Considering that European Week of Waste Reduction will start in next week, within which we will also organize activities for four full days, I would like to concentrate on less consuming and waste reduction, as a part of my everyday life living in Lecce. When thinking about waste reduction... for me it starts with my daily habits and the way of thinking. Heading to Italy for ten months, with all the things in my suitcase, I also carried my daily habits to adapt them according to the environment. I have only lived here for two months and have been fortunate enough to already discover service providers that can support my choices of consuming. That means a variety of fresh and local fruits, veggies, baked goods, nuts and seeds in bulk and natural washing liquids - all in my own reusable containers or shopping bags. I hope I can inspire you to go and look around your city and to do the same! So how did I find the right shops and markets? It is utterly easy - just open your eyes to find and mouth to ask! Many places for fresh, seasonal and local fruits and vegetables I found just only a 5 min. walk from our apartment. The goods are not packed, so I can use my own reusable bags. Of course I have also checked out the bigger groceries stores and have found some options there as well - some nuts, beans, chickpeas etc in bigger containers which means you can buy them in bulk and use your own container. Sadly, you can find some weirdest things on the shelves of the supermarkets, for ex. pre-cut pineapple on a polyurethane plate wrapped into layers and layers of single use plastic. Even though in Italy, the shops are not allowed to use single use plastic bags, they still insist you to use a biodegradable one and don’t take no for an answer. Then we as consumers are left with the bag which we can at least use for our organic waste at home. My favourite place, an ecological shop Biobottega I found through googling, of course. There are many smaller eco-shops as well, but this is the biggest and the best. The service is awesome - they even weigh your containers for you. Here you can buy dishwashing and laundry liquids in bulk and also cut your own preferable size soap bar. foto! Market is the keyword! For ex. Mercato Bisettimanale. We found it only 3 km bike ride away, through the city, so not far. It takes place every Monday and Friday morning. I usually buy bigger amounts of nuts, grains, beans, tarallini etc. and use my own package. The biggest second hand/vintage market is also here! Clothes with prizes starting from 0.5-3€. My way of living is near zero waste. I try to only produce organic waste and avoid single use plastics, metals, cartons etc. The most difficult part is plastic packaging. Even though I will leave the products packed in plastic on the shelves while shopping, I can not avoid them in coffee-shops where they serve a cup of water with my coffee. So coffee goes in a ceramic cup, but water is in plastic! What? Also, sometimes it is hard to explain myself on the markets and in bakeries. When I’m showing my own bag to cashier, they still put my things into single use bag. Luckily I finally have some words in my Italian vocabulary, so I can handle the situations and refuse the offer. Currently, I’m on a mission and slowly succeeding in a bakery shop where I would like to buy pizzo in my own reusable bag. At least they put it in a paper bag for now... Organic waste is also waste. We do sort it separately, but the main thing is to avoid food being wasted. It is important to buy enough, but not too much so the only organic waste would be the scraps, not the edible part itself. We sometimes organize collective lunch at our apartment during which we use all the leftovers from the fridge. I have also experienced dumpster diving which means consuming products that are not as valuable for shops anymore. A fun way to help reduce other people’s waste is to build a new bicycle using old parts of broken bikes. Someone’s unwanted bike is someone else’s new best friend. Ciclofficina helped us pimp our rides. foto In Estonia, where I come from, the waste management is pretty ok, I think. We have many sorting options that are also mandatory for apartment buildings and companies. We can even turn in beverage bottles and get money back from that. Still, I think there are a lot of ignorant people or just a lack of knowledge, so I can still see organic waste in plastic bags etc. We have a recyclable paper mill and biowaste station and I am aware of the system here. In Italy, I was amazed by the waste sorting system. Every apartment has their own box for the metal and glass, plastic, carta, organic and secco waste. And every weekday is for different bin to take out on the street. For example on Friday evening you take out the organic’s bin and on Saturday morning the garbage truck will collect them all. Over time I would like to know how the waste management is organised here, in which places our sorted waste will end up and what they make out of it. During the next 8 months… step by step, every day, I will be discovering new options and trying to change something new in my daily consuming here in Lecce. The main aim is to reduce packages, to avoid it or recycle it and share knowledge and inspire with my actions. Tips for you! Bring your own cup, spoon, lunch box and some reusable bags (paper, plastic net, cotton, silicone) with you and you will start to notice the decrease of your own waste. The more you start to pay attention and think about your moves (what or how you are consuming), the more you start to care about the environment around you. And you will realise that these items are not that heavy burden to carry around in your bag! :) Greetings from Epp!
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