Plastic Pollution

When I moved to Ottawa in 2015, hardly anyone had heard of zero waste, there were no “package free” shops. Thanks to the folks at Nu, now there are two stores specifically dedicated to this kind of grocery shopping.

The truth is, I didn’t start using a reusable bottle because of the environment or to reduce plastic pollution, but rather because making the switch ended a conversation.

I've had the Safety Razor on my list of zero waste swaps since 2015. Why did it take me so long to get one? For one thing, I wasn't sure what I wanted my razor to look like. But most of all, I still had plastic disposable razors to use first.

Does the bulk store you shop at recycle their packaging? Do they compost? What happens to their food waste? Is there compliance with labor laws? What happens behind-the-scenes of a business is just as important.

Buying a shampoo, laundry, or makeup product is also about deconstructing the object. You’re buying the plastic bottle, the ingredients, the health effects. One of the easiest eco-friendly swaps is choosing non toxic liquids.

We’re sold the message that when we get the right stuff, job, clothes, relationship, we'll be happy. If this were true and stuff held intrinsic happiness, we wouldn't need to keep buying, and producing. Because once you got the thing you’d have happiness forever, you wouldn't need more.

Did you know that in most stores every piece of clothing comes shipped to the store in a plastic bag? Each bag gets removed by staff and goes into the garbage, all before the item hits the sales floor. These bags are not usually recyclable.

Breaking habits is difficult, but it’s totally possible. A lot of the time it means getting really honest with yourself, accepting that you may need something specific to make a real change. The first step can be figuring out what’s best suited to who you are.