How to Start a Zero Waste Life

A few days ago, when I was asking some of my friends what they'd like to see on my Instagram account, one of them mentioned how she was really interested in becoming zero waste, but didn't really know where to start. I thought this was such a great concern: I usually post little tips and tricks, but not really how to begin. Thus, this blog post on how to start a zero waste life...

1. Go through your rubbish
Before you make swaps in your life, you need to realise where in your life you're producing trash. Is it food waste? Packaging? Single-use items? Or just generally things that you use on a daily basis like that old toothbrush you've decided to replace or a tub that's recently broken?

Take a look in your trash can/rubbish bin and try to get a general understanding for areas where you make the most rubbish, and make a mental (or physical) note of this. For me, as I still currently live with my parents and they, thankfully, feed me, so my main source of trash was fast food, tags from clothing items, sweet/chocolate wrappers, and toiletry product containers.


2. Pick an area you want to start on
Personally, I think it's easier to think of swaps you can make in each section, then combine these together.

For example, let's say that you want to first tackle food waste. Ask yourself, why am I wasting this food? Is it because your portion sizes are too big so you can't finish the food? How about you start to cook a little bit less, or put any leftovers into a container for lunch tomorrow? If it's unedible things, such as a banana skin, maybe consider starting a compost? (NB. I honestly don't know too much about composting, since in my family we just have a container that my dad empties - thanks dad! - but I'm pretty sure there's a lot of stuff online if you just google, 'how to start composting', alternatively, I know some councils in the UK collect food waste so you might want to see if this is something your local council offers).

If the area you want to tackle is plastic packaging, consider buying fruit and vegetables loose, rather than in prepacked bags, or shopping at your local farmers' market. You could also see if anywhere in your area sells food from bulk (ie. from a really big container and then you take what you need from it). Alternatively, if nowhere near you sells produce, such as grains or flour, in bulk, then try to get the biggest bag you realistically think you would use, and try to get it in paper, or a recyclable option.

Me surveying the bulk options at a store that recently opened near me

My biggest area was definitely toiletries - I honestly used to have so much! I've written a blog post here about a zero waste bathroom, but essentially firstly see in which ways you can reduce your consumption, ie, do you really need 3 combs or all those hotel samples? Then assess what you really need, and check out your local wholefoods or organic shop to see if they see anything loose or unpackaged (eg soap) or a bulk store for produce that you can then use to make your own toiletries/cosmetics.

Finally, clothing labels and wrappers etc. I would say the easiest way to achieve the former is to reduce how much clothing you need and shop your own wardrobe first. Did you know that the average American only wears 20% of their clothing? Ridiculous right! Think of all the money you could have saved if you hadn't bought all that clothing or the money you could now make, going through the clothes and selling the ones you no longer need/use/want. If you really need new clothing, buy second hand, or borrow an item from a friend or family member, or host a clothing swap with your friends. As for the latter, wrappers, refuse them. Is it really worth all the oil, energy and plastic required to cover that piece of chocolate for the 5-second gratification you get? Wouldn't you feel better waiting until you got home and eating something there? I agree this is really difficult, and I still sometimes fall at this hurdle but baby steps :)


3. What not to do
I think it can be tempting seeing people living a zero waste lifestyle who have all the 'perfect' containers, bags, or essentials but the worst thing you could do is go out and buy everything you think you need. The likelihood is you probably have something at home that could do the trick. When my family and I first went bulk shopping, we didn't have loads of produce bags, but we got a paper bag and continued to use these until they ripped/basically disintegrated. Even now that we have a few produce bags, I made some more using a t-shirt that had a hole in.

One of my first low/zero-waste hauls! Nothing crazy but a huge reduction in plastic packaging!

If you do, however, find yourself really needing something, see if you can first get it second hand or if you do buy it new, buy it to last and make sure the materials aren't damaging to the environment (eg 100% organic cotton is better than nylon, for example).


4. Remind yourself it's ok to make mistakes
The fact that you are even reading this article is great! Awareness is a great place to start. Make sure you keep light-hearted about this - there will be times when something doesn't work right for you - maybe it's that new shampoo that just isn't right for your hair, or you tried a new shop that was too far away to be suitably convenient. It's ok. I think the most important thing about zero waste isn't making no waste at all, it's that you are trying to reduce your waste. If you are going to make this lifestyle change, you need to make sure it's sustainable for you. It doesn't matter if someone else does a zero waste thing differently, if it does work for you, that's great, if it doesn't try a different technique, or shop, or product, or think of another you could do it.

