love your efforts to make sustainability available to more people! my unfashionable tip for sustainability: Freeze your bread! I've done this for years now, and haven't wasted a single slice since. Just take the slices you need out, let it thaw for a few minutes or toast it if you're in a hurry, and you're ready to go! Bonus: it always tastes fresh. And I completely agree on your tips with regard to using the plastic containers you already have! It really bugs me when people throw away (oh, the irony!) perfectly fine containers just to replace them with glass etc. Especially since in terms of weight, thermal capacity ( the energy it takes your freezer to cool them) and 'stackability', it is sometimes the more sustainable option. Plastic is not the bubonic plague; owning it is not that problematic, discarding and buying is.
Absolutely! I really agree with you. Don’t forget you can freeze your breadcrumbs too. Another quick tip - when using old sheets for napkins etc. there’s no need to take time cutting with scissors, just make a little cut on the edge and tear the sheet. All your pieces will be nice and straight/square as the rip follows the weave. I also do this with old worn out towels to make dish cloths , face cloths and hand towels. You may want to run a machine stitch around the edges, but it’s not necessary.
I put my soap scraps in a little aluminium container and use it as shaving soap with a brush. But I want to try to do a frankinsoap with coffee grounds as exfoliator once mine runs out.
Here, we have enough of a homeless population and also compactors so dumpster diving isnt as possible. I do rubber neck when we drive through industrial area looking at all of the assorted wood based and broken materials items out and available. I also look curb side on garbage pick-up day and where ever there is a pile of stuff with a "free" sign. - Alas, we are currently filled up with finds and, we're not carting stuff home which doesn't have a direct and purposeful use. - It is kinda nice when an eco-friendly trend, approach, or behavior change aligns right up with what you are already doing.
I compost my hair. I have a lot of hair on my brush. I've stuck my small soap on a larger soap. My husband doesn't like it but I've also boiled shavings of soap in water to make a snoting liquid soap. I too have been picking up rubber bands. Funny they're everywhere once you spot one.
Here in the USA, it is very easy to buy beautiful barely used cloth napkins and handkerchiefs and all sorts of bedlinens etc for very little money at charity thrift shops.. Recently I bought a beautiful linen tablecloth and 4 matching napkins for $3 at a thrift shop. They were still in the original wrappings! Also dishes and other kitchen items are very inexpensive there. I repurpose and use all my old household towels, linens and bedding again and again. When they start to wear out from their original purpose I demote them! Then they are cleaning cloths for general messes. Later, they become useful in car washing, furniture waxing and pet mess cleanup. Then, they'll be used as firestarter plugs for campfires. So they go out in a blaze of glory! 🔥 🔥 🔥
I work at a school, so there are a lot of pens and pencils that get dropped on the ground. I take them, wipe them with sanister, and if a pen is broke I take the ink out to use as refills. I used to have to buy new pens and pencils constantly because students would 'borrow' them, now it's more like once a year, I'm pretty sure many of the ones I saved were ones I lent out.
these have been done in my family for generations. but they were giving me discomfort, i always wanted set piece items, new and neat things but thanks to you, and the whole zero waste movement i see on yt etc, i am doing these with pleasure. even i'm happy with my labeled, different shapes and sizes of jars 😃 +proud of you mom and grandma! sorry for couldn't see the meaning of your actions til now. 😅
I feel the same way, now I have such a deep appreciation for the habits I see my grandparents practise to save money and resources, there is so much to learn from them 💚
Thank you for another amazing video. I kinda hated that "zero waste" had been portrayed as a luxury thing. I feel that it is super important that people with all income level can engage in low impact actions on one level or another.
people with low income created sustainable living in the first place, so the fact that it indeed has been commodified so the very same people feel like they can't participate or do well enough because they can't buy the things "needed" is so ironic and also really sad
@@RarePeach The environmental movement was kept alive by individuals just doing thier little things and by those with health reasons related to organic food. "Zero waste" and being able to keep X years of waste in a little glass jar are admirable. Most of us have plenty of opportunity to shave some waste and purchasing here and there for both personal and environmental benefit; or even re-direct our consumerism and consumption habits a bit at a time based primarily on philosophical reasons. For myself when I learned what the little bubble scrubbing products were, I stopped buying (easy 'cause I had only purchased one) then asked all I knew who might buy me a gift to not buy them for me; the bubbles are plastic beads. There have been others similar but my current push is to steer clear of products packaged in mylar. I divested myself of plastic food containers in the kitchen except for those grocery store items come in (I domlay upto a pretty penny to buy my oils in glass or metal whenever possible), and then my bountiful and functional coffee can storage system, over personal health concerns related to plastics. I'm divesting myself from wonderful feeling and warm microfiber items in general; and this is based in being eco-friendly. - Just pick your poison and make dent in your own world. Realize that materials' end of life and closed loop concepts are/ should be part of your zero waste considerations; and this opens up the world of easy reduced waste life-style changes.
Personally I do find that typical zero waste aesthetic quite ugly. I love that more people are talking about "ugly zero waste" and decoupeling aesthetic from zero waste action. It doesn't feel like I have to give up my prefered aesthetic to be sustainable anymore. I find that very encouraging and motivating.
@@Gittemary Yeah, right? It's really more of a mindset, isn't it? When I first started out on my sustainable journey, I didn't think much about aesthetic, but then it came time to make some bigger changes, replace some stuff and make some zero waste swaps. My area is a thrift store desert, so I don't have much luck finding things second hand and when you try to buy sustainably made products you run into that aesthetic all over the place. I have come to the conclusion that it is better to get a conventionally made product that brings me joy and that motivates me to hold onto as long as possible and to prolong it's live with good maintenance, than to get a sustainably made product that I'll be itching to replace and that might end up killing my motivation for sustainable living alltogether. I still try to find stuff second hand and sustainably made first, but I don't beat myself up anymore, when I end up falling back on conventional options. We can't let sustainability suck all the fun out of our lives. We wont be able to keep it up if we loose ourselfs in the process.
The "make your own reusable rags" thing is a huge thing for me. I have NEVER understood the whole 'unpaper' towels concept. First of all: an unpaper towel is just a fancy name for a rag. Secondly: what else do people use worn out towels, bedsheets, and clothes for? Do they actually waste hard earned income on cleaning rags?
