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Four Years’ Trash in a Single Jar
1 Min Read
CNN has a look at the lifestyle of Lauren Singer, a New Yorker with a passion for zero waste. She claims that within the past four years, all the trash she’s produced can fit within a single 16-oz. mason jar.
(Singer’s not the only example of a consumer that’s cut down to be highlighted by the mainstream media. Bea Johnson and her family were featured as part of the United States of Trash special on CNN in 2015.)
One tactic of Singer’s is to avoid packaging and bringing her own containers to grocery stores and by making her own household items.
Here’s one example from the piece:
It's about making small changes. For example, if you order a drink at a bar, just ask the bartender to not put a straw in your drink, Singer suggests. When you go shopping, take a cloth bag with you. And if you can't find toothpaste that doesn't come in a plastic tube, make your own.
"Everyone thinks it's really hard to make your own toothpaste but I think it's hard to go and buy my own," says Singer.
"I would have to get dressed, walk to the store, buy toothpaste, walk back - and I've spent $8 and wasted 30 minutes of my day. Whereas if I make my own toothpaste, it's three ingredients, I can do it naked in my kitchen and it takes me 30 seconds and doesn't cost more than 50 cents."
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