I hope you like these tips and that they may have reduced the worry that I think hearing 'zero-waste' sometimes induces! Please let me know if you have any queries or would like some more information - this was quite a whistle stop tour!

Amy xx

10 Easy Zero Waste Swaps in the Bathroom

Shampoo —> Solid Shampoo

Body wash —> Bar soap

Plastic razor —> stainless steel razor (but just fyi you can't take this through airport security in hand luggage if the blade is in it)

Plastic toothbrush —> bamboo toothbrush

Toothpaste —> tooth soap/homemade toothpaste

Single-use tissues —> Hanker-chiefs

Disposable cotton rounds —> Face flannel

Moisturiser —> coconut oil (this is what I use but I think any cooking oil could do)

Plastic brush —> Bamboo comb

Single-use period products —> Menstrual cup


These swaps really aren't too difficult and although some have a steeper intial price, they cost way less in the long run (eg menstrual cup).

I hope you like these swaps and let me know if you've tried any/have any other recommendations :)

What I packed for a 3 week trip to Asia

What I packed for a 3 week trip to Asia

I recently went to China and Hong Kong for about three weeks. As per usual, I wanted to make sure that I didn't overpack especially since I would be travelling a lot - only staying in one place for 1-3 nights. Here is what I packed:

- 1 skirt
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 1 pair of running shorts
- harem pants (didn't wear)
- 6 tops
- 1 sleep top
- sleep shorts
- dress
- long sleeved flowy top (worn once and not comfortable at all)
- jumpsuit (not pictured)
- jumper (not pictured or worn)

It all fitted in a carry-on suitcase with room to spare, however, after about 3 days I had worn pretty much all of my clothes and they were all dirty. Here's what I'd pack now, looking back:

- 1 skirt
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 1 2 pairs of running shorts
- harem pants (didn't wear)
- 6  8-10 tops (I really needed more)
- 1 sleep top
- sleep shorts
- 2 dresses (although I don't actually have two, it would have been useful)
- long sleeved flowy top (worn once and not comfortable at all)
- jumpsuit (not pictured)
- jumper (not pictured or worn)

Therefore:

- 1 skirt

- 2 pairs of shorts

- 2 pairs of running shorts

- 8-10 tops

- 1 set of sleepwear

- 2 dresses

- jumpsuit

Hope this helps if you might be packing. I'm definitely for minimalist packing but I think this time taking some more clothes would have been helpful. I think it's good that I'm realising what I did and didn't need so I can pack better next time!

I hope this helps and happy travels!

The (bad) things nobody tells you about travelling…

The (bad) things nobody tells you about travelling...

Don't get me wrong, travelling is great! I love it - you get to explore and experience new cultures. For me, 99% of travels go really smoothly, however, the 1% of times when things don't go as smoothly as you would like can be incredibly stressful and are pretty much always the parts people miss out in their stories and social media.

I recently had one of these situations, to an extent that I cancelled the rest of my trip and had to fly home. I felt like a complete failure - I didn't know anyone who had ever had to do something like this. Why did their travels go hitch-free whilst mine couldn't? After talking to several other people who I know have travelled extensively, I realised that everyone does have ups and downs in their travels, but very few actually say anything about it, normally tending to miss these details out when recounting all the fun they had. So, here are a few of the 'bad' things that very few people ever talk about:

1. Things do go wrong
Trains can get cancelled, you can miss your flight, your passport could get stolen etc. On one of my most recent trips, I missed my train, had to wait over 2 hours in a train station where all the shops were closed and was mostly deserted, the next train was then delayed by half an hour, the platform was changed, nobody then knew where the train was going to and then, finally, once on the train people kept taking others' seats due to reservations. It was a stressful morning. So, just a heads up, things can and will go wrong, you just need to try to keep calm and you can get through it.

2. Accomodation is not always as it appears
Hotels, hostels, B&Bs and the like will do anything in their power to make their accomodation, rooms and building as appealing as possible. In light of this, scrutinise every photo, if their rooms don't look great or offers look way too good to be true, they probably are. Additionally, really look at their location. On AirBnB, for example, when looking at the location of an accomodation, they give you a circle of approximately where in the area it is. However, I recently went to an AirBnB where it was miles away from the centre - at the very edge of the circle, on the other side of where we wanted. Once we got there, the location was far from what was described. Anyway, my word of warning is try to look at lots of reviews (do take these with a pinch of salt though) and the location and photos.

An Amazing Hotel we stayed at with water-slides!