I just started watching your video and noticed that some of my habits are zero waste already. I was just made more aware that I can be living more sustainably. Thanks.
Since I started following you, I've become a huge street hair-tie collector 😂 and the stale bread into breadcrumbs is a staple in our family as well! So smart!
Here where I live (Italy) dumpster diving is not at all popular or easy, but thanks to you and other low waste/environmental conscious content creators I started doing it and I feel like that's one of the most amazing changes I've done in my life. I'm really astonished by the food waste (alongside with waste of other stuff that gets thrown away), but still I try to save and share as much as I can. I also pick up rubber bands 🤣 I now have a huge collection. And I also upcycle plastic containers coming from the dumpster diving sessions. Honestly, let's embrace the ugly side of the low/zero waste practices :)
@@marrykozakura9352 si, si intende questo. Tecnicamente è vietato, ma poi varia molto la situazione caso per caso. In Italia come dicevo su non è incoraggiato, ma per esempio alcuni supermercati o negozi alimentari lasciano vicino ai cassonetti i prodotti che vengono buttati ma sono ancora in buono stato, proprio per facilitare le persone che potrebbero volerli prendere.
@@dermatitx capisco, grazie per l'informazione! Non so se effettivamente mi metterei a cercare nella spazzatura però anche se è una soluzione più "chic" uso sempre Too good to go per mangiare fuori casa
@@marrykozakura9352 non hai Idea della quantità di cose in ottimo stato o assolutamente recuperabili o ancora a volte totalmente nuove che si trovano nella spazzatura. Ti si apre un mondo xD comunque è ottimo anche too good to go
I pick up hair ties too! Mu husband thought it was weird at first, but now he points them out. Couple other things I do: if I ever boil veggies for anything (like a salad), I save the water and use it as stock or drink it as is. I also save the liquid from pickles (especially the fermented kind) and use it in stews and soups. I still buy toilet paper in plastic packaging (that's the best option where I live) but the bags become garbage bags for the bathroom. I reuse them if they are not gross so each bag can be used at least twice. Better than buying new garbage bags I think.
Great to hear you pick up hair ties. I pick up glasses left by drinkers from the local bars who sneak them out and continue drinking on their way home. I've amassed a large collection of glasses which has the added bonus of saving them from becoming broken glass and a hazard for pets.
As someone who lived in town and had to pick up broken glass from the other side of my garden wall multiple times, I really appreciate your 'rehoming' system for lost glasses 😅 saves me time, the animals injury and the planet and your wallet!
Wow, I've been passing by street hair ties feeling like I'm leaving a little treasure behind. The hell with it, from now on, I'll start picking them up! It's so random you mentioned it!!
Two days ago I went dumpster diving for the first time! It was a great experience and I even got a beautiful flower bouquet for mothers day out of it ^^
Long live reusable plastic tuppers!!!! I’ve been teaching for 35 years and during that time I’ve used two reusable lunch bags (got two decades out of my first one before it blew out), and I have used mostly the same tuppers for decades.. Like you said Gittemary, the trick is to avoid heating them and also to wash them immediately after lunch. I also have a plastic tupper that is dedicated solely to my lunch compost. I use it to bring home all my fruit peels, apple cores, etc. My school does not have a composting program so I bring my green waste home in a tupper and put it in with our home compost. I love glass, bamboo, and stainless steel but I also have huge love for my faithful ol’ lunch bag and my reusable tuppers. Great video Gittemary… I would love to see more vids like this one as I feel we need to de-emphasize the aesthetic of the ZW movement. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕🌿
@@YKKY You are certainly welcome to adopt the “Compost Tupper” method with your family… no permission required. Over time, it is amazing how much green waste has come home with me and avoided being tossed in the land fill each day. Bringing home my fruit peels, apple cores, etc is so easy… I just re-use an old yogurt container which has become a bit discoloured over time, but it does not smell. I’m glad you like the idea, and I want to thank-you for your comment. Have a great day. Ⓜ️ary🍌🍎🍊 PS - I use my orange peels to make “Citrus Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner” which is another way to use my orange peels… but I’m sure you know all about that hack 🍊
I have kept some very old tights. I have saved soap ends for years. Even tiny bits. I cut a bit off a tight leg. Knot one end, put soap pieces in and another knot. Great for the kitchen and the nylon helps scrub hands after gardening.
So true! I remember seeing in a sustainibility group people just trwoing away all the plastic container to buy brand new amazing pretty maison jar to have all matching jar for bulk shopping
I don't melt my soap scraps together to make a frankensoap, but I don't throw them away either. I stick my old soap scrap onto my new bar of soap. There's a method to this. I use my old soap until it's very thin. By then, one side of it tends to be a little flatter than the other side. I make scratches on that side in a cross hatch pattern. I do the same on one side of a new bar of soap. I then moisten the scratched sides of both pieces of soap with water and press them firmly together. You have to press out all the air pockets that might be between them. I then press down the edges of the old soap even more, to make them as flush with the new soap as possible. Any soapy paste that oozes out from between the two soaps gets rubbed into the seam to help fill in the gaps. I can then use this as if it's just one bar of soap. This works best when the two bars of soap are the same type, both fat/oil based or both glycerin based. It tends not to work as well when you try to stick a fat/oil based to a glycerin based.
hair-tie-collection is growing and I hope that the ones I loose all the time are picked up by someone else.🤪 Will start to use my veggie-water from now on Love these videos
I don't know what is "ugly" in repairing clothes. For me it's normal to repair some small damages in my clothes, bc buying new would be simply wasting money
Is it a good idea to shop in the 'reduced to clear ' section of the supermarket? Does it stop these goods ending up in the bin? I don't think I'm ready for dumpster diving, my teenagers would kill me.
One ugly way nowadays is to say to your boss: either I come one day less to the office, or I'm gone. I tried it myself, being in education it means they have to do some serious puzzling to get the classroom hours in fewer days, but with the labour market being so difficult, it worked, I still teach the same number of groups. So instead of 3 days commuting, I now do 2. I did have to cut my salary a bit for it, but that is another great way of reducing impact.
