News
A guide to reducing trash while traveling
Zero waste is one of the most popular lifestyle trends of the 21st century, attempting to mitigate the human effect on our world by decreasing consumption, eliminating waste, and enhancing recycling. But with traveling which results in so much ‘stuff’ and frequently generates a lot of garbage; single-use plastics, labels, tickets, receipts, and individual-use goods, could we still go zero-waste while exploring the world?
Although the largest impact on waste caused by tourism will come from hotels, airlines, and restaurants adopting more green practices, and each of us is “just one person,” our rubbish may mount up and have a detrimental influence on the destinations we take visit. There are still practical, sustainable changes individual travelers can minimize our footprint while experiencing our amazing planet. If the “zero” in “zero waste” overwhelms you, start by minimizing rather than eliminating the garbage you generate while traveling. Start by implementing all or part of these zero-waste travel suggestions, as well as some of the finest things to bring to reduce the amount of garbage you produce while traveling.
Pick eco-friendly vacation and lodging options
Along with cost savings, staying in hostels and Airbnb may also reduce trash. Most hotels provide individually packaged soaps and toiletries, which are renowned for their convenience. Additionally, they do not wastefully replenish the bedding every day. It will always be simpler for you to travel sustainably and as waste-free as possible if you choose to stay in self-catered accommodations that provide you with all the facilities you would have at home.
It is undoubtedly easier for customers to follow suit when they visit locations dedicated to minimizing trash. For instance, in Hoi An, a popular tourist destination in the center of Vietnam, 30% of the daily garbage collected—or around 110 tonnes—is low-value plastic waste. The single-use plastic and low-value garbage will be collected and transformed into usable tools, panels, and furniture there using the dust bins, which were made from recycled plastic bags, single-use straws, styrofoam, and low-value plastic waste. In that way, it also encourages recycling among locals and visitors while raising awareness of the need to reduce plastic waste.
Dine-in seasonal and local food
Eating locally also assists our environment in addition to your culinary, cultural, and personal benefits. The less distance food goes, the better, as less fuel will be used and fewer greenhouse gases will be produced. You will also benefit from it as local food is fresher, loses fewer nutrients sustains less spoilage in transportation. You may avoid using plastic takeout utensils and containers by dining at neighborhood eateries and street food vendors as that give you more time to savor the experience and take in your surroundings.
If you can, locate a nearby farmers’ market while you’re traveling. You’ll get new insights, make financial savings, and support regional farmers. There will be new things to try each season. By ordering your lunch or coffee “for here” rather than “to go,” you may avoid using takeaway containers and plastic utensils. By supporting smaller local companies with your money instead of the large chain restaurants and department stores you might be more accustomed to in your own country, you can support the local economy.
Bring your own bag wherever you go
Avoid using single-use plastics by bringing reusable goods with you. You may avoid using plastic bags by using a tiny, foldable reusable shopping bag. These bags come in helpful for transporting additional items or organizing luggage whenever you travel. Compact and convenient items include water bottles, cutlery, shopping bags, straws, napkins, and even reusable containers.
It could be tempting to visit the neighborhood markets or the beach without a bag when you’re weary of carrying your knapsack around. You won’t need to buy a plastic bag to bring your items home if you always have a little material or mesh bag with you to pick up groceries or whatever else you might need to buy.
Make your own snacks to enjoy on the go
Choose the no-meal option before your journey and bring your own snacks when traveling, especially when taking a plane or train. Bring your own snacks in recyclable packaging. By doing so, you may ensure that the food you eat is healthy and that you are not contributing to excessive waste.
Bring your own snacks or purchase pre-made snacks from your grocery store’s bulk bins (using a reusable bag) when traveling somewhere you know would provide a few zero-waste alternatives. This allows you to simply put the snacks in your luggage. Airlines are renowned for having limited vegetarian and vegan food options, hence, plant-based travelers are better off packing on-flight snacks. Naturally packaged in reusable containers, homemade flapjacks, cookies, and fruit snacks are all practical and simple to bag and consume on the go.
Prepare A Zero Waste Travel Kit
With single-use toiletries and eating out when traveling, we produce the greatest trash. Make a zero-waste travel kit instead of wasting money and plastic on single-use toiletries and takeout containers. Your zero-waste travel pack should contain some of the following items:
- Water Bottle
- Cutlery and Food Containers
- Ziplock Bags
- Compostable Toothbrush
- Spork or Chopsticks
- Reusable Straw
- Period Products
- Natural Soap Bars
Take a reusable water bottle everywhere
When you travel, reusable water bottles are worth their weight. Why not use a reusable water bottle to save time, money, and effort instead of continuously purchasing bottled water? Water bottles made of steel or hard plastic are relatively inexpensive and may be used repeatedly. Empty bottles may also be brought through airport security and filled on the other side.
If the water is safe to drink, you can avoid having to buy water by filling up your bottle from public water fountains and sinks. If you do your research beforehand, it’s possible that certain countries don’t have water that is safe to drink; in that case, you may go to the grocery store or supermarket and get the biggest carryable containers of water. You won’t need to purchase smaller single-use water bottles when you’re out and about since you may fill your bottle up every day in this way. To make any tap water safe to drink, you may also purchase water bottles with built-in filters.
