Zero Waste Household Guide: 12 First Steps

Welcome to 12 First Steps from the Trash Backwards Zero Waste Household Guide. We’ve compiled solutions we’ve put into practice in our own homes over the past three years.  Today we’ll share some basics that address household waste in general; future installments will cover a typical home, room-by-room.

Moving to a lower waste life is an ongoing process – There is a lot we can do as individuals and more that we’ll only be able to address collectively to get at the tangled roots of our waste issues.

We’ve learned a lot about changing our habits and perspectives, and we’d like to offer this bit of advice: Please, don’t try to do everything in this guide at once! Read through it and choose just one step, the one that seems the easiest or most appealing to you, and give that a try. Adapt our ideas as necessary for your own household and lifestyle and keep at that one first change until it’s second nature, or until you’re excited to add another.

Remember that joy and pride are much better motivating emotions in the long run than guilt and shame. Find one first step solution here that addresses something you’d be happy to change because it’s driving you crazy, or something that you’d be proud to accomplish. Find the joy and humor in taking control of your stuff, and celebrate every little change you make. Over time, these small steps add up and can have a profound positive impact.

Read more here.