I do all of these too! really glad you continue to talk about dumpster diving I think it's the ultimate eco thing someone can do. and to just be informed on how wasteful our society is
I love the idea of using old fabric for pillow stuffing! My duvet has officially become too worn and I have been struggling to figure out what to do with it. Perfect timing.
Could I interview you for georgian2go on sustainability and zero waste? I'm based in Germany but we make videos about the georgian language and culture and would love to push the channel into a sistainable/zero waste direction... Inspired by you. Sadly there is not enough conciousness in Georgia for these things so you sharing some knowledge and experience would be amazing....i would send you the questions in written form ahead of time and it would be amazing if you could record the answers. Would you be up for it? Where should I write you?
I’m delighted that you mentioned your grandmother, I’m a grandma and I have always done these things - except for dumpster diving, I have no objection but I’m a bit old for that 🙃🙂!
I love melting soap bars together. I have a soap business and I take all the scraps and shavings that fall off from cutting the bars and grind them up into laundry detergent. I honestly have not bought laundry detergent in over 2 years...well shoot that goes for a lot of things now. I didn't realize how far I've come on my journey!
Leftover plastic food containers (from yogurt or hummus or whatever) make great holders for shampoo bars, soap, body scrubs, etc. in the shower, since they don't rust and won't break.
Using neatly cut rectangles using pinking shears out of tee shirts as Panty Liners...laundering them and reusing (sorry boys, it's a thing...), Composting small fabric offcuts (cotton and linen), Patching over stains in clothing with a bright fabric square or making a flower using the stain as a center. I've torn my black cotton trousers and mended it creatively. Got lots of enquiries over where I bought it from. ;)
I like using stale bread, the ends of the loaf, and bread from baskets at restaurants to make croutons for topping my salads or soups. Just cut them into cubes, toss with oil and seasoning, then bake until lightly browned.
I enjoy watching your videos about saving food from the dumpster love love those videos keep up the good work 😃 I would do the same thing that you do but I can't all my stores have locks on their dumpsters but I'm happy that you do it so I can watch your videos love what you do 😃
The only litter for our cats litterbox that they accept comes in a plastic bag, so I have a System where I keep the empty bags and use them to discard the dirty litter. Not ideal but at least I am saving some garbage bags.
I love that you mentioned fabric scraps as stuffing!I even use them in my couch cushions,dog beds,beanbags,etc.. And if you dont sew,find a local seamstress that does..they will have tons!
Love the soap idea! I’m planning on doing a similar things with candles scraps! Thankfully most of my candles so far are the small unscented ones so the frankencandle smell won’t be too weird/overpowering
Also if you have bread that has gone hard and dry- make a bread pudding :) Usually I make it with egg, oatmilk, cinnamon, butter and apples or berries. But you can most likely make a vegan version without egg easily.
I make bread pudding regularly and fancy it up with sauces, fruits and whipped topping. My favorite is rum raisin! It is so different each time depending on the type of bread/spices/ flavorings I use. My handyman loves it and says it is the best dessert he's ever had. His favorite is French toast with nuts and honey He couldn't believe that the main ingredient was stale bread!
First of all, thank YOU for posting this video. Too much glamorised videos of all white empty interiors with one spork and one 🥣 and one large dark green plant . So again a big thank you Also, to add to your point of view, consider trying to make it stylish...is my suggestion. The thrill of using our brains to find an aesthetically pleasing solution is quite another level. I think the Japanese with their boro techniques opened my eyes to that. Waabi Saabi , Kintsugi and Boro. Instead of Sustainable but Ugly, we could ask ourselves...how can I make it Sustainable AND elegant. As my son says, we want to attract people to this way of life, not repel them. I am coming across as preachy and that is NOT my intention. I only want us to be a tribe of evangelists who attract more to follow this way of life. Knowing carpentry, sewing and electrical work will surely help in making elegant sustainable solutions and surroundings.
Esther, totally agree about the elegant aspect. Yrs ago I found a bag of (school uniform) t-shirts in a trash bag. I gathered what I thought I could utilize & included them in a quilt I made & donated for a school fundraiser. Even tho it took 6mos it was fun to make, unusual and actually brought in just over $1k - out of all the quilts I made in the last 10-12 yrs, it was one of my favorites and a great example of elegance thru "creative recycling"
My favorite "ugly" item is a light fixture that's supposed to be solar charged to light up outside, but doesn't really work - we use it as a pen holder!
I agree with you with the discarted food but also they will keep producing packeged food if we keep on buying it doesn't it? I sometimes do it as well. I take hair ties as well :)
What I do with the soaps is I just use it up till its completely gone, at the end you will have a teeny-tiny peace of soap but in most cases it still works fine! 🙃
A bit of a weird thing that I don’t even know how healthy it is which I do is writing notes on my skin 😅 I usually forget what I write down if it’s not in my immediate view (probably an ADHD thing) so I just take my notes on my forearm and important ones on my palm
I just LOVE to use plastic packages as containers for handling neighbors food (so I don’t be upset when they don’t give then back) or to buy spices, so I can reuse the containers (even if I storage the products on glass when at home, to preserve flavor and smell a bit better) and avoid the fragile plastic bags (Not a native speaker, probably lots of mistakes, please lmk if I wasn’t clear enough)
Late comment! I reuse Jeans and TShirts as classic cleaning- and workshop rags. Sometimes, when I break a jar with something in it and need to wipe down the floor these come with less guilt throwing out a rag with glass pieces in them (instead of washing and finding glass shards in other cloth pieces...) .
I’ve always been a street hair tie collector. It started when I used to find necklaces or little doodads on the playground as a kid. I love giving these items another life, when they’ve just been left there, abandoned and forgotten.
I love all the tips, like reusing cans, old sheets, hair ties, and pillow stuffing. My friend taught me to fuse the same soap with the new one by showering with both getting wet once, then hand pressing them at the end. They're dry & fused by the next shower.
