Should we have a zero waste jar?

I love a good challenge and a zero waste jar seems to be the done thing amongst ‘zero wasters’ (no idea if that is the technical term…but I like it!)

It’s basically a jar where you store the minuscule amount of waste you’ve produced…kinda like a trophy. So, everyone can see what a freaking awesome eco-warrior you are!

However, I’m pretty torn between having one and not having one…

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On the one hand…

I want to look like a freaking awesome eco-warrior!

I’d love to give-away my ugly rubbish bin and instead place a single glass jar on my worktop.

I could share monthly photos on Instagram and be inundated with comments from my 250 followers! 😂

I could take house visitors into the kitchen and proudly show it off to them as I make them a mug of zero waste tea.

Keeping a jar would certainly push us to do better.

It would be a constant reminder of the ethos we want to live by and that can only be a positive thing.

But then on the other hand…

I can’t stand the idea of a zero-waste jar because…

…it’s unrealistic

Those amazingly inspirational ‘zero wasters’ with a single jar of rubbish in half a decade!

It’s not realistic for my family and I’m a little sceptical that it’s entirely true for theirs.

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I mean there must be several items that didn’t make it into that jar…I’m talking about…

• That mobile phone you accidentally put through the washing machine.
• The laptop that died within a year.
• Gifts you’ve been given.
• Condoms!?
• A pair of shoes that couldn’t be repaired.
• A new part your car or bike needed.
• Real chocolate bars…not sure if I’ll always have that much will power!
• The emergency nappy you had to borrow from a friend.
• The crap you gave to the charity shop that they binned.
• The recycling you meticulously collected that doesn’t actually get recycled!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a jar that included any of these items!?

I’d feel like a fraud if I didn’t show you what waste we’d really acquired.

…I don’t want to put that much pressure on my kids

If I was single and living in a city with a zero waste store a ten minute walk away I’d have this thing nailed!

But, I’m not. I have two young children who we raise respectfully. Though they’re only young, they already have pretty strong opinions about what they like.

Those things include…spiderman, tractors, chocolate, yogurts and mud.

I have no idea how anyone manages to be 100% zero-waste with a family.

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I don’t want to refuse my child the toy he really wants for his birthday (what if it’s not on ebay)?

What do I say when my child begs for a yogurt for the fifth time in a row?

I want this process to be fun for my children too.

Actually I don’t really want them to notice any change at all.

I think if we start saying “no” to things it’ll just become a sticking point…especially with our three year old!

We have successfully adapted many waste creating habits that they love even more than before. Like using these lolly moulds instead of buying them from the supermarket.

…we love travel!

Truth is we’ve barely seen any of our beautiful planet and I want to.

I want my boys to too.

It’s might seem incredibly contradictory to want to travel while also attempting to live waste free.

But, like I’ve already said…zero waste is an ideal. It’s about making eco-conscious choices when you can. It’s not about sacrificing so much that it becomes unbearable.

World schooling our boys is something we’re really passionate about. We intend to travel slowly, house swap and use public transport as much as we can.

I will write another post about how we intend to travel soon!

So, what do you think?

Should we keep a zero waste jar or not? Would you?