Waste Not

I want to try and live waste free. Seriously. What does that even mean? It hit me midweek when someone asked me where you take your trash from your cabin. I explained that there is a big trash container on the dock and you just throw it there. But where does it go from there? Into someone's backyard or an animal's home. Then I started using the internet to research this thought process. Turns out there are other people who hate garbage as well (perhaps even more than I do at this moment). I feel like I saw a link with this young lady on it but I can't remember where. Maybe it came from these ladies. Anyway, trashisfortossers was the first site I explored and thought "I could do that... maybe". Then there is this lady who has made her living being a "zero waste guru". This is really cool. So why I am sharing this with you? I have two reasons. One of them is not that I have run away from the ship and intend to live in the wilderness of Madagascar for the remainder of my life.
1. I am going to start a 30 day challenge to reduce my waste and I want to be accountable to you
2. I thought if you knew you might try it too (yes, I know that rhymes)
So, every plan has to have actionable steps to be successful. Here it goes. In considering the type of trash I usual have, I think that my biggest culprit is food wrappers. That should be pretty easy to reduce; stop buying anything from the ship shop. Check. Thankfully the ship already has a composting program in place so organic matter is done. On to plastic and paper products. Grrr. Unfortunately, Madagascar doesn't have a recycling program in place. However, I can certainly try and reuse plastic bags and bottles where I can and not buy them going forward. I can also choose to use my glass container to save food instead of using a plate with cling wrap over it. Small steps. I can't do much about the products I have already purchased such as spare shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and toothbrushes. Once I get home I intend to leave some of those things behind and embrace more environmentally friendly alternatives. No, I am not becoming a hippie just in time to attempt to reintegrate into Canadian society. There are so many fantastic products available, why not take advantage? Yes, I know, it can be more expensive but in the end you might see that it is worth it.

That is my plan and here is my jar:

I would encourage you to join in and see where you can make some changes to reduce your waste. Sunday we start. Thank you for reading. Really, thank you.