Zero-waste teenager
Tina Garratt is, in many ways, an ordinary teenager. She goes to school, enjoys hanging out with friends, and does a bit of sport. There’s one thing, however, that makes Tina unusual: she tries never to put anything in the waste bin. Some parents might say that a lot of teenagers live like that anyway, but Tina is doing it for a reason.
According to Tina, who writes a blog about ‘zero waste’ (living without throwing things away unless they can be recycled), quite a lot of people are interested in what she’s doing and read her blog regularly. Her parents are encouraging, too. However, although a few of her friends believe in helping the environment and had often discussed different things they could do before Tina started her zero-waste lifestyle, she was the only person in the group to make this choice. She’s also certain that she’ll live this way for the rest of her life.
Tina says that her family have always been careful not to produce too much rubbish, taking their own bags with them when they went shopping rather than using the plastic ones provided, and only very occasionally eating takeaway food. They’ve always enjoyed plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, avoiding anything covered in plastic, and that hasn’t changed since they’ve started trying to help Tina with her waste-free lifestyle.
Tina admits it’s sometimes hard to live this way, but her family have really helped her. Her mum has given her a special cup which she takes with her everywhere, so she doesn’t have to use paper ones when she’s out. She doesn’t mind when people she’s never met before ask her why she’s using her own cup in a cafй. ‘It’s an opportunity to let people know what I’m trying to do,’ she says. ‘Takeaway cups are often covered in a thin layer of plastic so can’t be easily recycled like ordinary paper that’s used in magazines, or cardboard. The thing that’s most of a challenge is finding ways of re-using the materials in T-shirts and jeans I no longer wear.’
Tina says that since she started waste-free living a year ago, lots of new websites have been set up about it, on which people share their experiences and give each other tips. ‘It’s not always easy, but it’s definitely worth it – I feel I’m doing something useful and important. A lot of people save money this way too, though as my parents still pay for most things for me, it’s not something I’ve managed to do yet,’ says Tina.
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