What can we do in this time of hysteria and panic?
We can slow down and think of others.
Although you may not be thinking of how to be eco-friendly during this time I thought I would share some ideas to lighten the load on the earth during this time.
I have been seeing many articles saying that Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and others have stopped accepting reusable mugs for fear of the virus.
Bulk Bark also temporarily halted their BYOC (bring your own container) program and people are becoming more and more frantic over the virus. Tim Hortons also canceled their Roll up the Rim challenge to prevent the spread of the virus. I have also seen articles from the zero waste community discussing this idea that COVID-19 will be a detriment to the zero waste movement and I wanted to share my perspective.
Is the risk of contracting the virus higher in the bulk bins than grabbing your bananas off the shelf?
I do not believe this is the case but understand the temporary change. When it comes to global viruses it is better to be safe than sorry. I saw a very relevant and sadly hilarious tweet today as I am researching for this paper.
It says "God bless the hundreds of people doomsday prepping at Costco right now and still eating the little food samples sitting out for everyone to touch".
This is the sad reality of our society right now. I even know family and friends who have gone doomsday shopping to prepare for the worst-case scenario. I believe in a different kind of doomsday prepping. One that involves canning, preserving food, knowing how to fix things yourself and being independent. I admittedly don't remember a lot of the canning lessons my grandma gave me when I was young but I'm not the worst at cooking from scratch if need be. This is a great reminder that we need to get back to the basics and learn how to create things from scratch again.
So what are some other ways we can stay hygienic and safe but not create unnecessary waste during this time?
To start you can think about bulk purchasing. I don't mean buying seven frozen pizzas at a time instead of three. I'm talking about buying the largest package available for things like sugar and flour to reduce waste. These items last a very long time and since we can't use our own containers at Bulk Barn this is the next best option.
When it comes to being unable to use your own mug at your favourite coffee shop, brewing at home can not only save you the waste of the paper cup but also a lot of money. Using a coffee press if my favourite method to brew a fresh cup and top it up with some unsweetened vanilla oat milk from the health food aisle. The COVID-19 may actually lead to a decrease in people going out to eat and drink as numbers of those afflicted are increasing.
I want to identify the elephant in the room.
Not everyone is able to self-isolate and bulk buy food and make their own coffee.
There is a lot of privilege being identified during this time of self-isolation. Many people cannot afford to bulk buy the largest bag of flour, many people have to take public transit to go to work and can't afford to take the time off. If you are able to spend this time at home please do. You may not be directly at risk but someone you run into may live with their grandmother who has a weak immune system and has conquered cancer three times.
Don't let your selfishness be a trigger for Coronavirus to spread in our community. Please don't bulk buy more than you need as there are folks out there that can only afford to buy one bundle of toilet paper at a time. If you see elderly folks out grocery shopping let then ahead of you in line as many of them are scared to be out in public right now.
Most importantly listen to the officials and don't go buying a $50 ticket to Mexico even though it may be tempting. Work on yourself, clean your house, learn to cook something new and facetime your family. This time can be used to make positive changes in our lives that we always say we don't have time for.
