/r/ZeroWasteVegans

Photograph via snooOG

Welcome!

This community is a collaborative effort between /r/ZeroWaste and /r/Vegan! Dedicated to helping folks go Zero Waste with an emphasis on the Vegan lifestyle that doesn't contribute to Animal Agriculture, one of the biggest contributors to our environment's degredation. We aim to provide a safe space where folks can discuss and share their experiences and ideas revolving around Veganism and Zero Waste.

What is Veganism?

Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. Learn more by visiting /r/Vegan!

What is Zero Waste?

Zero Waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials, without burning them, and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health. Learn more by visiting /r/ZeroWaste!

Resources to begin with!

Your Personal Impact
Relevant Documentaries
How to go Vegan?

/r/ZeroWasteVegans

38,941 Subscribers

160

/r/ZeroWasteVegans will be going dark from June 12-14 in protest against Reddit's API changes which kill 3rd party apps.

0 Comments
2023/06/04
21:24 UTC

5

An open letter on the state of affairs regarding the API pricing and third party apps and how that will impact moderators and communities.

0 Comments
2023/06/01
20:18 UTC

67

Any ideas for Edamame pasta?

I got 6 Packages of these edamame spaghetti from my hubby's brother. He bought them in bulk cause they were on sale, but he didn't like them so he gave them to us. I have to be honest, we don't really like them either but I also don't want to just throw them out. So I am looking for ideas how to make them in a way you don't taste them as much.

11 Comments
2023/06/01
10:15 UTC

54

Vegan & non-plastic alternative to wool dryer balls?

Vegan and non-plastic alternative to wool dryer balls and dryer sheets? Has anyone tried tennis balls? Thanks!

Edit: obviously, the best thing is to let stuff air dry and/or not use anything at all in the dryer. But when there’s a gross accident on something big and bulky, you need it to dry out somehow in a timely manner. Thanks to the people who provided actual suggestions!

55 Comments
2023/05/15
23:21 UTC

38

How do you justify eating food that you only eat for pleasure and not survival, like e.g. candy?

Can you justify eating candy despite the amount of waste it produces (even if it’s packaging-free) and knowing you only eat it for pleasure and not for its nutritional content, when you could as well just eat some local fruit that produces way less waste, whenever you have a strong craving for something sweet? I’ve been struggling with this for a long time because I don’t know what the right thing to do is.

38 Comments
2023/05/13
22:54 UTC

175

Surprise perk for being a zero waste vegan

Free samosas for being kind to the environment and animals!

Ordered these dellliissciousss vegan samosas after a long bike ride and requested him to serve it in paper bowl instead of plastic and asked him to drizzle the sauce instead of service it in a plastic container.

He happily obliged and finally said it's on the house, enjoy!

I didn't ask him why. I was just a happy soul.

6 Comments
2023/05/13
03:03 UTC

10

Are Taco Bell taco wrappers compostable?

I google'd and saw an old thread about this, but it wasn't answered to my satisfaction.

I have read these pages, but they did not specifically talk about the taco wrappers. There is a cardboard thing that holds that taco and I am talking about the wax paper-like material that covers the whole thing.

https://www.tacobell.com/faq/our-purpose-planet

https://www.tacobell.com/blog/PackagingfactsFeedArticlePage

Thanks guys.

5 Comments
2023/05/09
20:26 UTC

43

Sunscreen for blue collar man

TLDR: Spray sunscreen for a man that doesn't care about how fancy it is.

My boyfriend works construction outside and he's getting burnt to a crisp. He probably wouldn't wear a sun shirt because it would get damaged, so I'm trying to find an easy sunscreen I can get for him. I was considering getting a refillable oil sprayer and filling it with a liquid sunscreen, or trying to get a refillable sunscreen sprayer. I've found a couple things, but I'm not sure how well it would work. I also looked through old posts here and I'm finding more tinted facial sunscreens that are expensive and come in tins. Does anyone know of something along these lines?

Edit: this sub is always so helpful, I love you guys!

12 Comments
2023/05/09
21:33 UTC

28

Shoes

What shoes are durable and vegan? Most durable shoes I see recommended have leather in them.

Edit: I am a man btw

18 Comments
2023/05/08
07:50 UTC

1

Salted soak water for plants?

So I almost always buy dried legumes, which I then soak overnight. I put a decent amount of salt in the soaking water. Can I then still give it to my plants?

2 Comments
2023/05/08
04:15 UTC

38

Let's bring zero waste aisles to finnish grocery stores!

0 Comments
2023/05/02
17:52 UTC

87

Silk alternatives?

I have a polyester satin hair bonnet I currently use, but it's old and falling apart, and I'd like to buy a replacement and maybe a pillowcase or two.

My problem is I don't want to buy more polyester (for obvious reasons), but I also don't want to use silk (for obvious reasons).

There are some polyester alternatives like Tencel that are apparently biodegradable, but I've yet to find any satin made of it.

Any recommendations?

27 Comments
2023/04/30
17:51 UTC

47

Pens?

