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a zero waste alternative to single-use bottles

A zero waste alternative to single-use bottles

Posted on October 24, 2016April 22, 2022

A drinking bottle. Most people I know have one. You can buy different sorts, in different sizes. It’s an amazing alternative to single-use bottles. A reusable bottle is an item which I always carry with me in my bag, it is a zero waste essential. Today I am telling you more about it.

Why Recycling isn’t the Solution

Recycling is a weird process for single-use items, absurd if you ask me! You hand in your old bottle for recycling (or not, and so it will be burned or end up in the oceans, an even worse option if you’d ask me), this bottle is brought somewhere to be collected (hi, carbon emissions), this bottle get ‘recycled’ (I put this in quotation marks since plastic can’t be recycled, it down-cycles), this down-cycling takes a lot of resources like water and energy (and creates waste and more carbon emissions), this bottle then travels again to a manufacturer of plastic, then oil is subtracted to make new plastic, a new plastic bottle is made and at last you buy yet again another plastic bottle. You drink the water in the bottle and the whole process starts again. Absurd, because this can all be prevented.

Alternative to Single-Use Bottles

Wherever I go, I bring a reusable bottle with me in my bag. This means I don’t ever have to buy single-use plastic bottles anywhere. Single-use items are not-done in my opinion, we simply don’t need them. There is clean water coming out of the tap! I’ve been drinking that water since I was born and yes, I am still alive. Tap water in The Netherlands is more than fine.

I am currently using an old coffee-can as a drinking bottle. Nothing new, and maybe even more important, not entirely made out of plastic! It is mostly made out of stainless steel (except for the handles). When my old drinking bottle broke I was looking for an alternative. And since buying new stuff is the most harmful thing for our planet, I went to look for a secondhand bottle. And I found one in my own home, one which nobody was using. Perfect!

There are a few great initiatives for reusable bottles, like Kleen Kanteen, available at WAAR in The Netherlands. My recommendation would be to go for a plastic free brand, stainless steel is 100% recyclable and lasts a lifetime. But most important: choose secondhand. That is the most sustainable option.

In this article you can read why I hate plastic altogether. But for this subject I feel: plastic is just not necessary. Also, there is too much plastic ending up in the oceans already.

About the waste?
The old situation:
– About 365 plastic bottles of waste each year

The new situation:
– Zero waste!

Money

Another great plus: you save money! By making an investment once you don’t ever have to buy a plastic bottles again. In The Netherlands it is estimated that tap water is 210 times cheaper than bottled water. Also, there are many free tap points at stations and city centers.

Do you use a reusable bottle?

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

Here’s what I posted most recently

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Vandaag een artikel op mijn blog over Pieter Pot. Een webshop voor verpakkingsvrije boodschappen πŸ₯œ. Een geweldig concept die jou helpt je afval te verminderen Γ©n er ook nog eens heel goed uit ziet in je keuken #nospon. Je leest het nu via de link in mijn bio. Een greep uit de vegan maaltijden die ik at in mei 2023 πŸ§†. Als ik zo terugkijk heb ik de italiaanse weer helemaal ontdekt, haha! Maar het hoogtepunt was wel echt de vegan, zero waste, kaassaus die ik maakte voor over de nachoschotel 🫘. Welke vegan ijs-, toetjes- of yoghurtproducten zijn het lekkerst? Ik zette het voor je op een rijtje in een artikel die vanaf vandaag te lezen is 🍧. Je vindt de link in mijn bio. Spoiler: deze van Hertog staat er zeker tussen! #plantaardig #vegan #blogger ✨ 4 tweedehands outfits die ik droeg in mei 2023 πŸ‘—. Ik had op iets beter weer en iets koudere outfits gehoopt, maar goed, dat schuiven we dan maar naar juni! Ik ben poepdonor πŸ’©. Ja, Γ©cht. Ik doe mee met een wetenschappelijk onderzoek waarbij mijn darmflora gebruikt wordt om mensen met een leveraandoening te genezen. Ik ben zo blij met de positieve impact die ik hiermee kan maken! En ik krijg er nog betaald voor ook. Meer weten? Lees het artikel dat ik erover schreef via de link in mijn bio. Binnenkort zal ik er ook een Youtube-video aan wijden. #donor #positieveimpact #nafldnashresearch Minimaliseren en ontspullen blijft een ongoing process πŸ“¦. Ik vind dat ik niet al te veel spullen heb, maar toch geef ik nog geregeld spullen weg aan de kringloopwinkel. In deze reel laat ik de laatste 5 items aan je zien. Plantaardiger eten hoeft niet moeilijk te zijn, je moet net even weten welke producten vegan zijn. Vandaag deel ik een makkelijke swap voor mayonaise 🍟. Het is weer mei! En dat betekent dat er weer een artikel met podcast-tips op mijn blog staat (de vijfde in de reeks inmiddels!). Vandaag lees je over 4 podcasts die ik aan bijna iedereen zou aanraden 🎧. 5 vegan maaltijden die ik at in april 2023 πŸ₯™. En ja, Γ©cht alles is vegan. Want elk gerecht is te veganizen.

Read my latest posts

  • Zero waste groceries at Pieter Pot
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  • I am a poop donor
  • Why I never light candles
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