Nearly 800 million tonnes of waste are produced each year in France, the equivalent of 25.36 kilos of waste per second.
Of course, we are not directly responsible for generating all of this waste. The construction industry alone is responsible for nearly 70% of these. But according to Ademe, “the production of household and similar waste per inhabitant in France represented 600 kg in 2016”, or 1,650 kg per inhabitant/day. And this weight is constantly increasing each year (it weighed only 354 kg per inhabitant in 2006!).
Today, we all know the cost of treating this waste and its impact on the planet. It is therefore urgent to act. Here are 15 simple tips to put in place on a daily basis to limit your ecological impact and reduce your waste as much as possible.
ZERO WASTE TIPS ON THE STREET
1. ALWAYS HAVE A TOT BAG IN YOUR BAG
In 2015, 5 billion single-use plastic bags were distributed at checkouts in France. Used for a few minutes, these bags take several hundred years to degrade and are ingested by marine animals and birds. They've been supposed to be banned since 2017, but who hasn't recently received some at their butcher's or greengrocer?
The right reflex to reduce your waste? Always have an (organic) cotton tote bag in your handbag and/or reusable boxes and bags in the trunk of your car. It doesn't seem like much, but millions of tons of plastic can already be saved in this way.
2. THINK BULK AND GLASS JARS
In the same spirit, avoid foodstuffs packaged in trays or other plastic packaging. Think BULK and to reduce waste even more, remember to always have cotton bags with you to weigh your food. This will avoid plastic or paper bags.
And store your grains, oilseeds and other dried fruits in glass jars. You will also decorate your kitchen nicely!
3. ALWAYS HAVE A BOTTLE ON HAND
This is the first step in reducing waste: having a full water bottle in your bag. Made of glass or aluminium, reusable, these gourds will save you from having to buy plastic water bottles when you feel thirsty and take a simple first step to preserve the planet.
ZERO WASTE TIPS IN THE KITCHEN
4. REPLACE MINERAL WATER WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAL STICKS
Do you find that tap water has an unpleasant taste or has too much limestone? Replace industrial mineral water with activated carbon sticks.
Purifying, these sticks will absorb all the impurities present in tap water and allow you to consume good quality water without polluting the planet.
Instructions for use: leave to infuse for a few hours in a carafe before consuming. After a month, scald the sticks for a few minutes before using them again. What a saving in €, plastic and fatigue carrying liters of water! A great zero waste action every day!
5. INVEST IN INDIVIDUAL TEAPOTS
Rather than consuming tea bags and herbal teas, another zero waste action is to invest in individual teapots in which you can infuse your teas and infusions purchased in bulk.
Often of better quality, you can even re-infuse them 2 to 3 times during the day.
6. Go back to cloth towels and linens
Avoid paper towels, go back to individual cotton towels; it's more pleasant, prettier and much better for the planet! And in the same vein, replace the paper towel with washable cloth wipes! A good way to introduce your children to zero waste.
7. REPLACE STRETCH FILLM AND ALUMINUM WITH BEESWRAP
Stretch film and aluminum are practical but they generate waste and plastic food is not recyclable… You can replace them very easily with beeswrap, fabrics soaked in wax which will protect your foodstuffs from oxygen.
Another zero waste action that is economical and easy to apply on a daily basis!
ZERO WASTE TIPS IN THE BATHROOM
8. REPLACE DISPOSABLE COTTON WIPES WITH REUSABLE ZERO WASTE COTTON WIPES
Avoid disposable make-up remover cotton pads. Replace them with reusable and washable cotton wipes that are much softer on the skin, much more effective for perfect cleaning or make-up removal and much more eco-responsible.
9. SWITCH TO CUPS AND MENTRAL LINGERIE
Intimate protections are very polluting in addition to being potentially toxic to the body.
So switch to reusable intimate protections. Cups or absorbent menstrual panties in bamboo and organic cotton will do the job perfectly. Know that these zero waste panties even exist today in a thong version (MaLucette)! One more reason to crack!