3. Sometimes, if you have to call it a day, that's okay too
Travelling is great! Sometimes, however, things do go really wrong. Make sure you can take care of yourself - if you're super tired, go take a nap; if you really don't like the accomodation, change it; if you aren't feeling safe in a place, you can move on. Allow yourself to adapt to different situations but, at the end of the day, you're wellbeing is the most important - if, after thinking a lot, you think the best thing to do is to fly home, that's okay too. No-one will judge you or hold it against you. If anything, they might respect you more for realising you might not enjoy the rest of the trip. Do what you think is best, and act on it.

So, these are the major ways in which I have found travelling can go wrong. However, for the majority of time, travelling is amazing. If you want to explore, go out and explore. Travelling can teach you so many things that you will only learn if you actually act on travelling.

I hope this was interesting and happy travels!

A Guide to Zero-Waste (travel) toiletries

A Guide to Zero-waste (travel) toiletries

I found swapping some of my toiletries the easiest way to lead a lower waste lifestyle. The following is everything (except for coconut oil and a lip balm) that I take with me when I go on holiday. Everything fits into a clear bag which I can take through security in my carry-on bag. Here is what I take:

• a bamboo toothbrush
• a comb
• solid conditioner
• soap
• toothpaste
• razor
• concealer
• solid shampoo
• mascara and mascara wand
• eyebrow palette

Everything fits into this bag:

I am looking to buy a stainless steel razor, however, you cannot take the blade in your carry-on, it has to be in a checked bag. Since I do not check in a bag, I will continue to use this razor. I am also looking for a zero-waste alternative to the toothpaste but since I have this one, I’m going to use it until it’s finished. In reality, only the toothpaste and mascara needs to be put in a clear bag since the rest of my products are solids.

Hopefully this has inspired you to rethink your toiletries and the amount you take.

I hope you find this useful and happy travels!

A Guide to London, England

A Guide to London, England

I have visited London many times and am constantly reminded of its beauties. London is a huge city and there are many touristy locations. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Kew Gardens - as one of the biggest gardens in London, it is without a doubt impressive. It is suitable for all age groups with ample space for children to run around and a huge playground both indoors and out. There are so many areas to visit, both indoors and out, that you can easily spend a whole day here. Food is available on site but is fairly overpriced and if the weather’s nice, a picnic brought from home would be really fun.

Inside the Palm House at Kew Gardens

• The Globe - having studied several of Shakespeare’s plays, I was delighted to visit the globe. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I believe it to have recently been renovated a little so looked newer than I expected. Despite this, once inside, you feel as though you have been taken back in time, back to the Elizabethan era when the plays were performed for the first time. The seats vary in prices - if you choose to stand in the pit, the tickets can be very cheap - occasionally £5! If you choose to sit, the seat prices vary on where you sit but I would advise you pay a few pounds more for a cushion as the seats are not the most comfortable and the plays quite long.

Inside the globe

• Camden market - the market is super cool. There are lots of little stalls with individually made pieces and there’s something for everyone, with products ranging from clocks to tops. You can find plenty of food options there and make it more of a day trip.

A Polaroid photo of Camden Lock bridge

• Buckingham palace - this, of course, is a must-see. Even if you are anti-monarchy, the building is still very impressive. I always find it awe-inspiring to see the building that is always shown on TV and think of the history behind it. Occasionally, usually in the summer, you can tour the Palace if there is an exhibition on - I would highly recommend this as you get to see the inside of the palace for yourself - what’s inside is more impressive than what’s out and you can sometimes see some ‘behind the scenes’ features such as gifts given to the Queen. You do have to pay for these tours but I don't think they are too expensive.

• The London Eye - the views from this are sensational and it really is an amazing experience! Buy tickets beforehand as the attraction is very popular. It takes around 30 minutes for the whole trip and you don’t get a pod to yourself, but there is a restriction on numbers so it's never too packed. There are loads of things to do around this attraction, due to its central location, so you can make a day trip out of it.

These are just five of my top places. London is huge and there’s so much to do. I would encourage you to take a look at some of the places it has to offer beforehand so you can plan your days so they are action-packed and you don't miss anything :)

My 5 top places to eat:

1. Wagamamas - good food, big portions, good range for kids (I get the kids option and it fills me up for just under £5)
2. Wahaca - I went to the one in Southbank and the waiter I had was amazing and even spoke to me in Spanish - I would highly recommend (and the food is incredible!)
3. Wasabi - a great place for quick takeaway food that is pretty cheap for some good food. It is, however, very difficult to bring your own container as everything is prepackaged
4. Byron - great burgers, for all ages and for all dietary requirements (I would recommend the Oreo milkshake!)
5. Drink me, Eat me - a fairly small, darling café by Ravenscourt Park. Suitable for lunch and tea, the options are plentiful for a such a small place, although there are fewer lunch options (mostly homemade sandwiches). It evokes vibes of Alice in Wonderland and is perfect if you want a taste of English tea for not very expensive. This place is fairly unknown but I absolutely love it!

