The Art of Needing Less: A Minimalist Practice for Reducing Waste
Single-use razors, plastic food packaging, bottled water — there are so many items we use daily that end up in the trash (even if we think it’s being recycled). Much of what we use today has come from a need for a faster, more efficient way of getting through the day. Over the years, with the benefit of globalization, capitalism, and modern technology, day-to-day tasks have become easier and less time-consuming. Instead of cooking, food can be ordered right to our door. Rather than searching for something used, it can be bought new and cheap — not to mention almost anything can be purchased online and sent right to your door. We can’t help but be guilty of these behaviours; they are common, and oftentimes encouraged!
These adaptations to a busy life aren’t all bad — we’ve seen the crucial necessity surgical masks, gloves, and single-use cleaning products have played in the COVID-19 pandemic — and they have helped improve the lives of many people around the world. If, however, we implement more sustainable lifestyle practices, we can reduce our participation in a fossil-fuelled linear economy, while also sending a clear message to companies who participate in polluting practices that we do not support them.
Some examples of sustainable lifestyle choices could be:
purchasing higher-quality, locally-made products that last
mending broken belongings instead of throwing them away
getting groceries from bulk or zero-waste refill stores
meal prepping and cooking from home
purchasing available zero-waste products instead of single-use ones
using what we already have at home
I want to preface that I don’t define myself as a minimalist; while I try to incorporate minimalist practices into my home and lifestyle, I have still much to learn. I am, however, a firm believer that living with less can contribute positively toward mental health, waste reduction, and environmental sustainability.
Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle choices play a significant part in the waste that we create. Shopping frequently from fast-fashion brands like Shein, H&M, GAP, or Forever21 (just to name a few), smoking cigarettes and leaving your cigarette butts on the ground, ordering takeout or getting fast-food consistently, and buying things and throwing them away with little thought about where they will end up are a few examples of lifestyle choices that directly or indirectly contribute to the detrimental linear lifecycle of resource extraction and pollution.
Changing lifestyle habits can be tricky, but here are some tips:
Watch a documentary or read a book on zero waste, pollution, or climate change to learn more about the subject (my favourite book on living with less is Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Get a friend to join you! It’s always easier to create new habits when you have a friend to keep each other accountable
Follow environmental non-profit organizations and zero-waste accounts on social media
Use what you already own – you’ll save money, too!
Avoid “Greenwashing”
A significant way that we can reduce our involvement in a linear economy and live a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly lifestyle, is by changing our shopping habits. Now more than ever is it easy to shop — phone apps can split payments up into instalments so you don’t have to wait to buy, and online shopping can be as simple as clicking “purchase”. Stephanie Marie Seferian, the author of Sustainable Minimalism, points out that we don’t shop because of what we want, we shop because of who we want to be.
The limits of this don’t stop at environmentalists and the eco-conscious, either. From the almost-effortless rebranding of a regular product to seem more environmentally friendly — a process known as “greenwashing” — to products aimed at lessening single-use plastics, there are many things we as consumers can buy to feel better about our impact on the environment. What’s important to consider is whether these choices are indeed sustainable. For example, instead of buying a new reusable water bottle that advertises an eco-friendly lifestyle, just use the one you already have in your cupboard.
“The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.” – Joshua Becker, The More of Less
Only Buy What You Really Need
I am a firm supporter of brands and businesses that are creating quality, reusable everyday items that are diverting waste from the landfill and inspiring people to be more mindful about what they are throwing away. While I do have many of these kinds of things in my home, I do believe that sustainability is being aestheticized, which further encourages us to purchase products when we likely have (albeit less beautiful) zero-waste options at our very fingertips.
Joshua Becker, the author of The More of Less and creator of becomingminimalist.com, has said that “the most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy”. While there are definitely scenarios when you need to buy something new, don’t throw out an object you already have to buy the more eco-friendly version. We are responsible for the life cycle an object has; even if we donate something or pass it off to a friend, we have no idea how quickly it will end up in the landfill once it’s out of our hands.
To combat a habit of overbuying, Seferian suggests in her book Sustainable Minimalism to try a month of no spending — that is, purchasing things only you need (like groceries, toiletries, and medication). Not only will you save money, but it will help “retrain your brain to desire less” and remind you of what you need, versus what you want.
The Art of Needing Less
To summarize, the best things you can do to minimize waste are:
Incorporate healthier lifestyle habits and phase out the wasteful ones
When switching to more climate-conscious habits, make sure to research the companies you support when shopping, and avoid companies that promise a greener lifestyle in an effort to encourage a sale
Shop only for the necessities, and when you are shopping for extra, fun items, make your choices mindfully by supporting local businesses, buying thrift or used items, etc.
Learning to live with less is not something that comes naturally; in a society that prioritizes and reinforces instantaneous interaction, it can feel like a confusing return to earlier times (why learn to sew when you could buy it new online and have it delivered to your door tomorrow?). But, there are more benefits to slowing down certain aspects of life than you might first think.
Know that you cannot be perfect. It is much healthier to do what you can instead of collapsing under the weight of global climate change. Work on making positive changes, have fun with it, and repeat after me: we do not support fast-fashion brands.
