In Defense Of Imperfection: Why I Gave Up On 100% Zero-Waste Living

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Before my daughter came along, I was the stereotypical Type-A personality with a five-year plan, a regimented morning routine, and a daily schedule that was so tightly packed that my secretary had to schedule in toilet breaks.

But all this fell to pieces when my daughter was born. You see, babies don’t have a schedule—and they certainly don’t give a rat’s ass about your morning routine. Five-year plans? Pft, you can’t even make a five-minute plan. This, you can imagine, for a Type-A personality, was a shock to my system. 

On the outside, I was pretending I was still managing. But the pressure I had placed on myself to have it all and look good whilst doing so, was a pressure cooker waiting to explode.

I was sitting down at my favorite café after a 10-hour day at the hospital. I was currently on a surgical rotation and hadn’t eaten all day, and all I wanted was a green smoothie. I asked the waiter, “No straw please, I am trying to reduce my waste.” He nodded and smiled, “Of course, we need more people like you.” In that moment, I was the zero-waste girl, the best-selling author, the happy mother, the diligent medical student.

The smoothie arrived… and it had a straw. I immediately burst into tears. It was literally the (plastic) straw that broke the camel’s back.

I was inconsolable. You’d think that that straw meant the demise of all sea life. You’d think that that straw was cause of all the methane in our atmosphere. But really, what that straw represented was overwhelm. I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by being a full-time medical student; I was overwhelmed by being a new mother; and I was overwhelmed with trying to live a perfect, zero-waste life.

We don’t need another thing to add to the guilt of motherhood, but we do need to appreciate that every small act leads to a bigger change—a change in mindset, a change in lifestyle, and eventually, a change in the well-being of our planet.

As I write this now, my hair is unwashed, the dinner isn’t ready, the baby is crying and I haven’t prepared for my medical exam tomorrow. I am tired. This tiredness is more than just a general sense of fatigue. It is a bone-tiredness that comes with sleepless nights, and the guilt of not doing enough. Not enough for your child, not enough at work, not enough for the environment. Enough. Enough of that. Here are three ways I'm trying to embrace being an imperfect environmentalist.

Children are our most important mirrors; they reflect the best and the worst of us. Your actions should reflect your values and the values you want your children to adopt. Let’s be conscious of how we set foot in this world and try to leave a gentler footprint.

Adapted from an excerpt of A Zero Waste Family © 2022 Anita Vandyke. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Apollo Publishers. All rights reserved.