the ReFab Diaries

Trimming my waste: Week 20 Giveaway!

Goals - Week 20:

Reduce reliance on paper towel
Spread the love and help you do the same
Tell you about a company I really like

In January, I committed to Be Zero's #MakeLessTrash2016 challenge. I'm 20 weeks in and I find that I've joined an amazing community. People all over the planet who get up every day and try. Try to do a little better. Try to resist convenience. Try to live mindfully. People who remind me every day that "zero-waste" is not about showing off how you crammed a year's worth of trash into a mason jar. It's about living mindfully. Here's something BeZeroWasteGirl posted to Instagram this week:

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Broken toys raise awareness about organ transplant needs

in upcycled toys, by Candice

Apparently organ transplant in Japan is an issue that doesn’t get a lot of press, but the current situation is dire. Each year, about 300 people out of a total of 14,000 on waiting lists actually get the replacement organs they need; a percentage far lower than the rest of the world.

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Trimming my waste: Week 19 (declutter)

in zero-waste lifestyle, by Candice

Goals - Week 19:

Declutter
Turn unwanted stuff into money
Get creative with how to rid myself of the stuff

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Trimming my waste: Week 18 (DIY body scrub)

in zero-waste lifestyle, by Candice

Goals - Week 18:

Boycott products containing microbeads
Reduce my dependance on big-brand skin care products
Make more, buy less

The Aveeno scrub pictured below used to be my go-to product. Yup, I'm admitting it. Even though it states quite clearly on the package that it contains "gentle microbeads", I still bought it. I had no idea and now I know I've contributed to the massive pollution of our lakes and waterways. When I finally understood, I threw it out.

What are microbeads? Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that are added to everyday cosmetic products like face wash, toothpaste, abrasive cleaners and lots more. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be made of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. Microbeads are tiny (smaller than 5mm) and wash straight down the drain, easily bypassing water filtration systems.

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Trimming my waste: Week 17 (DIY dish soap)

in zero-waste lifestyle, by Candice

Goals - Week 17:

Gradually replace store-bought products with homemade ones
Reduce packaging waste
Simplify

Stretch goal: use only homemade cleaning products

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Trimming my waste: Week 16 (buy better trash)

in zero-waste lifestyle, by Candice

Goals - Week 16:

When buying packaged goods, carefully consider the packaging
Boycott any manufacturer using #6 grade plastic
Support cradle-to-cradle companies when possible

Stretch goal: vastly reduced reliance on packaged goods

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Trimming my waste: Week 15 (Earth Day)

in zero-waste lifestyle, by Candice

What do tennis balls, pantyhose and broken crayons have in common? They're actually recyclable. Not through your city's recycling service, but in other cool ways!

So in honor of Earth Day, here are 20 things you might be surprised to discover can actually be returned for repurposing, recycling or upcycling. Here's to keeping more stuff out of landfills.

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