Life would be just perfect if there was no garbage to contend with. No more having to worry about sorting out your crap into organics and inorganics and looking for ways to dispose of it responsibly. For those who have opted for zero-waste living, especially those who live in apartments and don’t have much space to contend with, life can get a bit challenging.

What is zero-waste living?

To begin with, why has it become a necessity to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle with minimal waste production? Pollution has reached gargantuan levels with neither the oceans nor land being spared from the damaging effects of humans wasting natural resources and their byproducts.

Sounds distressing, right, so here are some motivating tips to get you started on zero-waste living, especially for those living in apartments, without access to backyard gardens:

‘Reusables’ instead of ‘Disposables’

Some of the things you can do is opt for reusable shopping bags or water bottles instead of single-use products and throwaway plastic products. Depend less on take-outs or single-packaging containers too and use less plastic!

Don’t fill up your trash bin

Before buying anything, always check if there are any more sustainable options you can go for instead. For example, you could buy packaging-free veggies from the open market instead of pre-packed veggies with single-use plastics from the supermarket.

Shopping in bulk

This smart trick ensures less packaging waste. You could also take along your own reusable containers when buying items in bulk such as grains, cereals, spices, etc.

Recycle your organic waste

All apartments come with a balcony and everyone loves experimenting with a balcony garden. You could create a DIY organic waste composter and use your daily kitchen scraps to create nutrient-dense soil for your plants.

Reduce food wastage

When you plan out your meals in advance, there is less wastage of food as you wouldn’t be buying more than what’s needed. Do make a point of using things that are going to expire first, and prevent their getting spoilt. You should also store leftovers in reusable containers and reduce your plastic dependence.

And for those who were smart enough to buy apartments that come with on-site waste disposal systems in place, life couldn’t get better!