Meet Bea Johnson, the zero waste lifestyle guru, who fits her family’s waste in one jar

Bea Johnson and her family are dedicated to living a zero waste lifestyle. Through her blog and book Zero Waste Home, Bea has launched a global movement and inspires a growing community to live simply and take a stance against needless waste.

Bea Johnson, her husband and two sons have been living waste-free since 2008

Do you think waste-free living is depriving, time consuming, costly, or simply reserved for hermits living in the woods? Think again! With a blog-turned-bestselling book and talks throughout the world, Bea Johnson and her family have debunked those misconceptions and inspired a global movement. Discover how Bea’s family, and hundreds of thousands of others, are enjoying a richer life based on experiences instead of stuff.

“Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot, and only in that order” — Bea Johnson

In 2008, Bea Johnson and her family adopted a zero waste lifestyle; their household has since produced a mere pint of trash per year. With her blog and bestseller Zero Waste Home (translated in 15 languages), Bea launched a global movement and continues to inspire a growing community to live simply and take a stance against needless waste.

Her methodology is based on 5R’s: “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot, and only in that order”. She shatters misconceptions, proving that zero waste can not only be stylish, but also lead to significant health benefits, and time and money savings.

Bea speaks at universities, corporate events and conferences all over the globe, including Google, Adobe, the European Parliament and the United Nations. Johnson has completed six international tours and given 170+ speeches in 25+ countries on 5 continents. She has appeared on TV shows and in publications everywhere, from The Today Show to BBC Breakfast.

Passionate and optimist, she was dubbed “The Priestess of Waste-Free Living” by the New York Times and is the leading spokesperson for the zero waste lifestyle. She is a Grand Prize winner of The Green Awards, and a French native who currently lives in Mill Valley, California.

Source: Facebook/ZeroWasteHome

In 2008, Bea Johnson and her family adopted a zero-waste lifestyle Their household has since produced a mere pint of trash per year. Source: ZeroWasteHome/StephanieRausser

100 tips to drastically reduce your household’s waste, from Bea johnson

Bea Johnson’s family generates a pint-size jar of trash per year, and so can you! Here are a 30 tips to drastically reduce your household’s waste. Each section is a condensed version of a full chapter in Bea’s book, ‘Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste’, so please consult it for further information, such as how-to’s, recipes. For Zero Waste alternatives, please shop your home or the local thrift shop. 

Before you start: Arm yourself with a Reusable water bottle, a couple of grocery totes, a few cloth bags and reusable jars and bottles. Keep in mind the 5Rs methodology, as outlined in Johnson’s book throughout the process: Refuse what you do not need, Reduce what you do need, Reuse what you consume, Recycle what you cannot Refuse, Reduce or Reuse, and Rot (Compost) the rest.

THE KITCHEN

1. Welcome alternatives to disposables (paper towels, garbage liners, wax paper, aluminum sheets, disposable plates, cups, etc….): Swap paper towels for reusable rags, swap sandwich baggies for kitchen towels or stainless containers, drop garbage liners all together (wet waste is compostable anyways).
2. Buy in bulk or at the counter, bring reusable bags (dry goods), jars (wet items such as meat, deli, fish, cheese, oil, peanut butter) and bottles (liquids: oil, soy sauce, shampoo, conditioner).
3. If you cannot find it in bulk, find a supplier (bring your jar to the ice cream shop, a pillow case to the bakery for your bread, or your bottles to the winery/brewery)… or make it (salad dressing, hot sauce, jams, hummus, cookies, canned tomatoes).
4. Shop the farmer’s market: they’ll take the egg carton and the berries baskets back for reuse. Your veggies will also most likely be free of plastic and stickers there too.
5. Learn to love your tap water.
6. Use bulk liquid castile soap as a dish/hand cleaner, baking soda as a scrubber (in a stainless Parmesan shaker) with a compostable cleaning brush. Purchase dishwasher detergent in bulk.
7. Turn your trash can into a big compost keeper. Use your tiny compost keeper as a trash can (on the market, the sizes for these seem to be reversed).
8. Reinvent your leftovers before they go bad. Go thru your recipe binder/box and only keep the recipes that can be achieved with zero waste in mind.
9. Invest in a pressure cooker (halves the cooking time).
10. YOU CAN ALSO… Reuse single-side printed paper for grocery shopping and errands list, use your lettuce cleaning water to water plants, open your oven after baking in the winter (cool your oven, warm your house)…

Source: ZeroWasteHome.com

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot your trash down to a jar-ful Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order) is the Johnson family’s open secret to reducing its annual trash to a jar since 2008. Source: ZeroWasteHome.com

The bathroom

1. Use 100% recycled and unbleached toilet paper individually wrapped in paper (buy it from your local restaurant and hotel supply store and save big) or if you have solar you could install an electrical washlet to your toilet seat.
2. Use an alum stone or straight baking soda as antiperspirant.
3. For shaving, (re)use a safety razor and shaving soap (any soap will do but my fave is Alep soap).
4. Refill your bottles with bulk shampoo and conditioner. Or better yet, forgo conditioner, and use the same solid soap that you use on face and body, to wash your hair. If your hair is short, you also have the “no-poo” option: rinse your hair, massage baking soda in, then rinse, with vinegar for shine. Instead of hairspray, switch to lemon water in a spray bottle (recipe in the book). To go longer between washes, substitute dry shampoo for cornstarch (in bulk).
5. For body/face soap, find a package-free solid soap. To exfoliate, use bulk baking soda. For a mask, use bulk clays (French, Kaolin, Bentonite, etc…), mixed with water or apple cider vinegar.
6. Switch from toothpaste to baking soda, in a spice shaker. Use a wooden compostable toothbrush.
7. Reduce your cosmetics and consider homemade substitutes such as cocoa powder as bronzer and homemade balm that works on eyes, lips, hair and nails and in lieu of disposable feminine products, invest in menstrual cup and reusable liners (the cup is personally all I need).
8. All you need for your nails is a nail clipper, stainless steel file and the homemade balm in my book for moisture and shine.
9. Forget about Q-tips, they are not good for you anyway.
10. YOU CAN ALSO… compost hair and nail clippings, put a brick in your toilet tank, collect water in a bucket while your shower heats and water your plants with it, and use zero waste cleaning: vinegar for mold, baking soda as scrub, a mix of baking soda and vinegar as drain cleaner (how to in the book)…

Bea speaks at universities, corporate events and conferences all over the globe Johnson has spoken at Google, Adobe, the European Parliament and the United Nations, and has completed six international tours and given 170+ speeches in 25+ countries on 5 continents. She has appeared on TV shows and in publications everywhere, from The Today Show to BBC Breakfast. Source: Facebook/ZeroWasteHome

The closet

1. Stick to minimal wardrobes, shoes and purses.
2. Only shop a couple times a year to avoid compulsive buys.
3. Buy exclusively second-hand clothing
4. If you must buy new, buy a brand with an unconditional warranty.
5. Be ruthless on fit, if it fits well, you’re most likely to wear it.
6. Bring a reusable bag for your purchases.
7. Donate unworn pieces.
8. Keep some of your worn-out clothes for rags and label the rest as “rags” for Goodwill to recycle.
9. Learn of few sewing tricks (like shortening a hem or darning).
10. YOU CAN ALSO… take it to the tailor for a better fit so you’ll actually wear it, and keep a handkerchief  in your purse/bag…

Other sections on laundry and cleaning, entertaining, the garden, medications and more can be found on Bea’s website, follow her on Facebook or check out her videos on YouTube. Below, Bea’s full Talk at Google.

Source: ZeroWasteHome.com