Just so we’re clear, a zero waste swap results in no waste at all and a low waste swap (usually drastically) reduces the waste generated when compared to a “regular” single-use or disposable option. You may feel a lot of pressure to go full zero waste and, even though that’d be awesome if you can, low waste is great too! In many cases, low waste swaps still make a significant impact, so don’t feel guilty if that’s the best you can do at the moment – it’s still enough. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll use “LW” throughout my posts, since I think low waste is the healthiest mindset to have. If something goes the extra mile and is zero waste, it’s a bonus!
A warning: making these swaps can feel urgent and can also feel so exciting that you start to gain momentum (yay!), but be mindful of pacing yourself. You don’t want to burn yourself out because you’re trying to do too much at once. It’s easy to overwhelm your mind, routine, and wallet by making too many LW swaps at once. The worst outcome would be making yourself feel so pressured or sick of making these changes that you give up entirely. The talented artists at Aware Animals illustrated this scenario cleverly!