Zero Waste Theory and Trash Talk of the Day

 So theory guys...There's two levels of being a zerowaster.

1.  There's your basiczerowaster.  A person who generates no waste, by recycling, composting, reusing, and refusing.  They use, reuse and recycle plastics.  

2.  Then there's your PLASTIC-FREE zerowaster.  A person who doesn't even put plastic on the menu, won't buy it, won't recycle it or reuse it (because they haven't bought it) and won't even put it into the system.   

It's like the difference between being 

1. A vegetarian and 

2.  A vegan.   

I want to be plastic free.  It's a goal, but right now this lady does not even have this basiczerowaster stuff down, as evidenced by my trash (shown, below)  First a picture of me, in all my glory.  

This is one happy zero waster.  

I hate the checkout line because how I not accept a receipt from the self -checkout.  Thermal receipts are not accepted.  I just learned that.  Thermal receipts are those which discolor easily, when you scratch them with a coin.  I'll have to start checking my receipts to see the difference.  Once i get one, I'll post it, so you can see.   I was thinking about asking the checkout if there is a way to stop the machine from printing a receipt.  It's such a waste.  

Me and the trashcan.  All the other waste is from my mom.  

My mom gets pickles.  This is the label from the pickles.  I don't really buy them, so I don't know if there's something more sustainable out there, I just clean the jars to use for later.  

These are oui labels.  I kind of hate the company now.  Well, hate is a strong word.  I don't appreciate them selling plastic lids to the cups so people can reuse them.  Don't they know that the whole reason I buy their products is to stop adding plastic to the waste stream?  And their labels are non recyclable. Yet they print pretty designs on their jars, where they could just print the labels on their jars and save throwing away plastic.   I've been considering just getting plastic and recycling them, I'm so disgusted.  Also, who wants a million tiny jars covered or not?  Thus my feud with yogurt containers begins.  

This brings up long contested ideals of picking up trash on the side of the road(I found this trash outside my house.) to make the environment cleaner and greener, and the idea that what I pick up, I'm making trash for myself, to put in the bin.  It's kind of a tie, right now.  

Turns out our clamshell #1 recyclables aren't accepted in our city.  I think they are in fort worth though so I'm going to look into it.  I can't not have blueberries, blackberries and strawberries!   

Plastic cheese wrappers.  I'm still afraid to go to the deli and I don't think have any large enough tins or tuppaware.  I'm going to make myself go.  And then I'll make myself bring a reusable container...baby steps.  I'm looking for more inspiration on this topic. I love cheese.  But I am also a 99% of the time vegetarian...looking to be more vegan.  Cheese definitely has some issues which we will discuss at a later time. 

These foil/Plastic hybrids.  I have some earl grey, loose in a can, but the tea is so fine it goes straight through my foil ball.  I need a new more finely meshed one. I'm looking to get one in the future.  Until then daily packets of death!  

One popsicle bar plastic wrap, can never be recycled or broken down.  I fall hard for frozen treats mom gets, and I think the wooden stick is compostable!  Still. I'm looking for a icy treats that are in paper or aluminum foil.  Maybe Klondike bars?  I think the outside wrapper for multiple Klondike bars is plastic.  All the wrappers for generic ice cream bars is part plastic, part paper, so running out of leads. There's always make your own.  We have some popsicle molds that I don't have an idea where they went somewhere.