What To Do If You Fail?

From time to time in a zero wasters life, you might fail and produce some waste.

Maybe you’ve travelled a long distant and ate the flight meal or you had to stay in hospital and ate candy bars and crisps. Your child had a big tantrum in the shop, because she wanted a surprise egg, instead of refillable candy king sweets. Whatever it is, you shouldn’t feel guilty!

That’s life! We are humans, we are not perfect and we fail! You just keep calm and carry on zero waste, whenever possible.

Last month I was in a situation, where I couldn’t life zero waste. My mum had an accident. She fell of a ladder and needed surgery, to fix her broken spine. I had to leave everything, pack a few things and fly with my family, to visit my mum.

I didn’t pack properly and forgot so many things, it was annoying. Toothpaste, shampoo, essential clothing items… I didn’t prepare snacks and the only refillable bottle I took, was in my check in luggage.

You get the situation. If you travel with a child, in an emergency situation, you will produce Waste.

We bought bottled water and juice, packed snacks, take away food with plastic cutlery. I felt yuck eating like this.

The first night we stayed in a hotel, then we stayed at my grandmas for a few days. No bulk shop around. No fresh mind to think what to buy and what not. We ordered pizza one day but the next we bought food that was packed in plastic.

The only few environment friendly things I bought, was Weleda toothpaste, face creme and hand creme.

We then moved on, to a friend of my mum, to be closer to hospital. My mums house is getting renovated, so we couldn’t stay at hers.

The surgery went well and we went back home for a week, to sort out a few important things. Then we went back, after my mum got released from hospital, to assist in her recovery.

In this emergency situation we have produced more plastic waste, then we have in the whole last year. Not good for the planet, not good for our health. Lets not think about the negative effects of flying, for the environment.

Now that we are back home, we are nearly back to normal. We came home late at night, so we bought milk, bread and apples from Tesco, obviously not unpacked. Our milk and veg box deliveries were messed up. We received a veg box when we were away and when we were back, they didn’t send one. My milkman delivered milk in plastic bottles, even though I emailed him, that in a situation where he don’t have glass bottled milk, I don’t want any at all. I can just buy a large plastic can of milk instead of getting two small ones delivered.

Then our daughter got really sick with a throat infection and she only wanted to eat pretzels and ice lollies, so we bought them. I really should get some silicone ice lolly moulds!

In a few weeks we are flying back to Germany, for Christmas and straight after, to India for our Indian wedding ceremony and my brother in laws wedding. So I’m guessing those long distant travels will force us to produce waste. Not every airport has safe drinking water, to refill bottles and Indian weddings are not known for being zero waste. But you know what I’m just gonna go and enjoy myself!

Zero waste is great and probably the only way ahead, to keep this planet free of plastic waste. I know that if I wouldn’t bother so much about the environment and impact of plastic waste, my family would produce a lot more waste, then we do. But sometimes its just not in your hand how you want to live. I will always do best for my family and try find the best alternatives to prevent landfill waste. Your not less of an environment friendly person or “zero waster” if you have produced some waste from time to time.

That’s life sometimes! You just have to get on with it!

 

 

 

 

 

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