Everyday zero-waste practices
I use bags made from organic cotton for so many things. In the picture above is a bread bag. I use them to store small items too and when I travel. It takes a while to make taking a cotton bread bag with you a habit. I think it's especially so because the alternative doesn't seem bad. In bakeries where I live they usually put bread in a paper bag. Though at times they use plastic. A paper bag is not the worst option, but to me it still feels wasteful as any single use object. Whenever I get a paper bag with bread or a pastry, I use it for rubbish. But generally I try to avoid them. It also feels important to take part in changing culture. Perhaps when fellow humans see me use a cotton bag for bread, they would get inspired to implement some zero-waste practices in their life too. On my journey, many fellow humans in different places asked me why I was using cotton bags for different things. And then it starts a beautiful conversation about more sustainable modes of living.
My fellow human asked me what I would do if I wanted to buy some pastry or a slice of cake that would leave stains on a cotton bag. Usually I don't buy such things as I prefer scones. But if I really wanted something sweeter, I would find the time to stay in a café. Alternatively, I would bring a stainless steel food box with me.
Instead of planning my meals, I simply go to a supermarket or a food market (or farmers' market) and see what vegetables they have that are unpackaged, and preferably seasonal and local. Then I get an idea of what I would make. I eat only simple food, so usually it's pasta, soup or salad made with seasonal vegetables. We also eat oats and buy bread from a bakery.
Apart from cotton bags, I use glass jars for storage. They don't match because they came with other products such as pasta sauce and honey. In the picture above, there are some lego figures in one of the jars. They belong to my fellow human's child. If I had children, I would avoid plastic toys. The jar to the right of it is home to elastic bands that came with spring onions and other foods. I don't need so many but I keep them because they are useful at times.