How buying for life reduces waste

By Laura Servage

The best way to reduce our waste is to reduce our consumption. 

Yet, of the 5 REs (REfuse, REduce, REuse, REpurpose, and REcycle), reducing is one of the least pleasant to think or talk about. It’s uncomfortable for us because almost everyone occasionally succumbs to advertising ploys and buys stuff they don’t need, or stuff that won’t last. I know this from my own experience. 
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​Here’s a recent example: A couple of years ago, I bought some plastic measuring cups from Dollarama. They were hella cheap. Great. But now they’re chipped, scratched, and broken.

And can the hard plastic it’s made from be recycled? Even if I throw it in my blue bin, is there a buyer for this kind of plastic, or will it end up in a landfill somewhere? I have no idea. Nor do I have the chemical engineering degree required to identify subtle differences among plastic products.

The point here is that a cheap and convenient purchase—one of those rushed things you do when you’ve got decision fatigue and three more errands to go—can easily leave you feeling guilty and confused when that low-quality item quickly comes to the end of its life. Suddenly, you both have to figure out what to do with it and replace it with something new. 

I’m sharing my experience because I want you to feel safer sharing yours. If we can start talking freely and without shame about these kinds of simple purchase fails, we can support each other to reduce what we buy in the first place, make better choices when we do buy, and ultimately reduce our consumption by decreasing the number of times we need to replace our items.

As for my poor-quality, broken plastic measuring cups, I bit the bullet and paid almost $30 for a set of stainless steel cups. I’m not rich, by the way. It’s harder to spend $30 on a kitchen tool than it is to spend $4. But when I use them, I know that they will last until I die, and they’ll still be useful to some lucky thrifter after that.

Will you be inspired enough by this blog to never, ever again buy something you are stuck sending to landfill later? Of course not, and that’s okay! 

The overwhelm of trying to make environmentally friendly purchases is real. It takes time to do the research, and it costs more upfront to buy something sustainable. You may not be able to shop sustainably for everything all the time.

But you can do it sometimes, for some things, and enjoy the satisfaction of a sturdy, high-quality item that you’ve been intentional about buying.
If you can’t afford a large purchase, focus on small, essential things that you use regularly. When you need new underwear, buy good ones that won’t wear out in 10 minutes. When you need a screwdriver, buy a good one that won’t shred or bend when you use it. Or buy some good measuring cups! You’ll love the feeling of owning something long-lasting that can be responsibly recycled or won’t need to be recycled at all.
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A lot of the messaging about reducing is that we need to buy less stuff. That’s true, but we still need stuff sometimes! And when you do need to buy something, you practice REducing by ensuring that you won’t be buying the same thing again in a year or two. Not only are you investing in quality items for yourself, you’re sending a message to all the companies that rely on our willingness, as consumers, to accept planned obsolescence.

Here are some other quick tips to help you make a difference: 
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1. When you find a great product or a great company, share what you learn. Word of mouth is powerful. You’ll be supporting companies that are trying to do right by the environment. What’s more, many of these companies are Canadian!
2. Check out the Buy It For Life (BIFL) subReddit! Even if you don’t find current ideas and reviews for the thing you’re looking to purchase, you’ll be inspired when you see how many other people like you are trying to make a difference with their sustainable consumer choices.

​Edited by Jess Blackwell