Because of my cats, I no longer use the thin hair ties, but only scrunchies (my cats would eat every hairtie if they could, and I don't want them to face a trip to the hospital because of it)
Love these because it also touches on integrating imperfect sustainability into your lifestyle. You don’t have to be zero waste to be more environmentally friendly
My hubby uses margarine tubs to store loose change etc in his bed side cabinet and other drawers, we also have loads of elastic bands my father in law used to collect on his walks after postman had discarded them. We have way too many. So if anyone is in Kent uk and wants some elastic bands do not hesitate to ask for any x we hardly use them x
check out the guide I posted, I put the link in the description as well - the key is to add a bit of water and press the soap tightly together during the re-mold
About being "ugly" - The last cat we had ate his dry food from a heavy, leaded, cut crystal, round candy dish. The color didn't interfere with anything else, the weight kept it from sliding on the floor, and it washed up easily and well; that it only cost $.99 at the thrift store wasn't too sad either. Beside the kitchen sink I have a lesser, oval cut crystal dish which is the perfect shape and size for my small space and tends to visually dissappear. I also have a white, rosette candle holder where I place the piece of steel wool currently in use in the center of so it doesn't rust on anything else. Of course each were thrift store finds at much less cost than something new in plastic at a regular store and significantly cheaper than something comparable at stores marketing sustainability and a newer look.
I really, really, really dislike the term "ugly" when talking about zero waste. I am starting to dislike the term more and more in the world of raised garden beds when coupled with the words saving money, being more sustainable, etc...; 'ya gotta grow a lot of tomatoes and potatoes to recoup the cost of a "good looking", $250-$500/ per bed investment. The list goes on and on. Visually appealing aesthetics is dependent upon the individual and heavily dependent upon the current home decor marketing. Minimalistic or cluttered eclectic - each can be butchered in terms of visual appeal but each is also valid forms of home decor aesthetic. We may prefer one over the other but, not everything which is not trending in the current home decor sales world and marketing is ugly. Towards zero waste, sustainability, and lomgetivity - I don't know how people can participate by getting rid of all that is old, all that is repurposed or re-used, and all that doesn't perfectly match.
I don't think any of this is ugly, because it's presented by a beautiful person. My unfashionable tips for sustainability and low waste: Freeze your vegetables peels and use them to make stock, huge batch of stock and then bottle it and use canning method to preserve it. Really, this saved us serious cash on stock overall, as we love our soups. Bake two batches of banana bread, cake, bread in the oven if your oven allows it, you will save energy and you can freeze the other one (unless like me you have husband and two sons and thus cook like you're on a conveyor belt) and take it out slice by slice. Fill buckets of water when you are running your shower before you get into it, when you wait for it to get hot. You will have water for watering your plants, for me even my garden with 4 humans in the house. Make your own breadcrumbs, croutons, etc using your stale bread. Your soups will thank you.
I have a funny sustainability story from this week - one of my son's is a chef and needed a laptop for work, so was planning to go to a local independent shop where they fix and sell refurbished computers, but it wasn't open when he went past so he went to a big electric appliance shop, where the staff tried to upsell him, but didn't really know enough about the laptops. So he went back to the local independent shop, where one of the staff took about 40 minutes to find out what he wanted, show him what they had and sell him the laptop. Because, not only did they have the second hand laptops, they also had knowledge about what they sell.
How do you make decisions regarding hygiene when getting things out of skip bins and off the street? I would find it hard to use something out of a bin especially if the bin was putrid ect..
I flush the toilet with the water I use to mop the floors, I save plastic takeaway containers and reuse aluminium baking forms (when I can because sometimes they cannot be reused when they break or when it's too hard to clean them).
love your efforts to make sustainability available to more people!
my unfashionable tip for sustainability: Freeze your bread! I've done this for years now, and haven't wasted a single slice since. Just take the slices you need out, let it thaw for a few minutes or toast it if you're in a hurry, and you're ready to go! Bonus: it always tastes fresh.
And I completely agree on your tips with regard to using the plastic containers you already have!
It really bugs me when people throw away (oh, the irony!) perfectly fine containers just to replace them with glass etc. Especially since in terms of weight, thermal capacity ( the energy it takes your freezer to cool them) and 'stackability', it is sometimes the more sustainable option.
Plastic is not the bubonic plague; owning it is not that problematic, discarding and buying is.
Absolutely love this comment, both the tip and regarding the use of plastic containers! 🌿🌿
Absolutely! I really agree with you. Don’t forget you can freeze your breadcrumbs too. Another quick tip - when using old sheets for napkins etc. there’s no need to take time cutting with scissors, just make a little cut on the edge and tear the sheet. All your pieces will be nice and straight/square as the rip follows the weave. I also do this with old worn out towels to make dish cloths , face cloths and hand towels. You may want to run a machine stitch around the edges, but it’s not necessary.
I put my soap scraps in a little aluminium container and use it as shaving soap with a brush. But I want to try to do a frankinsoap with coffee grounds as exfoliator once mine runs out.
Love this video! Super practical!
Dumpster diving is a BEAUTIFUL way to reject the capitalist obsession with profits over food access equity. Love that you talk about it 🙏
YES YES YES
Here, we have enough of a homeless population and also compactors so dumpster diving isnt as possible. I do rubber neck when we drive through industrial area looking at all of the assorted wood based and broken materials items out and available. I also look curb side on garbage pick-up day and where ever there is a pile of stuff with a "free" sign. - Alas, we are currently filled up with finds and, we're not carting stuff home which doesn't have a direct and purposeful use. - It is kinda nice when an eco-friendly trend, approach, or behavior change aligns right up with what you are already doing.
Capitalism isn't the problem, it's corporate greed that is. I can see dumpster diving being useful but I have yet to be so brave.
I wish it was legal in Germany :(
@@art.ikulation-stimme2123it isn't in New Zealand either
Please make more of those! These may be “ugly” but they are probably the most effective and easiest to do
Thank you for the video 💖✨🫶🏻
I will 😎✨
I compost my hair. I have a lot of hair on my brush. I've stuck my small soap on a larger soap. My husband doesn't like it but I've also boiled shavings of soap in water to make a snoting liquid soap. I too have been picking up rubber bands. Funny they're everywhere once you spot one.
