To Buy or Not to Buy

That is the question. There are all kinds of nifty gadgets you can buy to help you go “zero-waste” – but does it really make sense to buy more stuff in the name of reducing?

The rule I’m trying to follow is: if you were going to buy a thing anyways, get the more sustainable option. I try not to get shiny new substitutes for things that I already own. I think there’s an impression that green options are expensive, but skipping the gadgets, doing some DIY and using what you’ve got means no extra spending overall.

Here’s my list of things that I was tempted to purchase, but realized I didn’t need:

-Lunch box/Tupperware. There’s a new place downtown called Readisetgo that has super cute lunch bags and fancy Tupperware. I’m still tempted. But I already have a ton of old food containers that are ugly but perfectly usable, so I’m sticking with those for now.

-JARS. Bulk Barn, the Dollar Store and various kitchen stores sell mason jars for a hefty price. When I first started using jars for bulk items, I did buy a few – only to realize that I get more than enough of them for free from choosing glass options for spaghetti sauce, honey, etc.

-Vegetable bags. I mentioned these in my last post. It’s great to ditch the plastic bag for most produce, but what about small things like beans that need a bag? The vegetable bags for sale at zero-waste stores are like 8 bucks each, so no thanks. I bought a sheer curtain at a thrift shop for $4, cut it up, and sewed it into half a dozen bags. I’d post a how-to, but it was really just cutting rectangles and then folding them over and sewing up three sides.

-Portable cutlery + cutlery bag. Avoiding plastic cutlery keeps spoons out of turtle noses (re. my bio)! You can buy collapsible bamboo cutlery that comes in a pouch OR you can just bring an extra fork and spoon from your current collection. Photo shows my own kit, kept in a canvas bag that I got at the wedding of a very cool friend of mine.

Aaaand here are some things that I bought. It was a bit of spending that I felt was well worth it. Links included if you’d like to have a look!

-Metal straws. I tell waiters “no straw” at restaurants, but straws are useful for fountain drinks and to keep acidic drinks off your front teeth, so I did see a need for getting reusable straws. I found mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $15 a pack. It sounds like a lot, but I bought the pack almost a year ago and use them all the time, and they still look brand-new.

-Beeswax food wraps. The Abeego beeswax wraps are another thing that’s relatively pricey but worth buying. It can replace plastic wrap, aluminum foil and Ziploc bags, so that cancels out the cost a bit. They reusable and biodegradable, can be used to wrap any food, and they hold their shape better than those other materials so you’re less likely to have a squashed lunch.

-Dish scrubbers & brush. When my last plastic dish scrubber got that funky sponge smell, it was time to trade it in for a natural option. I found a wooden scrub brush with natural bristles at my favourite store Uproar. It was no more expensive than the plastic option would be and has held up surprisingly well.

So the answer to the question is that there are some things worth buying! My point is, think about what’s in your home and how it can be used or repurposed. An added bonus is that it can make you take stock of how quickly thing accumulate. For example, when I made the switch to buying things in glass jars instead of plastic, and saving the jars, it was crazy how fast I got a cupboard full of them! How much did I used to throw away?

But also, seriously, PM me if you want free jars.