This is kind of a multipronged post but the gist is I was wondering if anyone has had luck finding eco-friendly and confirmed vegan pens (I was thinking like ballpoints, but anything that gets the job done is fine. I'm thinking something I can use for e.g. filling out paperwork) I'd like to have one to carry around for peace of mind.

I've heard of Pilot, but I've found a couple of people saying they gave a non-committal answer. I haven't had much luck in confirming if some of the other brands I already own are vegan. I'm not really sure what to do with these ones I'm uncertain about. I go back and forth about it.

Another lead I have is these pens made of corn. I got a response that they were "vegan and not tested on animals." I want to send a follow-up email. If they do end up giving a more in-depth answer to the ingredients of the pen, the caveat is that I would be buying something new.

I'm new to both these philosophies so I wanted to ask: How do you all approach things like this?

Edit: I didn't reply to many people but I wanted to thank you all for sharing your ideas. I will be checking out some of them.

23 Comments
2023/04/25
01:43 UTC

24

Vegan Zero Waste Litter Cleanup Event Ideas

I went to a local litter cleanup event this Saturday. We picked up a lot of litter, but also generated a lot of new trash, almost all of it plastic waste. I know some things are unavoidable, such as trashbags and the actual trash we pick up, but I really feel like there was a lot to improve. Some specific issues about the event:

  • A bunch of cheap plastic trash grabbers for everyone, freshly purchased, each individually wrapped in plastic bags.
  • Thin plastic orange vests, which, being cheap, were mostly thrown away due to tears afterwards, though a handful were folded for future usage or kept. Also, yes, each one came in its own plastic bag.
  • Snacks and water available for volunteers in the form of those little 8oz plastic water bottles
  • Individual snack-size bagged chips (in plastic), every one of which had dairy in them. (EDIT: Actually, wait, I think the plain and BBQ ones were dairy-free. Basically all the other ones had dairy though, including ones which were not in any way dairy-flavored like the salt and vinegar ones.)
  • Gloves for volunteers, most of which were freshly purchased and still in their individual plastic bags, with only leather gloves being available by the time I got there. (I had brought my own pair of gloves with the expectation that this might happen, but they were themselves disposable latex gloves. I realize that I need to get myself some dedicated reusable trash pickup gloves for the future, but that doesn't solve the larger problem.)

This was the first time I've attended this event, but not the first time it's been held, which is why a lot of the newly purchased stuff surprised me. Still, I'm hoping to volunteer in future years, and I was hoping we here could help brainstorm some ways to make future Earth Day litter cleanup events more vegan-friendly and zero-waste while also keeping it within a reasonable budget and addressing hygiene concerns. Some of my specific questions:

  • What would be a good source of gloves to use for this event that would be both vegan and, if not plastic-free, at least not come with an individual plastic bag for every one or few pairs, while still being affordable?
  • Are there any suitable trash grabbers which could be purchased in bulk as needed which would not come in individual bags, while also being budget friendly? I don't think trash picks would work by themselves because we have some trash which doesn't pick up well via picks. It'd be ideal to be able to reuse these from year to year, but I understand that increases in the number of volunteers and natural wear and tear will often mean some new purchases of grabbers at each event.
  • Any good, affordable in bulk orange vests which could be reused and which would not also come in individually wrapped bags? Non-plastic ones made of plant material would be even better.
  • What would good snacks and hydration options for volunteers be? We live in a post-COVID era and most people eating these snacks would have just finished picking up a bunch of really gross garbage, and hand sanitizer is really nowhere near effective enough that I'd trust just putting a squirt on my hands before eating. The gloves and trash grabbers would help but we can't rely on no one to have grabbed trash bare-handed. To add further complications, of course, we'd want these snacks to be free from the most common major allergens, vegan (naturally) and affordable.

Thanks!

8 Comments
2023/04/24
17:05 UTC

28

Making homemade soymilk! How long do I boil it for?

6 Comments
2023/04/14
23:39 UTC

24

Can zero waste vegans eat mock meats?

Hello I'm not vegan or zero waste but I a question about zero waste veganism. Can you guys eat mock meats? Because I keep hearing meat eaters that getting meat wrapped in paper is more environmentally friendly then eating stuff like beyond burgers that come in plastic. I understand that plastic isn't good for the environment and we should reduce it, however if you are zero waste can you eat vegan junk food or do you have to make it yourself?

42 Comments
2023/04/13
05:00 UTC

61

Zero waste + vegan dryer balls?

I’m trying to go zero waste and vegetarian (end goal being vegan). I stopped using dryer sheets and trying to find an alternative to them to help reduce the static in my clothes after the dryer.

All the wool dryer balls that are usually recommended in the zero waste community aren’t vegan so I’m trying to find an alternative.

Anyone got recommendations?

54 Comments
2023/04/12
05:36 UTC

27

Zero Waste suggestions please!

Hello! I’m UK based and looking for a few things but struggling to find vegan, zero-waste/eco, ethical versions (items listed below). Would welcome UK based and affordable suggestions please!

