are getting coffee please try to rinse and recycle your cups. Starbucks paper cups are not fully recyclable but their plastic ones are. Rinse, recycle, and pray they soon let us have our reusables again. What you should NOT do is get your fancy drink, pour it in your reusable, toss the empty one single use in the trash then pose with your reusable for Insta saying how responsible and green you are. Looking at you Insta girl at Starbucks last week. Own your waste! And never pretend to be something you are not.
Glass Jars- This one is a fairly new one for me. I don't cook very often, mainly cause working overnights the last thing I want to do at 8 am is cook a huge meal. So I usually end up making a sandwich and calling it a day. What I started doing was on my days off making a meal, usually chicken fried rice, and putting it in these mason jars I got from Walmart. They are perfect for taking to work for lunches and in the mornings when I get home I can just grab one and reheat it. For larger or awkward items I use Pyrex dishes I inherited (stole) from my dad's basement.
Silicone Bags- These bags are a lifesaver, not only for storing snacks but making me think about if I really want to take something. Yes, they are a bit tedious to wash but I found the easiest way is to fill one of the larger ones with hot water and soap before resealing it and doing a little squishy squishy to rinse out the inside before pouring the soap and water from that bag into another one and repeating. Now, this only works if there were non-messy snack foods in it like chips, raisins, fruit, and even plain rice. Anything that is meat, dairy, rotten, or messy needs to be either done last in the chain or done individually so as not to spread the bacteria to the other bags. Now, don't fall into the newest craze of “Bag dryers” that companies have come up with. If you have a clothesline pin them up outside, if not clear off a counter, wipe it down and grab every single glass you own. Flip the glasses upside down and place the open bags over them to drip dry, it may not look fancy or even be part of your “aesthetic” but it works, it's free, and it saves time in the long run.
Loofah- Another easy switch. You know that bright colorful scrubby thing you have in your bathroom? Well did you know that it is modeled after an all-natural item? A real loofah, the tan fibrous one, is actually a form of gourd, that if picked young is edible. If you have quite the green thumb you could grow them yourselves. Well, I don't have that green thumb so I rely on others to grow them and just use them for everything! Shower? Loofah. Scrubbing dishes? Loofah. Cleaning the fish tank? Loofah. Wait the dog ran off with one.....Dog toy? Loofah! The best part is they are Biodegradable, so after you are done with them and there is nothing left but scraps throw them in your compost! I threw one I used on my fish tank in my worm bin and they loved it. Just make sure not to throw ones you used harsh chemicals on in with wormies. But more on that in step 5!
Reusable straw- Now I personally am not a big fan of straws, I rarely use ice in my drinks so I usually just drink straight out of the glass but we do have some in the house. We have 2 kinds, Stainless steel, and Silicone. The stainless steel ones came with Silicone colored caps which do help so you're not biting on the hard straw and while the straws do tend to either get hot or cold depending on the beverage the tip keeps your lips protected. The silicone on the other hand is temperature resistant and you don't need an additional piece to make them work for you. The problem I had with them is they are squishy, like super squishy. You can only use them in full liquid so no milkshakes, they tend to collapse with a lot of pressure put in them and if you have a huge ice chunk you cant pierce through it.
Bamboo cutlery- I was gifted a set of these about a year and a half ago and honestly, I just started using them. It is a set with a knife, spoon, fork, chopsticks, and a straw with a straw cleaner. Pre-Plague I had a bag I kept in my car my “eat out bag” I'll make a post on it sometime but I had a set of old camping silverware in there that I used when going out. I recently started using the bamboo set at work, I leave it in my cubby at work and use it for lunch. Honestly, it's not all it's cracked up to be, the wood is slightly rough, the knife, while it has a good bite, isn't very sharp and the spoon and fork have no curve so it is difficult to get food out. I will use it because I have it but I have been keeping my eye out for a different set for work and maybe turn this into my emergency set in my car.
Dryer balls- I can not LIVE without my wool dryer balls. Laundry was my very first complete Zero waste endeavor since when I moved out I had nothing. I got a set of 4 dryer balls from Walmart and called it a day. Now it did take a bit to learn how they were different and static was a nightmare!!! But alas I now have it down. I took small screws we had laying around and put them into 2 of the balls (Some people suggested a ball of aluminum foil but that didn't work for me), Instead of doing a normal dry I put them on for a low heat long dry and they come out slightly damp so I can hang up my work clothes so they don't wrinkle before putting the rest on for a 30-minute air dry. If you want a bit of scent I recommend using a scented detergent or softener as the smell will stick more as opposed to putting essential oils on the balls themselves, but if you want just a gentle scent I put about 5 drops on each. I will say that more are going to be your friend, If you put in too few, static will be off the wall but more will help fluff and dry faster and less static.
As a side note if you have the space look into getting a clothesline!!! there are multiple options out there and you will find your clothes wrinkle less and won't smell musty. I am slowly wearing our landlord down on me putting one in the backyard.
Onto pt 2
of this R-word, Repair. I figure this is pretty self-explanatory but
alas it is included. Our society has become a wasteful one, our
grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-great-you get my
point, their generations not only made things last but also repaired
what they had till it literally fell apart. When people say “They
don't make 'em like they used to” they are telling the truth.