Here in the USA, it is very easy to buy beautiful barely used cloth napkins and handkerchiefs and all sorts of bedlinens etc for very little money at charity thrift shops.. Recently I bought a beautiful linen tablecloth and 4 matching napkins for $3 at a thrift shop. They were still in the original wrappings! Also dishes and other kitchen items are very inexpensive there.
I repurpose and use all my old household towels, linens and bedding again and again. When they start to wear out from their original purpose I demote them! Then they are cleaning cloths for general messes. Later, they become useful in car washing, furniture waxing and pet mess cleanup. Then, they'll be used as firestarter plugs for campfires. So they go out in a blaze of glory! 🔥 🔥 🔥
Fantastic!
I work at a school, so there are a lot of pens and pencils that get dropped on the ground. I take them, wipe them with sanister, and if a pen is broke I take the ink out to use as refills. I used to have to buy new pens and pencils constantly because students would 'borrow' them, now it's more like once a year, I'm pretty sure many of the ones I saved were ones I lent out.
these have been done in my family for generations. but they were giving me discomfort, i always wanted set piece items, new and neat things but thanks to you, and the whole zero waste movement i see on yt etc, i am doing these with pleasure. even i'm happy with my labeled, different shapes and sizes of jars 😃 +proud of you mom and grandma! sorry for couldn't see the meaning of your actions til now. 😅
I feel the same way, now I have such a deep appreciation for the habits I see my grandparents practise to save money and resources, there is so much to learn from them 💚
Thank you for another amazing video. I kinda hated that "zero waste" had been portrayed as a luxury thing. I feel that it is super important that people with all income level can engage in low impact actions on one level or another.
people with low income created sustainable living in the first place, so the fact that it indeed has been commodified so the very same people feel like they can't participate or do well enough because they can't buy the things "needed" is so ironic and also really sad
My snarky comment on this, is of course zero-waste was marketed to and with upper income people! They have more money to spend on new tends.
@@terryhenderson424 yep, exactly. And it kunda makes me mad lol 🙈
@@RarePeach The environmental movement was kept alive by individuals just doing thier little things and by those with health reasons related to organic food. "Zero waste" and being able to keep X years of waste in a little glass jar are admirable. Most of us have plenty of opportunity to shave some waste and purchasing here and there for both personal and environmental benefit; or even re-direct our consumerism and consumption habits a bit at a time based primarily on philosophical reasons. For myself when I learned what the little bubble scrubbing products were, I stopped buying (easy 'cause I had only purchased one) then asked all I knew who might buy me a gift to not buy them for me; the bubbles are plastic beads. There have been others similar but my current push is to steer clear of products packaged in mylar. I divested myself of plastic food containers in the kitchen except for those grocery store items come in (I domlay upto a pretty penny to buy my oils in glass or metal whenever possible), and then my bountiful and functional coffee can storage system, over personal health concerns related to plastics. I'm divesting myself from wonderful feeling and warm microfiber items in general; and this is based in being eco-friendly. - Just pick your poison and make dent in your own world. Realize that materials' end of life and closed loop concepts are/ should be part of your zero waste considerations; and this opens up the world of easy reduced waste life-style changes.
Personally I do find that typical zero waste aesthetic quite ugly. I love that more people are talking about "ugly zero waste" and decoupeling aesthetic from zero waste action. It doesn't feel like I have to give up my prefered aesthetic to be sustainable anymore. I find that very encouraging and motivating.
sustainability is definitly not an aesthetic, no matter our prefereces we can be eco-friendly, and that is so inspiring to me 😍
@@Gittemary Yeah, right? It's really more of a mindset, isn't it? When I first started out on my sustainable journey, I didn't think much about aesthetic, but then it came time to make some bigger changes, replace some stuff and make some zero waste swaps. My area is a thrift store desert, so I don't have much luck finding things second hand and when you try to buy sustainably made products you run into that aesthetic all over the place. I have come to the conclusion that it is better to get a conventionally made product that brings me joy and that motivates me to hold onto as long as possible and to prolong it's live with good maintenance, than to get a sustainably made product that I'll be itching to replace and that might end up killing my motivation for sustainable living alltogether. I still try to find stuff second hand and sustainably made first, but I don't beat myself up anymore, when I end up falling back on conventional options. We can't let sustainability suck all the fun out of our lives. We wont be able to keep it up if we loose ourselfs in the process.
The "make your own reusable rags" thing is a huge thing for me. I have NEVER understood the whole 'unpaper' towels concept.
First of all: an unpaper towel is just a fancy name for a rag.
Secondly: what else do people use worn out towels, bedsheets, and clothes for? Do they actually waste hard earned income on cleaning rags?
You could use the fabric scraps to cover the hair elastic to spice them up a bit :)
That's a great idea!
I just started watching your video and noticed that some of my habits are zero waste already. I was just made more aware that I can be living more sustainably. Thanks.
That's the best feeling, go you! 😍👌
Since I started following you, I've become a huge street hair-tie collector 😂 and the stale bread into breadcrumbs is a staple in our family as well! So smart!
street hair-tie collectors unite!! 😍✨
@@Gittemary 😂 this should be on a t-shirt!
Here where I live (Italy) dumpster diving is not at all popular or easy, but thanks to you and other low waste/environmental conscious content creators I started doing it and I feel like that's one of the most amazing changes I've done in my life. I'm really astonished by the food waste (alongside with waste of other stuff that gets thrown away), but still I try to save and share as much as I can.
I also pick up rubber bands 🤣 I now have a huge collection. And I also upcycle plastic containers coming from the dumpster diving sessions.
Honestly, let's embrace the ugly side of the low/zero waste practices :)
Scusami ma per dumpster diving cosa si intende ? Cercare nella spazzatura/discariche ? Cioè, ho visto il video ma in Italia si può fare legalmente ?
@@marrykozakura9352 si, si intende questo. Tecnicamente è vietato, ma poi varia molto la situazione caso per caso. In Italia come dicevo su non è incoraggiato, ma per esempio alcuni supermercati o negozi alimentari lasciano vicino ai cassonetti i prodotti che vengono buttati ma sono ancora in buono stato, proprio per facilitare le persone che potrebbero volerli prendere.
