I WAS invited on a discussion about climate change recently and the points brought up by Melissa Tan, a Zero-Waste advocate and practitioner, put me to shame.

You see, I take pride in my environmental efforts at home and work, but it is NOTHING compared to the mindful steps she’s been practicing for the past 3 years. She assured me that baby steps is key and whilst researching for more information for this article, I came across this quote by Anne Marie Bonneua, a Zero-Waste Chef, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly” which softened the blow for me.

One handy tip? Make it easy for yourself.

Before I continue, let’s start with the definition of zero waste as it differs from one person to another. There are many definitions out there but some term it as less waste, low waste or low impact which many “zero waste idealists” may disagree on, but I think we can firmly agree that at the end of the day, we all want the same thing – to generate as little waste as possible.

In reality, you can’t truly reduce your waste to zero unless you move off the grid. However, you can strive for zero waste - Photo by Daphne Iking

The good news is that more and more people are freaking out about how much garbage they leave behind. With the pandemic lockdown, more folks went shopping online and ordering in – and boy oh boy! While I want to #sapotlokal, I cringed at the amount of bubble wrap, bags of plastics, styrofoams, extra condiments and utensils we did not need – let’s not even get started on the food that goes to waste that was a plenty! (Tip: don’t shop when hungry, an oxymoron when ordering food, but a tip nonetheless because you tend to overshop when you are famished)

So, is Zero Waste possible?

In reality, you can’t truly reduce your waste to zero unless you move off the grid! Unless you have a farm and grow your own produce and plant the hemp to grow the fibers to weave the cloth for your clothes and linen, it’s probably possible.

However, you CAN strive for zero waste. Think of it like aiming for all A’s in your report card of reducing waste and ultimately, being like that family who managed to collect a year’s worth of garbage in a single mason jar (crazy huh?)

Bringing your own shopping bag and containers/drinking cups/bottles/utentils should already be in your “going out” DNA and if it isn’t, allow me to drill that message once more.

Fundamentally, we should commit to the 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Rot and Recycle; recycling being our FINAL goal. Why? While recycling bins are seen in most public areas, how far does our community go about actually disposing their rubbish properly and DOES it get recycled?

When I went about decluttering my home, inspired by Marie Kondo’s Konmari method, I looked at dismay at the pile of boxes that I needed to get rid off. I had a very hard time finding places to dispose of them responsibly. Most of my clothes and bags were sold as preloved or sent to Kloth Cares. The problem is, they are only available in Selangor, KL, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. Are there other options for other states? You can also find other recycling places: here, e-waste , recycle easy  Spreco Recycle (and I’m sure the list is expandable) but do note that there are limitations to recycling in this country hence the first major step in aiming for zero waste is simply, refusing.

The hardest part is stepping off the consumer treadmill and not buying stuff. Conversation often hovers around bulk store shopping and avoiding single-use plastic packaging but we (conveniently) forget that everything else we buy is also contributing to the “waste” issue.

No matter how eco-friendly the product is, it still uses resources and energy in its creation. I’m not saying you can’t buy them – but be more mindful when making that purchase. When I watched Netflix’s The Home Edit show, I was tempted to beautify the household aesthetics by getting more see through containers and white shelves for this purpose . But just as I was about to hit the order button, I managed to find my own Home Edit style and reused instead, whatever I already had in the house to keep our home in order.

You need to ask “is this truly necessary?”

I’m relearning about my “enough” to let go of the urge to buy stuff – eventually, I would like to revisit the path of embracing a second-hand lifestyle, the making-do lifestyle and the borrowing-rather-than-buying lifestyle (just remember to return it please).

I suppose the temptation is to resist the urge to impulse buy and to narrow down what truly is an essential and what is not. It’s therapeutic to do spring-cleaning often. Not only does it help clean and reorganize your mess, but it really put things you have in hand into perspective and it lessens my urge to shop.

I can go on and on about ways to strive for zero waste but I shall share this what’s compiled on this article 50 Zero Waste Tips for your reference.

The most zero waste thing to do will always be to buy nothing at all, but if we can’t do that, we need to adjust our mindset and buy less, buy better (yes, the sleek flat-packed DIY assembling furniture is cheaper but may not necessarily be environmentally sustainable; so sometimes, investing in second hand antiques are better in the long run). Finally, make things last - opt to repair and don’t fall victim to fast fashion and trends.

Striving for a zero waste lifestyle takes courage and it IS a journey. However, if everyone takes baby steps aiming for all A’s on their zero-waste report card, we CAN drastically help reduce the waste that goes into our landfills.

To Zero Waste in 2021 and beyond!


Daphne Iking composts her food and yard waste and is elated that her condo now has a community garden where her compost bin welcomes other residents’ waste, to make beautiful fertilizer for their condo grounds. Follow her over IG: @daphneiking and @gramfortheclean.