My name is Yu Yuan
I live with my British boyfriend Joe in a third-ring neighborhood in Beijing
We carried out an experiment last August
We wanted to see how much waste we two would generate in three months
The answer is: two jars
I was an out-of-control consumer
Until June 2016
I saw a video about an American family
The waste of the whole family for a whole year could fit in one jar
I was both astonished and inspired
So I started to try and practice this new way of life
And the practice extends to all aspects of life
Our furniture is mostly used stuff
This pair of boots were bought on a fair in Joe’s hometown
At the price of four pounds
The toiletries
Toothbrush, toothpaste, body soap
They are all handmade by me
I also find an alternative for sanitary pads
Which can be recycled and lasts for 12 years
The kitchen waste in our house doesn’t go straight to the bin
Instead I refrigerate it
7 to 10 days later
I pour it into the compost heap
For it to begin on a journey to black gold
Properly mixed with soil and dead leaves
And given two months, it becomes black gold compost
The neighbors are interested in our compost
So we give out some to them
I also plant flowers and vegetables with the soil
Ever since we started making compost
We stopped wasting any more food
This is my lunch box
I never order takeout
These are the utensils that I bring around
Also canvas bags like this
And handkerchiefs
And a cup
These are my daily equipment, nothing fancy
I refuse disposable plastic products
I choose the alternatives whenever I can
Like no-plastic-straw-policy
I use my stainless steel straw
At first when I go to markets with my own bags
People look at me like I’m an odd ball
How are you going to take these home without plastic bags
Gradually they start to see why I do that
Because I don’t feel like adding any more plastic burden to the planet
Some are being supportive
One year into this practice
I decided to open the store
“THE BULK HOUSE”zero waste no wrap store
No wrap means nothing is wrapped
Because of the store, waste becomes inevitable
We collect the waste in a jar
Within this jar is all our waste from March to now
Parcels are sent out in recycled paper boxes
And duct tapes are made of corn, they dissolve in water
Naturally degradable
There is absolutely no plastic wrap or bubble wrap involved
Before this
We used to spend all our money before the paycheck day
But now I seldom buy things I don’t really need
The cost of living has really slumped
Many friends of us endeavor to produce less waste because of what we do
They also bring on their own canvas bags to markets
Or make compost
As one person, you can’t do much
But when you do
The influence goes a long way