I’m looking for the following:

  • underwear companies
  • haircare and styling for curly hair
  • toothpaste and mouthwash (ideally looking for waterless but not individual tabs, hoping for mouthcare versions of smol/oceansaver/ethique etc)

Thank you so much in advance! ☺️

10 Comments
2023/04/01
16:11 UTC

50

DIY Frozen (Vegan) Pizzas?

I caved to my recent high-stress busy schedule on my last shopping trip and bought two Daiya frozen pizzas. They did not last two days before I'd eaten them both. They were delicious, and made me really realize the importance of having some good frozen meals on hand, especially something as easy and delicious as pizzas. Unfortunately, I'm not really sure where to start on making a good batch of DIY Frozen Pizzas.

My logistical concerns are:

  1. How do I even prepare the pizza for freezing? Do I parbake the crust? Include the toppings?
  2. What's a good DIY vegan cheese to top these with? Could I make a liquid mozz like this work? If not, would something like the cheese in this work? Anyone have any experience with this? Would I include them in the parbaking step or top them before freezing?
  3. How do I... store them in the freezer? What would be a container that would even work? How can I prevent them from sticking to each other? Do I just need to give in and use something biodegradable like an unbleached parchment paper to separate them?

If anyone has any experience with this, I'd really appreciate knowing your method and what has and hasn't worked for you!

Thanks!

30 Comments
2023/03/31
16:13 UTC

16

Floss

2 Comments
2023/03/27
02:26 UTC

55

Where should I go to buy seeds and gardening stuff?

Is there a good place to buy vegan fertilizer/soil and seeds? Both for produce and ground cover flowers and such? Everywhere around me to buy seeds is part of an animal ag business.

Thanks <3

19 Comments
2023/03/26
23:56 UTC

73

Any Vegans from Slovakia?

And also what you eat? Especially I want to know what to eat when I am pregnant and also how to have enough nutriments if I want to eat only local and natural (not fabricated) ingredients?

15 Comments
2023/03/23
18:15 UTC

6

How to wash cloth diapers?

Hi, I would like to know what you use to wash cloth diapers with minimum waste? I mean especially poo stains 😅

19 Comments
2023/03/23
09:32 UTC

48

Zerowaste alternative to aluminium foil for grab&go burritos?

Pretty much what the title says. I have been really into the convenience of homemade grab and go burritos you eat cold, but the aluminium foil has got to go.

34 Comments
2023/03/22
19:48 UTC

3

Low waste butter packaging

I'm looking for a good option for low waste butter packaging. Most of the ones I see are in plastic tubs and I can only use so many of them. Unfortunately homemade butter is not an option for us.

Is there a specific brand that has compostable inner packaging? The recyclable cardboard outer portion is great, but I usually end up having to just throw away the inner piece that the blocks are wrapped in.

6 Comments
2023/03/21
19:30 UTC

72

i found a twitter/discord for vegan game devs! thought you would all like to know of safe games and safe people to give money to! <3<3<3<3<3 i love digital zero waste goods that provide hours of entertainment

5 Comments
2023/03/16
04:00 UTC

72

At what distance is a product no longer locally produced?

Sorry if this doesn't fit the sub guidelines, but I'd like your thoughts on this. Lately I've been more conscious about the things I eat. I live in Denmark and the majority of exotic fruits and vegetables are shipped from across the world to get here. I'm thinking about cutting down on these and with that I started thinking about what locally defines in regards to food and products. Some times I buy vegetables from a small farmer market, which i would define as the most local, besides growing it yourself. A lot of the vegetables and fruits in supermarkets here are from all over Europe. Would you consider that local or not?

9 Comments
2023/03/07
19:35 UTC

55

Get a $1000 USD grant for your animal rights project or work! 🌱 🐤

The Vegan Hacktivists are excited to offer you or your group up to $1000 USD in seed funding grants for your animal rights project or work! This can be through plant-based advocacy, pressure campaigns, street or online outreach, and other ideas that save animal lives 🐤

Apply here: https://veganhacktivists.org/grants

In addition to $1000 in seed funding, you'll also be eligible for a one-year free SquareSpace site subscription, access to our professional design, content, and development teams, and a 30 minute free advisory call every month with our team of experts. ✨

This is made possible by the Vegan Hacktivists and our partner The Pollination Project. Interested in doing activism with VH? Apply here or, feel free to support our non-profit work by donating here.

Thank you! 💕

Not sure if you qualify? Apply anyways! We may forward your application to other grant programs that you may qualify for. Good luck with your application, and thank you for your activism! 👊🏾

1 Comment
2023/03/06
11:50 UTC

116

Sign EU petition to stop animal subsidies and direct the money to alternatives

Probably it was posted before but the petition struggles to gain traction. If you are a citizen of an EU country, please sign the petition.

https://eci.ec.europa.eu/025/public/#/screen/home

There are two main points:

1 - Exclude livestock farming from list of activities eligible for agricultural subsidies and include ethical and environmentally friendly alternatives, such as cellular agriculture and plant proteins.

2 - Incentives for the production and sale of plant-based products and those made using cellular agriculture.

More info in the link. It has translations in all EU languages.

We need 1 mln signatures by Jun 5th 2023. So far there is only 123k votes.

5 Comments
2023/03/05
12:07 UTC

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