Corporations know how fast-paced our lives are and that if something
breaks we just go out and buy a new one. So why would they make
something that lasts if they can make double, triple, and quadruple
off selling the same exact item over and over. You will notice that
as you continue your zero waste journey you will also start falling
into an Anti-consumerism mindset. Why buy something new when you have
something perfectly good at home.....wait....this sounds like...Step
1? Refuse? Is that you rearing your head. Yes, yes it is. If you
Refuse and Reduce you will have less to repair because you are more
conscious of what you are getting. Refuse that cheap Walmart shirt
and go for the shirt made from reliable sources, it will last longer.
Alright onto the main point
If you get a tear in your shirt
first thing you should do before throwing it away is see if it can be
fixed. Can you sew it? Would a cute patch cover it up? If not then
Re-purpose it into something else. I like to think Re-purpose things
is an unofficial 3rd step to step 3
When a spark plug goes
out in your car you don't throw the whole car away, do you? If any of
you answered yes we need to have a serious talk. NO! You repair it
and move on. With that is also upkeep, keep the oil changed, check
the tires, listen to when it needs some attention. Then we repair it
and make it go on. This isn't just with cars. This is with everything
in your life. Don't wait till something is in such a bad state that
you have to throw it away. Listen to it, can you repair it? Do
it!
Now some things can not be repaired. Example the Loofah.
When you come across items that are not reparable look at them and
think. How difficult will this be to degrade? Loofah is
bio-degradable so the answer is don't worry about repairing, it has
lived its life and served its purpose. Electronics are a big thing
like this. Greedy companies force upgrades on you, at a certain time
your phone, tablet, and computer will stop getting an upgrade. At
that time you have to think. Is this working for me? Do I NEED an
upgrade? Or would it just be nice? And if I upgrade where will my old
device go (Pst. Spoiler alert....most likely the landfill if you turn
it into the provider, look up where to recycle electronics near you.)
There are always ways to get around this but they take time and
effort. And no one expects you to be perfect.
Alright
before I sign off I would like to introduce you to someone. My
father. This man is a walking, talking, living ad for reuse and
repair. Ever since I was a child he has been finding ways to
Re-purpose items. If a t-shirt got a hole in it he had a new weekend/
messy work shirt. He would go to Lowes in jeans covered in paint and
shirts with little holes in them. As a child, I remember being
embarrassed going out with him looking like that. That was till I
embraced it and started following his example much to my mother's
horror. When they got so bad they weren't decent for the public he
would cut the legs off the pants and tie them into a knot before
throwing them outside for the dog, the shirts got shredded and cut
into strips for cleaning cloths. He regularly keeps his cars till
400k miles because he takes care of them himself and when he's ready
to get rid of them he sells them to high schoolers or new drivers as
a “first car” that will last them a few years and if it gets
bumped or in an accident, it's not a huge loss.
Those old
Nokia phones that everyone always makes jokes about them being
indestructible? He had one! Actually, he had 3. Why 3? Because he
broke them. One he ran over with a truck on rocks while rock
crawling, one a lady ran into him and pushed him into a shelf where
the screen hit the corner and shattered. The 3rd? Well, the third he
used till the battery gave out, and when he went to the phone store
to get a new one he was told. “Uh, they stopped making those about
5 years ago.” He got DRAGGED into the smartphone era, he was asked
what he used a phone for and his answer was “Phone calls.”
Because at the time that's what a phone was for, a way to be in
contact with people while on the go. He is getting to the point where
his phone is needing an upgrade again and so far it's like pulling
teeth as "It's not dead yet." True it's not dead but it is
on life support and I'm pretty sure that at this point it would be a
mercy killing.
His garage and basement are full of things and
if you need it and he doesn't have it he knows someone who does. I
always say he's a pack-rat and needs to downsize but at the same time
I know if I call him up and say “Hey, I'm looking for X” the
answer will be “Oh I have something like that,” or “Well I
don't have that but come on over we can figure out how to make
something work.”
We have something we call “Rednecking”
basically we put things together till we get the desired outcome,
true it may not look pretty but it is free or low cost and gets the
job done. This man made a HAM Radio antenna out of crutches!!! He
called it “Crutchzilla” I know at times it's embarrassing to be
seen with him, or annoying when he wants to make something when it
would be easier to buy it but I know one thing. When he is finally
gone from this world I will still be looking for the same way of
reusing things and telling my kids “When I was your age your
grandfather had me in a dumpster pulling out pieces to make a
dollhouse.” And when I get to be his age my kids will come up to me
saying "My holo-board is broken, can you look at it." The
answer will be "Sure! bring it on out to the shed I'm sure I
have something that will work."
I know how to invent, fix
things, “Redneck”, come up with inventive solutions, and find new
uses for items all thanks to this man. Some of my best memories are
of us shoulder to shoulder over something trying to figure out how to
make it live just a little bit longer. The other week I got to
reverse the rolls, he had a tablet I gave him that was update locked,
I took it back and I'm currently trying to figure out how to
jailbreak it so he can use it longer. If there was an award for
Reusing, Repairing, and Re-purposing. This man would get it.
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