My Daily Waste: Issue 3

Issue 3 | January 2024

A catalogue of items I use all the time by @juliette_amazing on ig

1. Le Miel Res-ponsable! jar (400 grams, $9.27).

Living in university housing means that I’m subject to the building’s recycling and waste rules. Even though I do want to recycle this jar, there isn’t a place for me to do so.

Do you have similar objects lying around? What 2nd purposes could they have? I wish we had more community bartering systems to minimize unneeded waste, similar to a little library.

Issue 3 | January 2024

2. Synthetic net used to hold oranges.

Supermarkets often wrap fruits and vegetables to cut down on damage from handling and transportation, and so customers often have to buy more than they need.

Most packaging is either discarded in landfills or in the natural environment, where inks and dyes can leach into groundwater and soil. A new initiative is removing or editing ‘best before’ dates due to their inaccuracy.

Issue 3 | January 2024

3. Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap, Lemon Verbena Scent, 16 fl oz (473 ml, $9.89).

Do you know of any stores that allow you to bring your own jars to refill?

While Mrs. Meyer’s seems like a ‘sustainable’ brand, it’s actually owned by SC Johnson and many of its ingredients are rated lower than a B by the Environmental Working Group.

Greenwashing is a common tactic used to trick customers. While it may take more effort to find ethical brands, doing so is important.

Issue 3 | January 2024

4. Leftover paper scraps from hair-dyeing adventures.

Have you ever wanted to make your own paper? The process is surprisingly simple and could help

create a more circular economy while saving you money. The average person uses the equivalent of 4.5 trees per year in paper, resulting in 14% of all deforestation annually.

Issue 3 | January 2024

5. Flat paper bag used to hold earrings (1 pair, $7.61).

Instead of charging 10p or more per plastic or paper bag, why not offer discounts for bringing a bag or refusing one? I know I’d much rather receive a discount... what about you?

Lately, I have focused less on recycling ‘perfectly’ and more on repurposing items to extend their life, whether by giving them to someone else or by using them in a new way.

Issue 3 | January 2024

6. Soy sauce packets (included with meal, $.824).

Do you clean out your fridge every month only to find dozens of unused single use sauce packets?

If you do, you’re mot alone! I knew I didn’t want soy sauce with my meal, and yet I didn’t refuse when they were handed to me. Their small size and heavy food contamination makes them extremely difficult to recycle. Most of the time, we already have the sauce in question at home, so why do businesses still offer them when it would be an easy way to cut down on costs and waste?

Issue 3 | January 2024

Thank you for reading!

☆ For the purposes of this

zine, I am defining waste as an item that I did not need to acquire, but chose to either out of convenience or because it would positively enhance my life . I did not include food waste, since we all need food to live and ‘food waste’ is a separate complex issue.

☆ If you’d like to follow

along for future issues or check out my other zines, consider following me on IG @juliette_amazing!

☆ This zine asks you to

reflect on your everyday choices, proposing suggestions for change. At the same time, how can we elicit accountability from these corporations?