So I am going to be blunt. When COVID-19 hit the San Francisco Bay Area, I stopped “zero waste living”. I am going to honest. I started buying everything in plastic. My veggies, fruit, even my apples were purchased in a plastic bag. My complete focus became my family’s safety and health, and I decided my plastic ethics were going to have to take a back seat.

This resulted in three months where I noticed we were eating poorly due to an increase in processed food. I experienced increased feelings of guilt around food choices. I was increasingly purchasing from Amazon, which added additional shame. I noticed an increase in toxic chemicals in my home.

At the beginning of this pandemic, I joined Thrive Market and my local natural market greengrocery delivery service in an effort to avoid InstaCart (an Amazon Company) and  Amazon given my wife and I had been Amazon free for 5 months. Then we needed to buy a book and just like that, we were back on Amazon.

**A quick disclaimer: my wife is a nurse so we do have bleach and Lysol and these will be permitted staples moving forward.  We regularly disinfect when she comes home from work.

Given this disclaimer, I do have some tips that have come out of this experience. They have reduced my guilt in considering how to move forward on my low waste journey considering health, safety, and realistic balance.

• Household disinfects are important (CDC recommended ones).
  • However, for regular cleaning, I use refillable and low waste options.
• It is important to balance the plastic-free food with healthy staples.
  • Smoothies are important to my family.
  • Moving forward we will continue to buy bulk package frozen fruit.
• Low waste shopping is hard online.
  • Bulk bins, refillable stores, etc. are closed. Low waste shopping is easy in person it is tricky online and can feel discouraging.
  • It is okay to just find the best alternative.
• The low waste market place isn’t inclusive.
  • I am a person of color and most makeups, sunscreens, etc. are not made with me in mind.
  • I am a person with sensitive skin and allergies. Most products are filled with essential oils or possible skin irritants.
  • It is important you make low waste fit your life, not that you make yourself fit the “low waste lifestyle.”

As always, I hope what I wrote was helpful and encouraging. My tea today was chamomile with honey. Just reducing little by little helps the planet a lot.

With Love,

YaniTee