• Sometimes it feels a little embarrassing to admit, but I have a zero-waste kit— you know, like what all those smug zero-waste, I-can-fit-all-my-garbage-in-a-glass-jar YouTubers shilled back in the mid-2010s. Mine is certainly not as comprehensive or as aesthetically pleasing, but I can imagine it might invoke some of the same sentiments that those kits did: that the zero-waste movement is comprised of a bunch of privileged city-dwellers who ignore the externalities of living in late capitalism to protect their egos and brand, that killing one oil executive will have more climate impact than one hundred million years of one person trying their best to do better, and that there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.
• Here’s what’s in my kit:
• Cutlery— I bring a fork, spoon, chopsticks and a metal straw with me! I used to use a cute, aesthetic utensil roll, but now I just use the bag that my metal straw came with because it’s a lot less bulky. I don’t eat out often, but this way I don’t have to use any plastic cutlery if the issue comes up.
• Produce bag— it’s quite convenient to have on hand, just in case I spot something to forage or need to transport something unexpectedly. I need to make more but for the time being just having one is practical enough.
• Tote bag— I used this pattern (https://zerowastechef.com/2024/04/24/plastic-free-reusable-snack-bags-fabric-scraps/) to make the little carrying case— you don’t have to buy a baggu or whatever to have a cute little aesthetic tote bag bag! And these bags are simple enough that hand-sewing a small one shouldn’t be very difficult. As for the tote bag, mine is a repurposed flour bag, but any bag small enough to fold and fit into your smaller bag will work. Or you don’t need another bag to put your bag in at all!
• Water bottle— I lovveeee being hydrated and I do not love having to buy water.
• Thermos— I also really love coffee and tea, but having to use a disposable cup makes me feel as if I am, personally, strangling a baby sea turtle. Most coffee shops are fine with making your coffee in your thermos, and I get how it can be embarrassing to ask but the more you do it the more it won’t be awkward.
• Also I sometimes take a Tupperware container with me to work or other situations where I want to bring/take food but I don’t want to use a disposable container (like going out to eat). It’s not an essential and not something I carry with me all the time, so it’s definitely optional but recommended!
• And all of this might seem petty or meaningless but least it’s an act of personal responsibility; I don’t want to point the finger at anyone else if I’m also not taking accountability for my personal impact on the planet. Sometimes the weight of what’s happening in the world makes me want to FREAK THE FUCK OUT. Getting a coffee in a thermos helps— that’s one less plastic cup liner floating around in the ocean.
• I want to take this chance to state that I’m not perfect I waste a lot of food despite my best efforts, I’ve found it too difficult to figure out a composting situation in my apartment and I have bought items from Shein and Temu and Aliexpress. I couldn’t fit all my garbage for the week in one of those dumb glass jars, to say nothing of years (which, by the way, they had to be kind of bullshitting that, right?). But trying to change my own behavior sometimes feels like the only way I can feel any hope that things will ever get better.
• Sure, there’s only so much individual action can do, and living under capitalism is an exhausting and dispiriting experience. But supply exists because of demand: if you’re buying fast fashion, you’re supporting the fast fashion industry. If you waste food, you’re contributing to the problem of food waste. I understand that individual action is difficult, subject to many constraints based on any person’s individual situation, and feels pointless sometimes, but if you try, at least you know you’re trying, and not blaming your own actions on someone else.