Don't Underestimate the Big 4

Since I’ve started living in St. Croix, a place which is beautiful, but has practically no recycling, I’ve had a bit more of a struggle keeping up with my own zero waste goals. However, it has given me a whole new appreciation how important eliminating those first few disposables from your life is: Plastic Bags, Water Bottles, Straws, To-Go Coffee Cups, and napkins.

Though I’ve had to make constant compromises when it comes to waste here, I have been able to stay away (mostly) from these items, and that alone has absolutely made a huge difference in my waste production.

So here’s a little review of the BIG 4 - even if you have no intentions of going zero waste, eliminating these can make a huge difference!

1. Plastic Bags

The no-brainer! We see reusable bags all over the place now, which is awesome. The hardest part here is simply remembering your reusable bags. I tend to keep a few in my car, one stuffable one in my bag, and the rest right by the door of our apartment. Usually this means I don’t go to the store empty handed.

I brought one stuffable one here to St. Croix, and that combined with my large purse has kept me covered here!

2. reusable water bottle

In most locations here on St. Croix, rainwater is collected via cistern and used for bathing and washing, but generally not for drinking. There’s also many historic buildings, from which the tap water is not drinkable. These realities result in most locations using jug water dispensers and a supply plastic cups, including my own office!

But having a reusable water bottle has kept me both hydrated (as long as I remember to drink from it!) and zero waste with regards to water. I prefer stainless steel water bottles, mostly because of their durability and ability to be endlessly recycled.

3. Straws

This one is the most simple, but somehow it feels like you have the least control over it!

When you are out at a restauraunt or bar or wherever else you could possible get a straw, just as for “no straw, please” with your drink orders. You will get looks of annoyance, confusion, begrudging respect, excitement, & I’ve even gotten a free drink out of it before (coffee)!

I’ve also had many a waiter, waitress, bartender, etc. put a straw in my drink, realize the mistake, (sometimes) make direct eye contact with me, take the straw out, and subsequently throw it away. AH!

All of this can feel a wee bit frustrating, and I get it. I’ve found the best attitude to have is to just try your hardest. If you ask for no straw and one comes, don’t freak out. Just keep on keepin’ on!

Also sometimes carrying your own straws helps servers remember / understand wtf you’re asking for. There are so many options out there: stainless steel / silicone, bamboo, glass, potentially things I don’t know about! So find whatever works best for you and go for it!

4. reusable Coffee Mugs

So, my partner worked at Starbucks in the mountains for a bit, before my zero waste days. I used to hop off the bus and pickup a free chai latte for myself on my way to work in the morning. Admittedly, almost always in a to-go coffee cup. Single use. Not recyclable. I don’t even want to think of how many of those stupid freaking cups I’ve thrown away.

However, that was just because he would have them pre-made for me. I’ve been bringing my own tea and coffee around and having mugs filled since I was in high school. I just wasn’t thinking about it quite as analytically as I do now.

Anyway, the only person I’ve had refuse to fill my coffee mug was a Delta flight attendant who was being a complete a**hole must have been having a bad day. Almost any coffee shop will ablige no problem, and often give you a small discount for your efforts!

I love both Hydroflask and Klean Kanteen’s to-go coffee options. I’ve also used my Klean Kanteen tumbler for alcoholic drinks many a time at festivals and other events - keeps my drinks nice and cool even in the summer heat!

My dutiful Hydroflask kept my coffee warm all night in the field on Buck Island, monitoring mama sea turtles!

Zero Waste Hair Ties and Alternatives

Having just updated my review of Kooshoo Hair Ties, I felt it was time I wrote up a short post just about zero waste hair tie options. 

Standard hair ties are nothing to write home about, they are incredibly disposable, they break all the time, and are almost always made with some mix of synthetic materials, which won't really ever break down and almost none are fair-trade. 

I keep it pretty simple when it comes to doing my hair, a sock bun is about as advanced as I get. But when you keep it simple with your hair, hair ties tend to be your most trusted ally to keep your hair back in a bun, ponytail, or braid. So they weren't something I felt like I could really give up.

But there's hope! There are still several options for keeping your hair well-wrangled AND staying zero waste.

1. reduce and reuse

Ok, so before we go into what you can buy to be zero waste with your hair ties, we should talk about what you can do with the hair ties you already have. 

Do your best not to loose them, and use them as much and as long as possible! 

Since hair ties are cheap, those of us with long hair grew up thinking of them as a relatively disposable item. But they aren't! They last freaking forever, why do you think you see them all over the place on a city street? So treat them with more care and concern.

Also, once your hair tie reaches that inevitable point where it's so stretched out it's no longer actually useful as a hair tie, keep using it for other things. use it to keep wax wrap on jars, or to wrap electronic chords together, whatever you can think of! 

2. Upcycle your clothes

I actually got this tip from my fellow biologists down here in St. Croix. They use pantyhose for another experiment having to do with corals (science is weird, yall), but they don't use the upper portion of the stockings, just the thiner material that would cover the legs. So they cut up the top portion, where the material is a bit thicker, and use the rounds as hair ties and to keep our data sheets from blowing off our clip boards in the wind. Us science people have our creative moments too!

I would imagine you could do this with any old pair of pantyhose, tights, leggings, or socks that have outlived their use and are ready to meet their maker!

After having used this method, I don't know if I'll go back to buying hair ties again. You can get so many out of just one piece of clothing, and if you treat them with care, they should last you!

