Minimising your waste pays, literally. Here are 4 ways to start
Save your money and the earth at the same time
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We’ve always known that recycling can help us save money, although to our knowledge, that seems like fairly little. Sure enough, making rags and rugs out of old clothes helps – but the zero-waste movement, and how much you can get out of it, is much more than that.
Reality check: The world currently generates 10 times more waste than a century ago, according to the World Bank. With that in mind, many restaurants, stores and organisations have incentivised patrons with rewards for their recycling habits.
Before we delve into that, let us first explore what minimising waste really means:
What is the zero-waste movement?
credit: Shirley810--9355/Canva
The Zero-Waste Movement is the practice of eliminating one’s solid waste output. While most people find it difficult to avoid generating any trash at all, it is important to understand that a little effort can really go a long way.
Exercising mindfulness when making purchases, taking conscious steps to reduce waste in your daily life and even reducing the use of plastic products are some ways of starting a zero-waste movement. Bear in mind that adopting such habits can be both environmentally friendly and financially savvy.
Below are some ways that you can start participating in the Zero-Waste Movement.
1. Bring Your Own (BYO) containers
An easy way to start a personal zero-waste initiative is to adopt the Bring Your Own (BYO) habit. This means bringing your own reusable bags, bottles or containers when making a purchase. Perhaps surprisingly, these BYO efforts can actually result in savings! For example, many retailers offer discounts to consumers that bring your own reusable products.
Retailers With BYO Incentives
[["Retailers","Rewards","Estimated Savings"],["Toastbox","BYO cup for $0.10 discount","$0.10 per cup"],["Common Man Coffee Roasters","BYO cup for 10 per cent off takeaway coffee","$0.60 per cup"],["Starbucks","Bring your own cup for $0.50 off drinks","$0.50 per cup"],["Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf","BYO cup for $0.50 off drinks","$0.50 per cup"],["SaladStop!","BYO container for extra topping","$0.50 to $2.00 (per topping)"],["Pastamania","BYO cup for $0.50 off drinks","$0.50 per cup"],["The Rabbit Hole Salad & Juice","BYO container for 2 salad toppings","$2.00 per salad"],["Aloha Poke","BYO container for additional superfood","$1.00"],["Mr. Bean","BYO cup or tumbler to get $0.10 off","$0.10 per cup"],["Joe & Dough","BYO cup or tumbler to get $0.10","$0.10 per cup"],["Caf\u00e9 Melba","BYO cup or tumbler to get $0.50 off takeaway coffee","$0.50 per cup"],["The Coffee Academics","BYO cup to get $0.30","$0.30 per cup"],["Jones the Grocer","BYO cup for $0.50 off coffee \/ hot drinks","$0.50 per cup"],["Cold Storage","BYO bag for 10 Tap-For-More Passion Card Points","$0.07"],["Market Place","BYO bag for 10 Tap-For-More Passion Card Points","$0.07"],["Jasons","BYO bag for 10 Tap-For-More Passion Card Points","$0.07"]]
data: ValueChampion
Assuming the price of a stainless-steel tumbler about $20 and a glass food container is $10, you can easily recoup the money spent and probably save even more if you adopt the BYO habit.
2. Participate in recycling programmes
Many retailers are also incorporating recycling programs as part of their zero-waste initiatives. Such programs usually require you to bring recyclable products or containers, that they would typically throw away as trash, for rewards.
Retailers Rewarding Customers For Recycling
[["Retailers","What to Recycle","Estimated Customer Rewards"],["Mac Cosmetics","Return 6 MAC primary packaging containers to receive a free lipstick","$33 per lipstick"],["Lush","Return 5 empty Lush black pots to receive a fresh face mask","$31 per face mask"],["Kiehl\u2019s","Return empty Kiehl\u2019s full-size container to receive one stamp","Receive a travel-sized product after collecting 4th and 7th stamps, tote bag after collecting 10 stamps"],["Innisfree","Return empty Innisfree bottles to receive $1 store credit","$1 per bottle"],["Origins","Drop off empty containers from any cosmetic brands","Free sample sachets of their best-selling skincare products"]]
data: ValueChampion
3. Shop secondhand
Buying second-hand goods is a great way of reducing waste and discouraging overproduction, which is one of the main causes of pollution. If you are willing to search through second-hand shops and even online platforms like Carousell, you will discover deals that are pretty irresistible. For example, a brand-new Lenovo GTX 1050 laptop which is retailing at $1,499 can be found on Carousell at $1,300, a nearly $200 difference.
Alternatively, you can often rent clothing for special events and avoid purchasing an outfit that you might only wear once or twice. These rental prices tend to be just 20-
50 per cent of the cost of purchasing the item. To save even further, we strongly recommend a credit card with in-store or online shopping rewards or cashback. For example, the best cards available allow shoppers to earn four miles per dollar spent. The miles that you accumulate over a year or two can come in handy when booking travel.
[["Website","Description"],["Gowns4Rent","Rent or buy dresses, gowns and accessories\u00a0at 50-80% discount to retail price"],["Runaway Rent"],["Covetella"],["Style Lease"],["Style Theory","Monthly subscription service for unlimited rental"],["Bag Borrow Or Steal","Luxury handbag rentals"]]
data: ValueChampion
4. Be a zero-waste saver
The main intention of adopting a zero-waste habit is to minimise pollution and create a more sustainable society in the long-run. But if you can derive more joy by participating in such efforts with added incentives and benefits, it will make the journey more rewarding and long lasting.
The truth is, you can stand to save quite a bit of money by making more conscious decisions. If this effort can translate to a sustainable society and great financial gains for your wallet, then participating in such retail programs is well worth the effort.
This article was first published by Singapore Women's Weekly. Text by ValueChampion, Additional reporting: Cherrie Lim