How easy is it to be zero-waste?

Actually very easy. There are so many places where you can easily ask for your food to be put in your own bags - Pret even gives you 50p off if you bring a reusable cup for your coffee (this does add up!). Wholefoods is my go-to place for buying from bulk although it is now increasingly easy to go into any supermarket and get fruit and vegetables package free. There are also many places, eg patisseries or bakers, where you can ask for them to put products into you own container. The markets are another place where you can get takeaway food will also, most frequently, put your produce into your own container but I would recommend just telling them of your intentions before they start packaging your order. Also, just watch out for the free paper napkins which they give you everywhere! I would recommend taking something you can use as a napkin.

London is such a big city that it is easy to find somewhere to stay. There are plenty of AirBnBs or hotels to suit your fancy, and your price range. I would recommend using TripAdvisor to see the reviews of places and checking the location of where you’re staying before heading there.

I hope this is helpful and happy travels!

A Guide to Seville, Spain

A Guide to Seville, Spain

In April, I spent a week in Seville, Spain. I had a great time exploring the city and taking Spanish lessons every day.

I stayed in a families’ home. This was actually a very eco-friendly option as it meant I was supporting the local people, used fewer resources and was fed at home by the family for breakfast and dinner, thus reducing my need to buy takeaway food wrapped in packaging. 

Every morning, I would have four hours of Spanish lessons at the Giralda center. After this, my friend and I would go out for lunch. We found it easy to find places suiting our low budget where we could eat a delicious typical Spanish meal creating zero-waste. There were lots of meals to fit my vegetarian diet so this was never a problem. After lunch, we would explore Seville. We loved looking at all the incredibly intricately designed buildings.

Here are my must-see places:

• The Real Alcazar - we booked our tickets the night before after seeing how long the queues were. This saved us so much time (the queue was at least 2 hours long) and also money since we found we got a discount since we were students. 

• Los Jardines de Murillo (a park) - we had exams after the break so needed to revise and found this the perfect place to do so. It was quiet enough that we could revise peacefully without it feeling too desolate and the surroundings were beautiful.

• The Alfonso Hotel - this was incredibly luxurious but way out of our budget - one night there cost the equivalent of our whole trip! It was lovely to just walk around the hotel and there was a cafe within it which anyone could use to enjoy some tea and cake in the hotel.

• La Giralda - this is possibly the most iconic building in Seville. The architecture is stunning and we were fortunate enough to catch the end of the Semana Santa processions where we watched the procession enter and exit from the Giralda creating a genuine historic impression and emphasising the antiquity of the building.

• The Metropol Parasol - the views from this were incredible and it only cost $3 to go up to the top. We even got a free postcard from it - a bonus since I sent some to my family and this saved me from having to buy one!

Is it easy to be Zero-waste?

In many ways, yes. It’s easy to walk around everywhere and the restaurants, or at least the ones we found, serve everything in reusables. Just beware of the bread they try to put down on your table which is not zero-waste or free! Other than that, we did not find any supermarkets easily accessible and found it difficult to get fresh fruit and vegetables so you may want to do some prior research as to groceries near you and then see what they have. There are, however, several water fountains which have clean water where you can fill water bottles and there is a bus shuttle service to the airport for a fairly good price.

I hope you find this useful and happy travels!

A Guide to being a more eco-friendly and sustainable traveller

A Guide to being a more eco-friendly and sustainable traveller

Firstly, I would just like to acknowledge that travelling, in general, is not very eco-friendly. However, I think travelling is important and that people learn a lot from it. I would be a hypocrite to tell anyone not to travel. Despite this, there are easy ways in which the impact of travel can be lessened, hence, I created this guide to try to help you:

1. Support the local economy eg by buying food from the local markets 
2. Try to stay in people’s homes, an eco-friendly house (beware of greenwashing though!) or a BnB
3. Don’t always go to the tourist attractions, by all means check them out, but try to ask the locals for their favourite places/restaurants - you’ll be surprised 
4. “Leave only footprints” - respect where you are - don’t litter or harm the landscape surrounding you - appreciate it for what it is 
5. Try to use reusables as much as possible eg reusable water bottles as opposed to plastic ones and using reusable cutlery
6. Walk or take public transport as much as possible - even car shares are better than just driving everywhere 
7. Use sunscreens and suntan lotions that don’t have damaging effects on coral reefs or your environment - do some independent research as some products claim they’re reef safe but still contain chemicals that damage the reefs
8. Make friends with people - you can help each other out and share advice/experiences and new places
9. Try to travel with only hand luggage - you reduce the number of clothes you wear (how many times have you come back from holiday having not worn half your clothes?), the weight of the stored luggage on the plane makes it heavier meaning it has to use more energy to fly, it’s easier to move around more freely with and stops you looking so much like a tourist. Etickets are also a good way to reduce needing to print all your tickets off.
10. Enjoy yourself and the environment around you. Remember that your actions can have a positive or negative impact on the planet - look after it :)

Please share these tips if you find them useful.

