The zero-waste movement came into being as an effort of a special community to make this world better. This group of people tries to challenge the contemporary way of life, to fight the overcrowded spaces with stuff and waste, to make life simpler by reusing and recycling the products you already have in your house, and to make zero waste as Earth dwellers. They try to maintain so-called conscious consumerism and to be as economical as possible with all their possessions. There are many blogs supporting the zero-waste movement, one of them being ‘Trash is for Tossers’ (TIFT), which presents you with many tips and tricks on how to build up a zero-waste lifestyle.
Who stands behind TIFT?
The creator of the blog, Lauren Singer, has become famous for her 4-year-old trash jar. She ironically called it the trash mason jar, and she put various kinds of plastic into it like wristbands, straws, credit cards, straps of synthetic clothing, and many more. She kept it closed for four years, and when she opened it, she made a video where she listed all the pieces of trash which had been put in the jar. Even after four years, the plastic pieces stayed untouched and didn’t disintegrate at all. Lauren could recognize each piece of trash and remember the exact ways she had collected them. Moreover, that was all the trash she had thrown away in 4 years.
Zero-Waste Lifestyle
The mentioned video showed Lauren’s passion to sustain a healthy environment by producing zero waste and by avoiding plastic and single-use disposables. She strongly believes that even a single individual can make a significant effect on others to take care of the environment, and her figures show that she has saved 18 000 kilos of waste in the last five years. Today, Lauren works as CEO of the organic cleaning product company The Simply Co., and, at the same time, manages to run Package Free shop, the world’s first Zero Waste lifestyle store. Her work has been followed by the New York Times, New York Magazine, Vogue, CNN, Fox Business, Yahoo, BBC, and many others.
Apart from the blog, Lauren manages her TIFT Instagram account and YouTube channel. Her Instagram account counts more than 365 000 followers and puts a highlight on short daily events, routines, and actions Lauren takes. Moreover, she frequently tags other zero-waste accounts which you can check out. TIFT’s YouTube channel contains interesting videos on the steps you can take to lead a zero-waste lifestyle. Lauren shows you how to live zero-waste with contact lenses, how to buy a coffee without making waste, how to compost anywhere, what to use as a waste-free deodorant and toothpaste, and many more.
Is it fun?
Lauren believes that the DIY approach to life can lead to zero waste, and she underlines that this kind of lifestyle is economical and fun above all. She herself was inspired by Rachel Carson and Bea Johnson, the authors and the activists whom she often cites and who awaken her interests in environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability is her primary goal, and it seems that she inspired lots of other people to live a zero-waste lifestyle.