Carry cutlery and food containers
Bring your own to avoid using single-use cups, food containers, and plastic utensils. Lunch boxes, mason jars, flasks, and reusable coffee mugs are all simple to find and have a long lifespan. With reusable items, you can avoid using the single-use plastic forks and spoons that are provided to you on trains, on airplanes, and while purchasing from food vendors while on vacation. To ensure that you always have a fork, knife, spoon, and chopsticks on hand, you can get a very great lightweight set made of bamboo, steel, and even wheat straw that comes in a small pouch to keep it all clean and tidy in your backpack. However, you may just bring your own metal cutlery from home if you don’t want to buy a new set. To avoid using throwaway napkins, think about carrying reusable towels and napkins to wrap food and clean up after yourself.
Zip bags are an additional alternative choice. Even if your accommodations include eating, you should still venture out to taste the local cuisine or bring snacks or portable meals for excursions. Purchasing reusable silicone zip bags that easily fit into a bag or backpack can provide convenient waste-free storage. In order to reduce food waste, they are also excellent for preserving leftovers.
When purchasing takeout beverages like coffee or juice, use recyclable cups or jars. Many of us associate traveling with takeaway. We don’t always have time to stop and eat while traveling, whether it’s a cup of airport coffee before your 7:00 a.m. departure or a fast on-the-go meal while on a road trip. Instead of completely forgoing takeout, bring reusable cups or a thermos that will enable you to produce less garbage.
Reusable straws are quickly replacing single-use plastic straws at restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels as a convenient way to decrease waste and still enjoy your cold beverage on the move. Reusable straws are now widely available in shops, including pocket-sized metal or natural bamboo straws. While you’re on the road, they could even improve the look, feel, and taste of every beverage.
Pack safe and sustainable period products
Menstrual cups, reusable pads, and reusable period underwear are all affordable sustainable alternatives that do not require frequent discarding and repurchasing. With no-leak protection regardless of how you move throughout the day and without needing to have harsh chemicals next to your most sensitive regions, these items are not only made to fit your body pleasantly but also your moving lifestyle.
Menstrual cups may be the most practical choice out of those alternatives; you won’t ever have to worry about running out of tampons or encountering a tricky circumstance when you have nowhere to dispose of your stuff. And the majority of environmentally friendly feminine products are really more suitable for travel. Since most of them are reusable and they also take up less space in your luggage. You’ll never run out or come up empty-handed while searching for your favorite brand of tampons in middle-of-nowhere.
Opt for multi-purpose natural soap bars
Bring your own bars of soap and shampoo rather than purchasing liquid versions in plastic bottles or utilizing the single-sized ones provided by hotels. Bar soap lasts longer and is easy to transport. A general rule of thumb is that 3 bar soap washes are equivalent to 1 liquid soap wash. Bar soaps are therefore three times more productive. Because we can carry less and have more, this may be extremely useful when we travel. Additionally, we may split our bars into smaller pieces and bring those on a vacation.
For your trips, there are numerous uses for our soaps. As there are some of us who struggle to maintain healthy skin both at home and when traveling because of allergies and sensitivities, they are ideal for delicate care of your face, body, and even hair because they are 100% natural and include natural moisturizers. This is helpful since we only need to bring 1 to 2 soap bars to cover our needs for skin, body, and hair care rather than 5 separate washing and cleaning liquid.
Digitize everything, from travel guides to boarding passes
Reduced paper use, obtained by converting paper documents into electronic ones, can have a significant positive environmental impact. How often do you reuse a guidebook? Or your boarding pass? Sure, it could have a brief second life as the bookmark for your book, but most of these paper goods are eventually thrown away. Beyond paper, other environmental hazards include the printer, ink, and ink cartridges. Additionally, printers and ink contain potentially dangerous chemicals that, when carelessly disposed of, can contaminate water and soil and cause ecological devastation.
Use travel applications on your phone to replace anything from boarding cards and itineraries to guidebooks and maps to save unnecessary paper waste. You can access all of them on your phone, including your boarding pass, rail tickets, and lunch receipts. Avoid printing out documents and maps as well. To avoid using paper, you may download them to your phone or tablet instead.
Travel lightly
It is better to pack lightly since it makes you more mobile because you have less to carry about. You may avoid waiting for your stuff and getting bag tags at the airport by not checking in your luggage. When you travel light, you pack thoughtfully and functionally, which means you spend less time packing and more time exploring. Fewer possessions imply less to be concerned about forgetting every time you repack.
The key to simplification and ensuring that you only carry what you need is to travel light. You can also simply bring a carry-on bag, which saves you both time waiting for your checked baggage to arrive and paper from the tags and stickers put on these bags. Additionally, it may be tempting to purchase a souvenir from the tourist destinations you visit, whether to bring home as a gift for loved ones or as a souvenir. However, the majority of these garish items are produced elsewhere and end up gathering dust years later. Spend your money on activities or shop at local artisan stores to support the local economy.
Final thought…
You don’t need to go out and purchase all new fancy “zero waste products” if you are genuinely committed to discarding all needless trash and achieving zero waste tourism. If you enjoy camping, you probably already have a set of reusable silverware or a picnic set. Use an old jam jar instead of a handle-branded mason jar; make do with what you have. Use an old sock or a napkin if your jam jar lacks a handle to prevent your fingertips from getting burned by hot liquids.
Traveling gives us many possibilities and experiences that we would not have at home, and it occasionally forces us to step outside of our comfort zone. When traveling, it’s important to recognize the things you can control and to be aware of the impact you have both locally and globally on the environment.