@@dermatitx capisco, grazie per l'informazione! Non so se effettivamente mi metterei a cercare nella spazzatura però anche se è una soluzione più "chic" uso sempre Too good to go per mangiare fuori casa
@@marrykozakura9352 non hai Idea della quantità di cose in ottimo stato o assolutamente recuperabili o ancora a volte totalmente nuove che si trovano nella spazzatura. Ti si apre un mondo xD comunque è ottimo anche too good to go
I pick up hair ties too! Mu husband thought it was weird at first, but now he points them out. Couple other things I do: if I ever boil veggies for anything (like a salad), I save the water and use it as stock or drink it as is. I also save the liquid from pickles (especially the fermented kind) and use it in stews and soups. I still buy toilet paper in plastic packaging (that's the best option where I live) but the bags become garbage bags for the bathroom. I reuse them if they are not gross so each bag can be used at least twice. Better than buying new garbage bags I think.
Great to hear you pick up hair ties. I pick up glasses left by drinkers from the local bars who sneak them out and continue drinking on their way home. I've amassed a large collection of glasses which has the added bonus of saving them from becoming broken glass and a hazard for pets.
As someone who lived in town and had to pick up broken glass from the other side of my garden wall multiple times, I really appreciate your 'rehoming' system for lost glasses 😅 saves me time, the animals injury and the planet and your wallet!
I found at least 10 hair ties last month. 😅 But I also lost few of mine so yeah. It's all about balance. 😄
Wow, I've been passing by street hair ties feeling like I'm leaving a little treasure behind. The hell with it, from now on, I'll start picking them up! It's so random you mentioned it!!
Two days ago I went dumpster diving for the first time!
It was a great experience and I even got a beautiful flower bouquet for mothers day out of it ^^
that's amazing, congrats on your first dive! 😍
Long live reusable plastic tuppers!!!! I’ve been teaching for 35 years and during that time I’ve used two reusable lunch bags (got two decades out of my first one before it blew out), and I have used mostly the same tuppers for decades.. Like you said Gittemary, the trick is to avoid heating them and also to wash them immediately after lunch. I also have a plastic tupper that is dedicated solely to my lunch compost. I use it to bring home all my fruit peels, apple cores, etc. My school does not have a composting program so I bring my green waste home in a tupper and put it in with our home compost. I love glass, bamboo, and stainless steel but I also have huge love for my faithful ol’ lunch bag and my reusable tuppers. Great video Gittemary… I would love to see more vids like this one as I feel we need to de-emphasize the aesthetic of the ZW movement. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕🌿
I absolutely love your idea of compost tupper! This one I'll take with your permission to my own practice and teach it to my kids! Thank you!
@@YKKY You are certainly welcome to adopt the “Compost Tupper” method with your family… no permission required. Over time, it is amazing how much green waste has come home with me and avoided being tossed in the land fill each day. Bringing home my fruit peels, apple cores, etc is so easy… I just re-use an old yogurt container which has become a bit discoloured over time, but it does not smell. I’m glad you like the idea, and I want to thank-you for your comment. Have a great day. Ⓜ️ary🍌🍎🍊 PS - I use my orange peels to make “Citrus Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner” which is another way to use my orange peels… but I’m sure you know all about that hack 🍊
I have kept some very old tights. I have saved soap ends for years. Even tiny bits. I cut a bit off a tight leg. Knot one end, put soap pieces in and another knot. Great for the kitchen and the nylon helps scrub hands after gardening.
So true! I remember seeing in a sustainibility group people just trwoing away all the plastic container to buy brand new amazing pretty maison jar to have all matching jar for bulk shopping
oh noooooo that's awkward
Love these. The soap remelting one is new to me. Have to try it out some time
7:28 my mother used to do this too using cheese grater cause we didn't have a food processor /blender.
I don't melt my soap scraps together to make a frankensoap, but I don't throw them away either. I stick my old soap scrap onto my new bar of soap. There's a method to this. I use my old soap until it's very thin. By then, one side of it tends to be a little flatter than the other side. I make scratches on that side in a cross hatch pattern. I do the same on one side of a new bar of soap. I then moisten the scratched sides of both pieces of soap with water and press them firmly together. You have to press out all the air pockets that might be between them. I then press down the edges of the old soap even more, to make them as flush with the new soap as possible. Any soapy paste that oozes out from between the two soaps gets rubbed into the seam to help fill in the gaps. I can then use this as if it's just one bar of soap. This works best when the two bars of soap are the same type, both fat/oil based or both glycerin based. It tends not to work as well when you try to stick a fat/oil based to a glycerin based.
hair-tie-collection is growing and I hope that the ones I loose all the time are picked up by someone else.🤪
Will start to use my veggie-water from now on
Love these videos
I give them to friends, family , my boyfriend .. I have too many. The pretty scrunchies I give them away with my vinted orders.
@@irenero8932 👍
I don't know what is "ugly" in repairing clothes. For me it's normal to repair some small damages in my clothes, bc buying new would be simply wasting money
Is it a good idea to shop in the 'reduced to clear ' section of the supermarket? Does it stop these goods ending up in the bin? I don't think I'm ready for dumpster diving, my teenagers would kill me.
See if there is a store in your area where they sell dented boxes, tins with ripped labels, recently out of date items
One ugly way nowadays is to say to your boss: either I come one day less to the office, or I'm gone. I tried it myself, being in education it means they have to do some serious puzzling to get the classroom hours in fewer days, but with the labour market being so difficult, it worked, I still teach the same number of groups. So instead of 3 days commuting, I now do 2. I did have to cut my salary a bit for it, but that is another great way of reducing impact.
I do all of these too! really glad you continue to talk about dumpster diving I think it's the ultimate eco thing someone can do. and to just be informed on how wasteful our society is
I love the idea of using old fabric for pillow stuffing! My duvet has officially become too worn and I have been struggling to figure out what to do with it. Perfect timing.
Could I interview you for georgian2go on sustainability and zero waste? I'm based in Germany but we make videos about the georgian language and culture and would love to push the channel into a sistainable/zero waste direction... Inspired by you. Sadly there is not enough conciousness in Georgia for these things so you sharing some knowledge and experience would be amazing....i would send you the questions in written form ahead of time and it would be amazing if you could record the answers. Would you be up for it? Where should I write you?
