Imagine if we each made enough trash to fit a small mason jar every year

Waste not, want not. We’ve all heard the saying. A lot of people are doing what they can to stay aware of how much waste they are producing. However, it comes as no surprise that the U.S. produces the most trash of any country in the world—the country generated 292 million tons of it in 2018 alone.

To put this number in perspective, the world produces 3.5 million tons of trash a day and 2.6 trillion pounds a year. According to Environment America, the average person produces nearly 1,800 pounds of waste per year. The U.S. alone is responsible for 12% of the planet’s trash. 

Even with these statistics, a growing number of people are trying to reduce their waste. The zero-waste lifestyle has been making its rounds over the years, and with the rise of social media, it’s become more popular, especially among millennials. But are influencers changing to this lifestyle with pure intentions or for Instagram clout? 

Molly McDonald, who works at a zero-waste grocery store in Boulder and has lived a waste-free life for three years, said, “I think there’s a fair amount of virtue signaling that comes along the lines of a zero-waste or low-waste lifestyle at this very moment.”

What does living a zero-waste lifestyle mean, exactly? According to Greener Choices, a company curating a go-to recourse to all things eco, it’s more than just recycling—it also means avoiding using disposable items as much as possible. Making your own products and using sustainable transportation options are also part of this lifestyle. 

Other ways to minimize waste include reducing the use of single-use plastic, investing in a reusable water bottle, avoiding buying fast fashion, purchasing high-end clothes that last longer, buying household items in bulk and cutting down on food waste.

Nude Foods Market in Boulder is a zero-waste store that offers products with a minimal impact on the environment. According to the store’s website, it sells local produce and products, and its employees “search far and wide to find farmers using sustainable practices to purchase from. They have saved 61,000 pieces of packaging by using mason jars only.”

Paula Aguilar, a senior at Metropolitan State University of Denver, strives to be conscious of her waste but hasn’t shopped at a store like Nude Foods. She likes the convenience of the King Soopers down the street from her and doesn’t have the time to drive to Boulder to go to a zero-waste store.

“I’ve never thought to shop at a zero-waste place before,” Aguilar explained. “I always just try and buy products that I know are better for the environment.” 

Aguilar said she uses Method cleaning products because she likes the way they clean, and it makes her feel like she’s making a difference. Method products are a collection of “eco-friendly household cleaning products at the forefront of the green cleaning revolution.” But she wonders if a zero-waste lifestyle is even achievable in this day and age, and says she doesn’t have “the luxury to be picky about what I eat and buy” and can’t afford to spend more money on making her own products.

Can one person really make a difference for the environment with this lifestyle?  McDonald says they can—locally. “I think something like this in a localized system can change the cultural environment which pushes people to make more specific ecological environmental changes and pushes,” said McDonald. 

Ultimately, it’s up to big companies like Amazon—whose activities emitted 60.64 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, 19 percent more than last year—to make a bigger impact. However, every person’s efforts to limit their ecological footprint matter, too.

Switching from a wasteful life to a zero-waste life can be a tricky thing to do, but having a supportive community is the best way to go. Hayley Hunt, a senior at CU Denver who is interested in trying a zero-waste lifestyle, said finding a community can be challenging. 

“Finding authentic people who want to actually change the world is hard, because not many people know about this lifestyle, and the ones who do are on Instagram and you can’t tell if they’re doing it for the environment or for likes,” Hunt said. 

Cutting out some of the most unnecessary waste is pretty easy, according to Noble, and there is also a 21-day zero-waste challenge that guides people through the process on the store’s website. The challenge includes steps on how to start living the lifestyle in baby steps. 

Living a zero-waste lifestyle takes a lot of time and energy, and it can’t happen overnight. McDonald said it took her and her friends three months to achieve the lifestyle. 

People working two jobs, or students who go to school and work full-time, likely don’t want to come home after a long day and have to make their own toothpaste. 

Finding time to make waste-free products is a must when starting out on the path of zero-waste. Aside from toothpaste, you can make other products at home such as shampoo and conditioner, basic cleaning solutions, paper towels, makeup remover and dryer sheets. Thankfully, there are solutions—Nude Foods Market sells tube-free toothpaste and other goods already made so their customers don’t have to.

Experts say the “zero-waste” label doesn’t only apply to those who generate no trash at all. According to the MasterClass website—an online platform where artists, leaders and icons around the world teach classes—it means you’re living an eco-friendly lifestyle and you want to reduce the amount of waste you produce on a daily basis. Using reusable products is the biggest component in living a zero-waste lifestyle. 

“The primary purpose of this lifestyle is a commitment to sending as little waste to landfills as possible,” the website reads. 

Reusable bags can be found at checkout lines in many grocery stores and mason jars can be found at craft stores. Bringing storage containers to restaurants to put your leftovers in is another great way to start living a zero-waste lifestyle.

A zero-waste lifestyle is an investment not only in the environment but also in the people who live in it. The eager millennials and others who are invested in this lifestyle make enough trash to fit in an eight-ounce mason jar, according to a National Geographic article on the growing community. 

In our world, trash is a hidden villain waiting for a superhero to come and destroy it. And not just by incinerators or landfills, either, but by making less trash in general. More companies could try and focus on making their products in a more sustainable way. Sustainable companies would help the atmosphere return to a healthier status, for example. Until then, if more people start to live a zero-waste lifestyle, then companies will have to adapt to the demands of a more environmentally-conscious consumer base.