by Brigette Allen and Christine Wong
2 stars
Easily the bougie-est waste reduction book I’ve read so far.
The book focuses on individual actions to help reduce waste and limit contact with plastics. Various swaps are presented organized into sections for At Home, Food and Drink, Health and Beauty, On the Go, and Special Occasions. The scope of the book focuses mostly on reducing plastic and why to avoid it with a few other considerations thrown in like organic products and buying secondhand.
There is a mix of swaps included ranging from the well-known and obvious (reusable bags, refilling water bottles, refusing straws) to labor-intensive and not very accessible (make your own cereal). I honestly stopped taking it very seriously after the section on cellulose tape and making your own glue with flour.
While making your own yogurt/baby food/snack bars/trail mix/nut milk/pasta is great, it’s just not realistic for most people to do all the time. With blanket statements like, “Zero waste can be cost effective and inclusive of all budgets” (p. 14), the book seems to ignore how upfront costs effect actual people who are working to stretch a budget. Would have liked to see more low-cost/no-cost swaps that involve using common items or what you already have (I do recommend the tip to make reusable napkins out of old shirts).
Much of the content also focuses on buying items, from glass baby bottles and bamboo bibs to biodegradable mattresses and silk dental floss, many of which will be more expensive and harder to find in mainstream stores than standard items. It makes for a very aesthetic book, but buying all these products only to find they don’t work for you isn’t going to do anything to reduce waste.
The book also contains plenty of scary statistics about the harms of plastics. While informative, these just heighten anxiety, especially for those who can’t afford the more expensive swaps.
While the authors do note it takes 21 days to establish a new habit, they then present a 30-Day Plastic Detox Plan, which involves implementing a swap every day for a month. Not only do many of these take time (learn to sew and repair items, compost) and have an upfront cost (safety razors, reusable period products), it’s just not realistic to start doing all those things at once. Start with one manageable swap. Once that becomes second nature, add another. It’s a continuous process that has to be individualized to work with all aspects of the person’s life (home, income, work, family) for it to really create lasting change.
Includes a list of resources and sources at the end.
I didn’t find this all that helpful. It comes from a very privileged perspective that ignores what is realistic for the average person. A few good tips here and there. If you’re interested, I’d say just check it out from your library and flip through to see what is relevant to you. I found books like 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste to be more helpful.