Hi! Maybe you should write her on her business inquiries email.
The hair-tie idea is actually smart. I've always been tempted, but unsure how to make sure it was clean to use!
I’m delighted that you mentioned your grandmother, I’m a grandma and I have always done these things - except for dumpster diving, I have no objection but I’m a bit old for that 🙃🙂!
This series is AMAZING! I feel like I'm learning so much from them and I can't wait to see more 😊 thank you
I love melting soap bars together. I have a soap business and I take all the scraps and shavings that fall off from cutting the bars and grind them up into laundry detergent. I honestly have not bought laundry detergent in over 2 years...well shoot that goes for a lot of things now. I didn't realize how far I've come on my journey!
Leftover plastic food containers (from yogurt or hummus or whatever) make great holders for shampoo bars, soap, body scrubs, etc. in the shower, since they don't rust and won't break.
Using neatly cut rectangles using pinking shears out of tee shirts as Panty Liners...laundering them and reusing (sorry boys, it's a thing...), Composting small fabric offcuts (cotton and linen),
Patching over stains in clothing with a bright fabric square or making a flower using the stain as a center. I've torn my black cotton trousers and mended it creatively. Got lots of enquiries over where I bought it from. ;)
I like using stale bread, the ends of the loaf, and bread from baskets at restaurants to make croutons for topping my salads or soups. Just cut them into cubes, toss with oil and seasoning, then bake until lightly browned.
None of them turned out ugly in my opinion, but I understand the title ^_^
This is absolute gold!! Thank you for these, I will be sharing this to spread these ideas
I just stick the small leftover soap on to the new soap, it is not that pretty but it works for me 😁
I do the hair tie thing to. Until now it felt like stealing. Especially if I found a pretty one🙈.
Thank you for sharing and changing my mind.
Another awesome sustainable video from Gittemary and love 🥰it. Love 💕 Gittemary.
I enjoy watching your videos about saving food from the dumpster love love those videos keep up the good work 😃 I would do the same thing that you do but I can't all my stores have locks on their dumpsters but I'm happy that you do it so I can watch your videos love what you do 😃
The only litter for our cats litterbox that they accept comes in a plastic bag, so I have a System where I keep the empty bags and use them to discard the dirty litter. Not ideal but at least I am saving some garbage bags.
Please keep posting every couple of months, or even weekly (lol). Most of the zero waste utubes are upto years old, infrequent, and upto extreme.
I love that you mentioned fabric scraps as stuffing!I even use them in my couch cushions,dog beds,beanbags,etc.. And if you dont sew,find a local seamstress that does..they will have tons!
Your teeth are so white! Is this thanks to the tooth tabs that you use to brush your teeth?
Love the soap idea! I’m planning on doing a similar things with candles scraps! Thankfully most of my candles so far are the small unscented ones so the frankencandle smell won’t be too weird/overpowering
Also if you have bread that has gone hard and dry- make a bread pudding :) Usually I make it with egg, oatmilk, cinnamon, butter and apples or berries. But you can most likely make a vegan version without egg easily.
I make bread pudding regularly and fancy it up with sauces, fruits and whipped topping. My favorite is rum raisin! It is so different each time depending on the type of bread/spices/ flavorings I use. My handyman loves it and says it is the best dessert he's ever had. His favorite is French toast with nuts and honey He couldn't believe that the main ingredient was stale bread!
@@janetstonerook4552 Oh rum raisin sounds really good!
Omg ive been totally thinking about stuffing pillowcases with old fabric/clothes… you’ve just pushed me into actually doing it 😂
This is one thing I had never thought of, but I am so excited to start doing it!
I’ve used old plastic containers for drawer organizers as well
First of all, thank YOU for posting this video. Too much glamorised videos of all white empty interiors with one spork and one 🥣 and one large dark green plant . So again a big thank you
Also, to add to your point of view, consider trying to make it stylish...is my suggestion. The thrill of using our brains to find an aesthetically pleasing solution is quite another level. I think the Japanese with their boro techniques opened my eyes to that. Waabi Saabi , Kintsugi and Boro.
Instead of Sustainable but Ugly, we could ask ourselves...how can I make it Sustainable AND elegant.
As my son says, we want to attract people to this way of life, not repel them.
I am coming across as preachy and that is NOT my intention. I only want us to be a tribe of evangelists who attract more to follow this way of life. Knowing carpentry, sewing and electrical work will surely help in making elegant sustainable solutions and surroundings.
Esther, totally agree about the elegant aspect.
Yrs ago I found a bag of (school uniform) t-shirts in a trash bag. I gathered what I thought I could utilize & included them in a quilt I made & donated for a school fundraiser. Even tho it took 6mos it was fun to make, unusual and actually brought in just over $1k - out of all the quilts I made in the last 10-12 yrs, it was one of my favorites and a great example of elegance thru "creative recycling"
My favorite "ugly" item is a light fixture that's supposed to be solar charged to light up outside, but doesn't really work - we use it as a pen holder!
The Frankensoap looks like forbidden candy... I want to take a bite :X
Oh! The trick of hiding the clothes into a pillow is so original! Jeje. Superb video!! 👌
I agree with you with the discarted food but also they will keep producing packeged food if we keep on buying it doesn't it? I sometimes do it as well. I take hair ties as well :)
I’m so happy that I use and do almost everything on this list
So many new ideas in this video! Love it!
Thank you for the video and especially the short summary at the end. My brain LOVES that repetition ❤🌱
Thank you so much for this vid! super helpful!!
What I do with the soaps is I just use it up till its completely gone, at the end you will have a teeny-tiny peace of soap but in most cases it still works fine! 🙃
Bit random but I make energy balls with dates.... you add Oats and nuts etc but I also add the crumbs from my cereal box and biscuit box 😆
A bit of a weird thing that I don’t even know how healthy it is which I do is writing notes on my skin 😅 I usually forget what I write down if it’s not in my immediate view (probably an ADHD thing) so I just take my notes on my forearm and important ones on my palm
I just LOVE to use plastic packages as containers for handling neighbors food (so I don’t be upset when they don’t give then back) or to buy spices, so I can reuse the containers (even if I storage the products on glass when at home, to preserve flavor and smell a bit better) and avoid the fragile plastic bags
(Not a native speaker, probably lots of mistakes, please lmk if I wasn’t clear enough)
Just when I was thinking I was the only one who picked up hair ties from the street🙏🤩
Great video Gittemary!