I hope you find this useful and happy travels!

A Guide to San Francisco, California

A Guide to San Francisco, California

In July, my family and I went on a road trip touring the west coast of California. Our first stop was San Francisco. I have officially fallen in love with this city! I love how easy it is to walk everywhere, how there seems to be quite a good work-life balance - there is the business district but then also the bay (we spent at least 10 mins every day looking at all the seals) and coast which creates a more relaxed atmosphere. 

My must sees/what to do:

• Alcatraz - this was absolutely incredible. Definitely book tickets in advance though since it will save you time on the day as there is a chance they could have sold out. The day we went was the day of the eclipse so our boat journey to the island was made much more entertaining! We also spotted seals and what we thought were dolphins - needless to say, we were kept occupied on a rather short journey. When we got there we were mesmerised by how the history of the prison is visible from the moment you step off the ferry. The introductory talk was very informative and allowed a moment for you to take in the scale and imposing nature of the prison. I would definitely recommend taking the tour with the headsets as you learn a lot and it keeps you engaged with what you’re looking at the whole time. There is so much to see that I would recommend scheduling several hours to look round the island and prison since it is very impressive. For me, the day was very educational for me and I am very glad I went.

• The Golden Gate Bridge - we hired bikes for a day and decided to cycle over the golden gate bridge. This turned out to be quite a good idea since you don’t really appreciate how long the bridge is until you’re on it. There are cycle paths as well so you don’t need to be worried about cycling on the road and we got helmets from the rental company. I would also recommend taking a light jacket or something to cover yourself since it was quite cold and chillier than on land.

• The Bay/Fisherman's Wharf - my family and I loved visiting the bay since we got to see seals for the first time! There were so many of them and the noise they emitted was so loud it was funny. 

• The trams - admittedly, we queued for over an hour to wait for a tram! I later found out that it can be quicker to get on at one of the stops… Despite this, the experience made it worth it! It was so much fun to go up and down the hills of San Francisco - seeing places you might not have seen otherwise and building up speed as you went down the hill, before hearing the tram screech to a halt. I would really recommend this, it was super fun, my whole family enjoyed it and the tram is a classic of San Francisco - don’t miss out!

How easy is it to be zero waste?

I actually found it quite hard to create little waste here without making my family go out of their way. Eating in is always preferred, and we did usually do this, but take your own napkins since I found they were all disposable. Also, if you’re planning on eating lunch on the go, I would strongly suggest you make it at home/wherever you’re staying as it’s easier to buy bits of food that are unpackaged such as fruit and bread as opposed to buying something out. Alternatively, you can ask if they could put a sandwich or some food in your own container. Although we did stay in a hotel this time, there are plenty of other options including over 300 Airbnb options. 

Finally, I would strongly recommend the Pinecrest diner - we breakfasted here most days, trying other places but still returning to this one. It had food that my whole family liked! (In my family this is most definitely an achievement!). I would also suggest doing a little bit of your own research before you go - there is so much to do in San Francisco that you wouldn’t want to miss out on anything!

I hope you find this useful and happy travels!

A Guide to Zero-Waste travel essentials

A Guide to Zero-Waste travel essentials

I recently did a post on my Instagram page (@aconscioustraveller) where I showed what I take when I’m travelling in order to reduce waste. Although it might seem like I pack a lot, this is actually less than what I used to take since I now use things that have a double purpose eg my tablet. These items really help me to reduce my waste 

I take (brands in brackets):

• my FjallRaven Kanken rucksack - I have the re-kanken which is made from 11 recycled plastic bottles
• a bandana/handkerchief/something to wrap my food in
• a lip balm (My Valley Mist smile)
• iPad on which I download books, films, and TV shows
• Phone
• headphones (Marshall Major 2)
• wallet (Byron and Brown)
• reusable cutlery (ToGoWare)
• water bottle (MyBkr)
• travel thermos (Lifeventure)

That’s it. These items take up very little space and mean I can reduce my waste whilst still enjoying my travels. 

I hope that helps and happy travels!