10. REPLACE Q-TIPS WITH ORICULIS
You all have images in your mind of fish having ingested cotton swabs. To avoid this massacre, simply replace your cotton swab with a wooden oriculis. The instructions are the same: gently scrape the walls of the ear with the stick, taking care not to push it too deeply. Rinse the stick with water. Simple, efficient, economical, zero waste!
11. REPLACE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH WITH A BAMBOO ONE
Many dentists recommend changing toothbrushes every three months.
Indeed, clinical studies show that a new toothbrush can remove more plaque than a used toothbrush and allow more effective brushing to keep teeth clean and healthy. Problem: our traditional or electric toothbrushes are made of non-recyclable plastic.
To prevent dental hygiene from rhyming with pollution, the eco-responsible solution is to use a bamboo toothbrush. Or failing that, cork toothbrushes, with interchangeable heads made of recyclable plastic. (But you have understood that at Demain® we don't really like plastic...)
12. MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTHPASTE
A tube of toothpaste is another tube that ends up in the trash every month… And we also know that many industrial toothpastes have a controversial formulation.
To limit your impact on the planet and reduce your waste while preserving your health, there's nothing like preparing your own toothpaste!
Here is the recipe for zero waste toothpaste:
1. Mix:
- 25g of white clay, to gently clean teeth
- 15g baking soda, to cleanse the mouth and teeth
- 1g of activated carbon, to fight against tartar, dental plaque, whiten and remineralize teeth
- 17 drops of organic mint essential oil, to freshen breath
13. REPLACE YOUR HYGIENE PRODUCTS WITH SOLID PRODUCTS OR BUY YOUR HYGIENE PRODUCTS IN BULK
- Replace your shower gel with soap (without soap)
Shower gels are often packaged in plastic packaging. To avoid polluting the planet and reduce its waste, replace your shower gel with a solid soap.
Be careful, however, to choose this soap carefully. Ideally choose a soap… without syndet type soap, traditional soaps being known for their very high PH favoring an imbalance of the cutaneous and vaginal flora. (We will soon do an article on this subject to enlighten you).
- Replace your shampoo with a solid or powder shampoo
In the same way you can replace your shampoo with a solid or powder shampoo, thus reducing your plastic consumption and your waste.
More and more brands allow you to buy hygiene products in bulk: Day by Day or the Kilogramme grocery store in Paris for example, and many others in all regions of France. A good zero waste alternative to continue taking care of yourself while limiting our impact on the planet.
14. USE MULTI-PURPOSE AND UNIVERSAL COSMETIC PRODUCTS
Why buy 2 or 3 products when only 1 product does the job perfectly? This is our philosophy at Demain®. This is why we have designed multi-purpose and universal products.
Go For Protection Face Care hydrates, nourishes AND protects the skin from external aggressions. It moisturizes the face but also the eye contour.
Go For Glow Exfoliating Cleansing Gel cleanses, exfoliates, removes make-up and is even an excellent shaving soap!
Our products are suitable for all skin types. No headache at the time of purchase to know which product to choose. At home, a single tube of cream for the whole family!
Just adapt the amount of cream to your skin type. (I have dry skin I wear more, I have oily skin I wear less!)
15. TO REDUCE WASTE: FAVOR RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
Not all packaging is created equal. Some, to be avoided, are not recyclable. These are plastic packaging that best imitate glass (ultra hard, ultra heavy, ultra shiny). Others called "recycled plastic" are in fact made up of 70% virgin plastic and will only be recyclable 3 times. At Demain®, we favored aluminum, which is ultra-light and infinitely recyclable!
A LITTLE LAST FOR THE ROAD:
16. USE SIMPLE TOOLS TO USE YOUR PRODUCTS DOWN TO THE LAST DROP!
A few ultra-simple tools will allow you to get 100% benefit from your creams and save money. The Zero Waste Tomorrow® Key is one of them. Once you have flattened your tube of cream on a daily basis to extract the formula, a small additional turn of the key will suffice to extract the surplus contained in the neck of the tube. Return of 99% of your products guaranteed!
You see, it's very simple to go to zero waste! Your turn now !
