What does Shia Su, the author behind Wasteland Rebel, think?

Shia Su, from Wasteland Rebel, was so kind and answered my questions on the zero waste lifestyle.

What was your motivation at the beginning and what is it now?

My motivation has always been to minimize our footprint. It is apparent that the system as it is now does not have a future and things will have to change one way or the other. However, I did not want to wait around for the system, the “industry” or whoever is deemed responsible to change when I could change myself. However, my husband and I have found that the ZW lifestyle has many benefits, and of course we do enjoy having more time on our hands for the things that really matter, having a clean and neat home that is low-maintenance, or simply not having to take out the trash.

You general opinion on this topic (is it part of the future)?

I don’t know if this is will be the future. It is definitely a part of the past. Zero Waste now is perceived as something new and “extreme”, but as a matter of fact all of our grandparents lived zero waste - even though it wasn’t called ZW back then. We perceive it as normal, but in fact, our current destructive lifestyle is what is new, not ZW.

I think a lot of things have to change in order to stop the destruction of this planet. The economical system will have to change. It cannot be based on growth. In my opinion, ZW is one way to crowbar to the system, but there are other of course other actions needed in order to cause change. Social enterprises that do not focus on profit or organic argriculture need to be the default and not the exception, we need new laws and regulations (e.g. forbidding the logging of rainforest) and we need less strict trading standards (tons and tons of food is wasted because they simply are not pretty enough to appear on the shelves). And of course we will need to consume less in general. We cannot keep consuming like there is no tomorrow - because then there won’t!

Is it hard to live this lifestyle? Would you encourage other people to do this?

It is not difficult, it’s just different. Transitioning takes a bit of time - you have to look for places where you can buy in bulk, and you have to get rid of the habit of overconsumption (buying things that we do not need for no good reason), and it is a bit of a journey to get into the mindset of a conscious consumer. I always compare it to a diet change - it takes time to change your habits, it is weird at first, you will fall off the wagon a couple of times, but in the end you will be so glad. We love the benefits. We need less money, which also means we do not have to work as much to generate sufficient income. We eat very healthy (we lived off junkfood before going ZW), we are not exposed to as many toxic things because we do not use chemicals to clean our home and have reduced plastic too. My allergies (I have a LOT) do not act up anymore, which for me means no allergic asthma attacks anymore. I also have neurodermitis and I used to break out very easily. That is gone too. So yes, I would strongly recommend this lifestyle. If not for the environment, than for your personal mental and physical health.

The biggest obsticals to living this lifestyle, especilly in Germany.

I think the biggest obstacle is the mindset we are usually in. All of our life we were taught that going shopping as a good and fun thing. We buy a new piece of clothing and we feel happy. So happy, we don’t care about the exploitation it has caused. We were taught that owning more and more things and being able to afford more and more expensive things shows that we have accomplished something in life. We were taught to want more, to reach for more - only that it somehow manifested in a material way. We are also too accustomed to find excuses: “I couldn’t live zero waste, there is no bulk store where I live” or “The industry needs to change the way they produce. The industry needs to make convenience food more healthy. The law needs to change. The politicians need to work on that.” Guess what: You cannot change the industry, nor the law, maybe the politicians - but you can definitely change yourself! Start with what you DO have control over. There are always bulk options. Ask a bakery for flour, an Italian restaurant to sell you their homemade pasta in bulk, the pharmacy for baking soda in bulk. You might not be able to go all the way, but I’m sure there is a lot everyone can do.