We give a crap!

When Michael and I moved out together in May, we found a plastic free way to buy toilet paper that is 100% recycled. Who Gives a Crap toilet paper comes individually wrapped in colourful paper, which we reuse as gift wrap and 50% of their profits go towards building toilets in the developing world! One big box of 48 rolls has lasted us nearly 7 months and the shipping was free!

When we adopted our cat, Bingley, at the end of May we wanted him to be as "zero waste" as possible. The main waste produced by a cat is kitty litter and food packaging. We have eliminated kitty litter by training him to use the human toilet, with help from the LitterKwitter training system. Some people might think this is gross, but I can tall you it's way better than having to clean out a litter tray! I understand this isn't possible for everyone or every cat, but it was fairly easy to train Bingley, as he is still a young cat and was already adapting to a new home environment so the timing was great! It is so fantastic to not have a litter tray to change and we save money by not buying litter!

Bingley posing with his Litter Kwitter setup - the little bin is here for when we have female guests

We are still transitioning into zero waste alternatives for other parts of our bathroom routine, we have yet to empty our shampoo and conditioner bottles, but we will refill them at a bulk store when we do. We are, however, already using zero waste deodorants (an alum stone for Michael, baking soda for me), bamboo toothbrushes and unpackaged soap. Unfortunately, I have sensitive teeth and receding gums (at age 22, this really worries me) so we still use toothpaste in a tube, however we have switched to more environmentally friendly companies, and plan on taking our empty tubes to TerraCycle to be recycled. We tried using baking soda, but our gums got irritated and my teeth were overly sensitive to cold and hot foods!

I think the most important thing about zero waste is adapting it to your lifestyle, needs and budget and doing what you can. We are far from perfect but are always adapting!

Successful zero waste day!

Today, I made my first purchase via Gumtree. I like to buy things second hand for economic and environmental reasons and after searching through a number of op shops, I turned to the internet in search of some "new" sheets to replace our mismatched pillowcases and threadbare fitted sheet. On Gumtree, I found a seller offering two sets of double sheets, one in crisp cotton, the other flannelette from a very reputable manufacturer,  two suburbs away and asking a very reasonable price. I ended up spending less than I would have buying new, avoided excessive amounts of packaging and reduced the demand on new manufacturing - a win/win/win situation. Now to find a cotton blanket to use instead of the heavy doona for blanket!
After meeting the seller and picking up the sheets, Michael and I did our weekly fruit and veg shop. As we are not particularly dedicated to organic fruit and veg (our centerlink payments can only afford so much, and zero plastic is our priority) we found a Coles supermarket and filled up our Onya mesh produce bags. These bags are particularly good for us, because they weigh next to nothing and we can't tare off the weight of the bag at the checkout. They are also made of recycled plastic bottles which is a bonus! Pro tip: go through the self-serve checkout and choose not to print a receipt!
On our way out of the car park I rescued a hessian reusable bag from a trolley, after I got it I realised it was torn along the bottom, but with a little sewing, I am confident it can be repurposed into a planter for our little veggie garden!
We also stopped by the most amazing organic supermarket ever, Terra Madre, which has an extensive range of bulk dry goods. For us, it's worth the 15 minute drive as it is so much more affordable than the bulk stores closer to us. We filled up our own jars with oats, rye and wheat flakes, spices and coffee. I used a paper bag for the coffee, as we ran out of jars and I wasn't sure about using a cloth bag for freshly ground coffee, I feel the coffee smell would never come out! After refusing a receipt on the way out we headed home, very happy with our successful zero waste day!