An Intersection of Minimalism and Low Waste Living

When talking about minimalism often the discussion can focus on reducing as many things from your home as possible. Getting rid of stuff is a great way to simplify and declutter your home. However, I find this in some ways contradicts my low waste lifestyle. While working toward reducing waste, I find myself holding onto a lot of things so that I can reuse them.

I keep a basket in my cupboard with jars that need to be returned or I am donating. This way when I am heading to the store I can go to this basket to grab and returnables on my way out the door, and they don’t take up space in my kitchen.

The result? I have an entire drawer in my kitchen full of containers and jars I have saved to be reused. In the quest for reducing waste, I have found myself reluctant to get rid of things for the sake of reusing or waiting to be able to properly dispose of them, and therefore end up with clutter and piles of stuff I need to deal with.

Silicone bags, reused jars, mugs, containers, and saved brown paper for the compost

Where I do like minimalism is in the intentional purchasing of things. Practicing minimalism helps to question every item you bring into your home, so that you don’t end up with a home cluttered with stuff you don’t need. I like things to be clean and tidy, so having a lot of clutter in my home causes me stress.

I have realized that there is an intersection of these two lifestyles. When you practice minimalism, you reduce your environmental footprint by cutting down on your consumption, and only buying what you need. However, buy saving and reusing items, despite them sometimes causing clutter of taking up drawer space, you are also reducing waste.

My miscellaneous drawer, these bamboo organizers help to keep keys, notepads, pens, change, and cables organized. I also keep my reusable cutlery, sunglasses, and recently extra reusable masks here. Having the dividers has made a hug difference it keeping this organized, and prevents me from dumpling random stuff here.

For me, finding a balance has been key. I know I don’t need to save every jar I bring home from pasta sauce or olives. I keep the ones that I know I will use a lot, and frequently revisit my jar drawer to see what I can let go. Once that drawer starts to get crowded, I get rid of the jars I don’t need, and donate them to store like Nada grocery or the Soap Dispensary so they can be reused or put them up on my local buy nothing group.

At the same time, I do not focus on having the fewest number of things possible in my home. I know I like to reuse items. Therefore, I keep the number of items that I know I will reuse and can stay organized, and I let go of the rest.  I do take a long time (sometimes painfully long) to make a decision on purchases, because I hate buying things I don’t love. This practice of conscious consumerism and decluttering is a constant work in progress, but I have found peace in this balance.