When you think about zero waste, what comes to mind? Perhaps images of bamboo toothbrushes, mason jars and tote bags, but zero waste living is more than just about consuming more ethical and sustainable products. It's about giving back.

We live in a linear economy where things are designed to be single-use and then tossed out. There's no getting away from the fact that this is currently the world we inhabit and these are the standards of western civilisation at large. Living a zero waste lifestyle doesn't mean ignoring this fact, it means responding in the best ways we know how.

For me, this means not only making more conscious choices when it comes to purchasing new items, but being mindful about where the items I already own end up.

Most of us weren't born into a zero waste household, and non of us were born into a zero waste world. And so it's inevitable that at least some (and probably quite a lot) of not-so-sustainable items have crept their way into our lives and homes. And that's okay as long as we're moving in the direction of a more circular way of living. When we become aware of all of the plastics and non-recyclables in our homes it's tempting to throw them out in favour of more ethical alternatives. But this only adds to the wastage thrown out every day. So keep your plastic kitchen scissors, tupperware and razor until it reaches the end of it's life and it's time to replace it.

Zero waste living is not about aesthetics (although that does happen to be a nice side-effect). It's about reducing out waste, making more conscious decisions and creating a a better world than the one we entered.

So in alignment with conscious living, before tossing aside those not-so-eco-friendly items in your life, think about how you may re-use them. Can that plastic box be used for something else? Do you have a plastic toothbrush that can be used for cleaning the bathroom grouting? What items do you have that don't need to be thrown away? Instead of punishing yourself for buying them in the first place and discarding them as rubbish, see them with a more circular economy mindset.

Because, after all, the problem with plastics and non-compostables is not the having of them, but the discarding of them.