5 Easy low-waste swaps during quarantine
Before we get into this, let me remind you in case you haven’t heard lately:
You do not have to “make the most”of a global crisis. You do not have to be “pandemic productive.” You do not have to do anything but take care of yourself and survive. If you have energy to take on projects that feel interesting to you, AMAZING - let’s do this!
This is, of course, a judgement free zone. None of us are perfect, least of all me, so let’s jump into this with the assumption that we’re all humans doing the best we can.
Lockdown. Quarantine. Shelter-in-place.
They told us to be ready to not leave our houses for weeks on end. So we went and did a wee bit of shopping. Real talk: when our household was out buying what we thought we might need in case of a full isolation situation, most of our usual slow-living, low-waste guidelines went straight out the window. We came home in a whirlwind of single-use plastics. (At least we managed to bring our own tote bags?) Now as we settle into this new normal, we are calming down, reassessing, and asking ourselves how we can fit our normal sustainable living parameters around these unprecedented circumstances.
The whole pandemic environment is plastic-heavy by nature - and for very good reason! The single-use personal protective equipment keeps the virus out of our systems. Low-waste and reusable options are often just not as safe, leaving us vulnerable to cross-contamination. Our focus needs to be on social distancing and hand washing - and for the love of god stop touching your face.
Bandanas are apparently also acceptable.
The CDC has (as of April 6, 2020 - life changes so fast these days, I will try and update if this becomes irrelevant) recommended that everyone wear face masks when out in public. If you want to sew your own, check out this great free pattern. Here’s a no-sew version if you’re not feeling crafty. Remember to wash after every use!
Unfortunately it is not recommended to wash plastic gloves or to use gardening gloves or other non-plastic, reusable hand coverings. Put your focus on hand washing hygiene. We’re going through a lot of our lavender rosemary hand soap that we get from The Good Fill. We usually take in our old other-brand soap bottles and get them refilled, but now we’ll have the refills shipped to our home.
This is also a great time to experiment with bulk shopping. Many grocery stores now are offering bulk sections where you can take your own cloth bags and fill them with lentils, rice, or whatever flours and seeds you need for your pantry. Most of the reusable bulk bin bags you can find online also have the tare weight of the bag clearly labeled on the outside. (Pro tip: take a picture of the bin tag and item number to make checkout easier). And don’t forget your reusable jars and bottles for the liquids and butters!
If you fell prey to the toilet-paper-hoarding madness, take a deep breath, and check out Who Gives A Crap. They sold out, too, during the onslaught, but when they’re back in stock, I can testify that their recycled, tree-free TP is effective, soft, and looks cute on a shelf. (Bonus points for shipping to my house!)
To make up for the careless way we stocked up, we’re trying to make every effort to recycle as much as possible (Nashville does NOT make this easy).
And if you’re worried about getting fresh vegetables during this time, please consider supporting a local farmer through a CSA program. For many small farms, this early spring season relies very heavily on restaurant orders, and with restaurants off limits, they may be feeling the pinch. We don’t know what farmers markets will look like this summer, but if you have a favorite, reach out and see how you can help!
We’re going to keep doing our best and feeling whatever we need to feel, one day at a time.
