Last month the blog took an unplanned break so we didn’t talk about Plastic Free July. How did you do? What challenge did you set for yourself? What issues did you face? If you didn’t participate in Plastic Free July, it’s not too late, you can make August Plastic Free instead!

Something that will help you greatly on your zero waste and plastic free journey is a zero waste kit.

A zero waste kit is super easy to put together, and doesn’t require that you buy anything new. Usually a ZWK is any collection of items that will help you on your journey during the day and during the week. Some things that you might include in a ZWK could be

flatware - this can be only a fork, or a full on set! Fork, spoon, knife, spork, sharp knife, straw, chopsticks, etc… Whatever will help you use reusables instead of opting for a disposable that will end up in landfill.

napkin - you can use this as a napkin instead of taking a paper napkin that will end up in the trash. But you can also use it to clean, mop your brow, wrap left overs, or use it as a bag…. plus more. What else can you use it for? to dry a seat, to sit on on the grass, to cover your head in the sun? The possibilities are vast.

a reusable bag - for groceries, for retail, for carrying anything, just in case you need it.

a water bottle or coffee cup - for water, for coffee, for juice, for soup, to keep things warm, to keep things cold…

a jar or storage container - to keep other things in or get take out, or pick up interesting leaves, or birds nests, or whatever you might need a container for.

What else can you think to put in your zero waste kit? What will most help you avoid waste in your day to day life?

For August, make your kit, bring it with you, use it, and enjoy creating less waste!