Hair ties made from pantyhose!

3. Plastic Free Hair Ties

As I mentioned, I just updated my post on Kooshoo's hair ties, and in short - I'd call them a good buy! One package of 5 lasted my boyfriend (a proud purveyor of the man-bun) a year. And they never broke or snapped, we just lost them because:

1. My boyfriend set a few down somewhere and they were lost to time and space

2. They became stretched out enough that they fell off of my wrists without my notice, until it was too late

They are the only plastic-free, biodegradable, ethically made hair tie on the market (as far as I know at least!) 

Here are the details:

• Made of organic cotton (75% Organic Cotton, 25% Natural Rubber)

• Ethically dyed, cut and sewn by family businesses in California.

• Shipped in 100% Recycled and/or Biodegradable packaging

They are significantly more expensive than regular hair ties, but they are also last way longer, so the price difference isn't as drastic as it seems. However, since its under $20, I'd say it's fair to stretch the wallet for this one, given the plastic-free payoff.

4. HAIR PINS, HAIR STICKS, HAIR COMBS, PONYTAIL BARRETTE

One of my wonderful cousins who happens to be a carpenter actually made me a hair pin! And you bet that came package free! I'm still working on using it more regularly, but it was such a wonderful addition to my zero-waste hair collection!

However, I am not a regular user of any of these items. But if you are interested in trying some out I would recommend checking out Etsy for them - there are so many pretty options!

While I haven't tried any of these some of my favorites just from browsing are: these recycled copper hair pins, these wood hair sticks, and this hair cuff.

5. used hair ties, yes, used

I'm not going to lie, I've hesitate here. I saw Waste Rebel's post on this subject in 2017 and have been trying to work up the courage to pickup and use a hair tie off the street since. 

I think I would need to have some sort of standard cleaning protocol for these, something that kills lice, perhaps. But I've yet to jump on it. When I do, I will 100% let you know. 

But don't let my sometimes germaphobic tendencies dissuade you from giving it a go!

 

Living in a Place that's not so Zero Waste

The Place

As many of you know, I am a biologist, and this summer I've had the absolute PLEASURE of moving to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for three months to work on a turtle conservation project. That means I get to hang out with nesting mama turtles all night long!

I could regal you with tales of turtles, running after them (yes running) into the ocean to get a tag read, getting smacked with sand in the face by their powerful flippers, helping them dig nest chambers when they had injuries, watching eggs drop, and all sorts of other craziness; but what I want to chat about today is what it's like living in a place that is not very zero waste friendly.

The Problems

Infrastructure : there is only one recycling center on the island, the Boys & Girls Club Recycling Center, but unfortunately at this point it only accepts metal cans, no plastic. So any plastic used on-island goes to the dump.

This isn't necessarily because people don't want recycling on the island, it's that a recycling facility here probably wouldn't turn out tons of profits, so private companies aren't necessarily interested in setting up shop here. Unfortunately, this is simply the reality of the situation until either a company comes in, or the dedicated people of the US Virgin Islands come up with another solution.

Culture : without infrastructure to allow for recycling, waste easily becomes very common place.  While I know there are many people on-island who care deeply for the environment, there is also a very prevalent attitude that since nothing can be done, there's no need in trying; or just plain ignorance to the drastic effect that personal trash can have.

Just last night, while patrolling Buck Island, we saw a group of people who had been barbecuing and having a picnic. Perfectly wonderful way to spend time on our public lands! But, when my coworker and I returned to the area on patrol for turtles, the group had left ALL of their trash hanging from trees and laying on the beach. These were locals, not tourists. This was so incredibly inconsiderate and disrespectful, both to us and to the gorgeous island that we all need to be working to protect!

Three full bags of trash left on the beach of Buck Island National Monument by visitors.

My Situation

My position here is one where I get paid a small stipend per week and am put up in a hotel with room and board taken care of. And the hotel we are staying in is absolutely GORGEOUS, it's straight out of a magazine, I swear.

This has put me in a position I haven't been in since I was a freshman in college: I can't shop for food or cook for myself.

So, with no recycling on island, and the inability to shop for my own food, I've loose a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing what I eat.

As you may know if you've made an attempt at a zero waste lifestyle, careful grocery shopping and cooking are sort of the rudiments of going zero waste.

The hotel restaurants that supply our food do use biodegradable straws, which is great b/c my "no straw, please" request is almost never successful. However, at least once a week we have to order food to go because we are working special events or odd schedules, and the restaurant that supplies our food won't put it in my to-go containers. They also often put sides in styrofoam (agh!) cups.

Though I've made a habit of rinsing and keeping most of these items so I can recycle them when I come back home, that's sort of a cheat. People who live here do not have the option to stash stuff until they get back to the mainland.

So, what to do?

Luckily, I was pretty prepared with zero waste toiletries and laundry supplies. But the waste associated with the food here is something I wasn't really prepared for and haven't figured out an excellent solution for. I can't skip meals for the sake of being zero waste, because health does have to come first. I do my best to avoid disposables as much as possible, but I've also had to learn to accept that I'm just not going to be as successful here as I am at home.

This is a time where I've really had to take a deep breath and remind myself that this process isn't about being perfect, or succeeding all the time. It's about trying to choose and act better. I was spoiled living in a place with an excellent recycling program, bulk stores, and the ability to shop and cook for myself. Without these luxuries, it's easy to see how quickly things can fall apart.