You know the saying, ‘less is more?’ These five environmentally-minded bloggers are of the opinion that ‘zero is more’ as they blaze ahead with the zero food waste movement. With food waste in Australia becoming a bigger issue every day, and the government beginning to invest millions in their 2030 target of halving Australia’s US$14 billion dollar waste bill, more eyes than ever are on new and inventive food waste reducing tactics. These bloggers are ahead of the game, with inspiring strategies and ideas to cut down on your food waste. So, here are five zero food waste bloggers to inspire you on your journey towards sustainable living.
Lauren Singer started her zero waste lifestyle journey back in 2012 and has since produced very little garbage, as she shows on her blog Trash is for Tossers. She posts about how best to compost, how to make zero waste dog treats, and even general cooking tips, like “How To Cook and Bake with Common Kitchen Waste Items.” Her aim is to diligently recycle and compost everything and send nothing to the landfill. She’s gained support on social media with over 115K followers on Facebook, more than 17K followers on Twitter, and over 265K followers on Instagram.
“I believe that if I am going to take nutrients from the earth (through consuming food) that I should put them back (by diligently composting).”
And she doesn’t stop there—Lauren’s zero waste policy extends to other areas, as she runs the Package Free Shop, which sells products that help people reduce their waste. The online store sells anything and everything from Zero Waste Oral Hygiene and Shave kits to Cleaning and Shopping Market kits. She also posts blog articles about recycling clothes and zero waste beauty routines.
Lindsay Miles’ blog Treading My Own Path is a rich smorgasbord of eco-friendly how-tos; with blog posts about decluttering and minimalism, as well as recipes for treats like almond butter and roasted chickpeas. She also offers shopping how-tos, like how to bulk-shop properly and how to eliminate plastic from the shopping process. She includes personal experience stories to help inspire people who are struggling with cutting down on waste and admits she’s not perfect in her goal to live sustainably (she doesn’t enjoy recycling and she had a journey from being a hoarder to a minimalist).
Lindsay extends her zero food waste goals beyond the online world, as she offers workshops and courses that help people in her community take action to reduce their waste. She has also spoken about living with less waste at TEDx Events and wrote a free eBook that is a beginners guide to living with less plastic.
Going Zero Waste aims to inspire people to live as sustainably as they can, not just by minimizing food waste, but in all facets of their life. Kathryn Kellogg provides tips on her blog from large-scale tactics, like rejigging all of your kitchen utensils to being eco-friendly and going plastic-free when you shop, all the way down to bringing a handkerchief with you everywhere you go so that you’ll never need a tissue. She says people often don’t think enough about the cost of convenience.
“Zero waste isn’t just about fighting to keep this stuff out of landfills. And, it definitely isn’t about recycling. It’s fighting to reduce our need and dependence for these types of conveniences.”
Kathryn is also one of the few eco-bloggers who has taken on the challenge of producing only a small mason jar’s worth of trash in a year. She writes across many areas, including topics like how to go zero waste with roommates or when you’re living with parents and how to live a more sustainable lifestyle while still being able to order takeout and dine at restaurants. She’s also delved into more niche topics like zero waste holidays, zero waste weddings, and owning a zero waste dog. In the way of food, her recipes section is extensive, with zero waste recipes for iced tea, brownie bliss balls, smoothies, tacos, and wraps; as well as entire meal plans so you can take your whole diet into the zero waste zone.
This zero food waste blogger is all about amazing food that doesn’t cost the earth. Anne Marie Bonneau is the name behind The Zero-Waste Chef. Her recipes page is diverse with a focus on fermentation recipes and she is a big fan of home-made sourdough. Her more popular recipes include Use-It-Up Vegan Apple Crumble, Tomato Paste from Scratch, and a Waste Nothing Beet Pickles recipes.
She posts articles about how to live life more sustainably, like this piece about going plastic free. Anne is also realistic about her impact on the environment. Despite her zero-waste efforts, she recognizes that until she ‘buys that farm’ there are some things she simply can’t cook without buying some cooking products that require a little packaging. “While zero waste may be possible to reach in my home, my activities will still produce waste indirectly elsewhere.”
Founder of Litterless, Celia Ristow, is all about the utensils you need to achieve a zero waste status. With everything from reusable cloths, mesh produce bags, reusable ziplocs, and wooden dish brushes to menstrual cups, bamboo toothbrushes, sustainable makeup products, and compostable dental floss; Littlerless is a product guide for living the zero-waste life. She also provides a hub for eBook resources and local workshops.
Ultimately, if you are struggling to work more ethical and sustainable foods into your diet, there’s always room to compromise by investing in sustainable utensils and durable containers, jars, and bottles, so that you never find yourself buying single-use plastics. There are some great recipes that require ingredients with very little packaging, or reusable packaging if you’re looking for something cheap, simple, and tasty that doesn’t wreak havoc on the planet!