Late comment! I reuse Jeans and TShirts as classic cleaning- and workshop rags. Sometimes, when I break a jar with something in it and need to wipe down the floor these come with less guilt throwing out a rag with glass pieces in them (instead of washing and finding glass shards in other cloth pieces...) .
My mom was raised during G-Depression - I remember her using the stale bread to make bread pudding. It was really good.
I’ve always been a street hair tie collector. It started when I used to find necklaces or little doodads on the playground as a kid. I love giving these items another life, when they’ve just been left there, abandoned and forgotten.
Patching bags/rucksacks too :) and you can make hand-wash from soap scraps
love this!!!!!
I love all the tips, like reusing cans, old sheets, hair ties, and pillow stuffing. My friend taught me to fuse the same soap with the new one by showering with both getting wet once, then hand pressing them at the end. They're dry & fused by the next shower.
Because of my cats, I no longer use the thin hair ties, but only scrunchies (my cats would eat every hairtie if they could, and I don't want them to face a trip to the hospital because of it)
It's so sad that you have to explain your intention. Way too many people are far too easily offended.
Thank you for this video. Very great tips! Great habits for people to develop.
I love your tips - thanks! I pick up elastic bands a lot. The post people drop them all over the street
I like scrunchies but I got a lot for free and I just wash them once in a while and they are clean again.
For years I didn’t even know that bread crumbs were sold in store because my mom always made them!
Okay! 🤢 I couldn't get past the first one.🤮🤮
I thought I was the only one collecting discarded hair ties from the streets... Happy to see I were wrong!
My mother always told me not to throw out the water that you cook vegetables too but that water has a lot of the vitamins in it. Add it to your soup.
Love these because it also touches on integrating imperfect sustainability into your lifestyle. You don’t have to be zero waste to be more environmentally friendly
My hubby uses margarine tubs to store loose change etc in his bed side cabinet and other drawers, we also have loads of elastic bands my father in law used to collect on his walks after postman had discarded them. We have way too many. So if anyone is in Kent uk and wants some elastic bands do not hesitate to ask for any x we hardly use them x
I think we have to great rid of the idea that if something is stained, ripped or old it needs to be replaced.
Haha I do the same thing with hairties. Recently, I heard about cutting the legs of old thights to use them as hairties. Will be trying it soon!
yeah, never find hair scrunchy's or hair ties on the streat
1:35 I love this commentary!!
Can you please show how you melt soaps? I did it but after a few uses, soap started to break into pieces :(
check out the guide I posted, I put the link in the description as well - the key is to add a bit of water and press the soap tightly together during the re-mold
@@Gittemary I saw the video that you put it in the description box, thank you 🤗🤗🤗
What’s under your eyes?
dots
About being "ugly" - The last cat we had ate his dry food from a heavy, leaded, cut crystal, round candy dish. The color didn't interfere with anything else, the weight kept it from sliding on the floor, and it washed up easily and well; that it only cost $.99 at the thrift store wasn't too sad either. Beside the kitchen sink I have a lesser, oval cut crystal dish which is the perfect shape and size for my small space and tends to visually dissappear. I also have a white, rosette candle holder where I place the piece of steel wool currently in use in the center of so it doesn't rust on anything else. Of course each were thrift store finds at much less cost than something new in plastic at a regular store and significantly cheaper than something comparable at stores marketing sustainability and a newer look.
❤❤❤❤ live this vid
Oh my!! The hair tie one. ❤
I really, really, really dislike the term "ugly" when talking about zero waste. I am starting to dislike the term more and more in the world of raised garden beds when coupled with the words saving money, being more sustainable, etc...; 'ya gotta grow a lot of tomatoes and potatoes to recoup the cost of a "good looking", $250-$500/ per bed investment. The list goes on and on. Visually appealing aesthetics is dependent upon the individual and heavily dependent upon the current home decor marketing. Minimalistic or cluttered eclectic - each can be butchered in terms of visual appeal but each is also valid forms of home decor aesthetic. We may prefer one over the other but, not everything which is not trending in the current home decor sales world and marketing is ugly. Towards zero waste, sustainability, and lomgetivity - I don't know how people can participate by getting rid of all that is old, all that is repurposed or re-used, and all that doesn't perfectly match.
I don't think any of this is ugly, because it's presented by a beautiful person.
My unfashionable tips for sustainability and low waste: Freeze your vegetables peels and use them to make stock, huge batch of stock and then bottle it and use canning method to preserve it. Really, this saved us serious cash on stock overall, as we love our soups.
Bake two batches of banana bread, cake, bread in the oven if your oven allows it, you will save energy and you can freeze the other one (unless like me you have husband and two sons and thus cook like you're on a conveyor belt) and take it out slice by slice.
Fill buckets of water when you are running your shower before you get into it, when you wait for it to get hot. You will have water for watering your plants, for me even my garden with 4 humans in the house.
Make your own breadcrumbs, croutons, etc using your stale bread. Your soups will thank you.
I have a funny sustainability story from this week - one of my son's is a chef and needed a laptop for work, so was planning to go to a local independent shop where they fix and sell refurbished computers, but it wasn't open when he went past so he went to a big electric appliance shop, where the staff tried to upsell him, but didn't really know enough about the laptops. So he went back to the local independent shop, where one of the staff took about 40 minutes to find out what he wanted, show him what they had and sell him the laptop. Because, not only did they have the second hand laptops, they also had knowledge about what they sell.
How do you make decisions regarding hygiene when getting things out of skip bins and off the street? I would find it hard to use something out of a bin especially if the bin was putrid ect..
I flush the toilet with the water I use to mop the floors, I save plastic takeaway containers and reuse aluminium baking forms (when I can because sometimes they cannot be reused when they break or when it's too hard to clean them).