Book Review: A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days

A review of the book ‘A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days’ by Anita Vandyke

Are you looking for a new Zero Waste book to read?

There are more and more Zero Waste books being published all the time. The term ‘Zero Waste’ has become a trend the media loves to report on, sometimes in a dismissive or patronizing way, particularly when they report on ‘social media influencers’).

For people already living in a lower waste way, and for everyone starting on the first steps to reduce waste, it is more than a ‘trend’ to jump on. It’s about changing your habits to make a dent to the huge amount of waste we are creating in our modern lifestyles.

I have read a few Zero Waste books now, and have learnt tips and tricks that I have added to my own life. This is the joy of reading books, blogs and articles from Zero Waste trailblazers; you can discover ideas that hadn’t occurred to you.

The Publisher’s blurb about this book

This is the information from the back of the book:

Anita Vandyke wants to show you that by living a zero waste life, you actually gain more—more time, more money, and more life.

Her simple, practical guide shows you how by changing your daily habits you can eliminate plastic from your life in 30 days. A Zero Waste Life is a guide to the small changes you can make to radically reduce your waste, without losing your lifestyle.

Based on 30 lifestyle “rules” and handy tips, this practical book offers a fresh “can do” approach to reducing your waste and living a cleaner, kinder life. Isn’t that what we all want—a life of happiness, a life of luxury, a life that isn’t wasted? 

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/40658529-a-zero-waste-life

What is ‘A Zero Waste Life’ all about?

The author, Anita, used to live a typical consumerist lifestyle. In her bid to ‘get ahead’ in the corporate world, she had been sucked into the mentality that you have to buy more and buy bigger, in order to display your success and achieve happiness.

After realising that this lifestyle was not as satisfying as she had imagined, she discovered the related ideas of ‘minimalism’ and ‘zero waste’. She started following the principles of living more mindfully, quit her job and starting studying to be a doctor. Along the way, she started an Instagram account, documenting her journey to Zero Waste. This lead her to write this book.

You can read more about Anita on her website , which has links to her social media accounts and other information.

What did I think of this Zero Waste book?

This book was very easy to read, as it was divided up into actions you can take over 30 days. Each section was a few pages long, covering one idea, along with an illustration. It is an ideal book to dip in and out of, rather than read from start to finish.

The author was starting from a place of ‘spend, spend spend’, if you are new to Zero Waste, this book is a great starting place. There are lots of little habit changes and swaps that you can try.

If you are already living a lifestyle that aims for Zero Waste, this book may be a little too basic for you. It may reinforce that your habits are making a difference. And it may also make you think about how you could influence other people to try out some changes.

In conclusion – a great Zero Waste book

There are now plenty of books out there on living a zero waste lifestyle. Check out these websites with lists of useful and influential books:

• https://greendreamer.com/journal/zero-waste-lifestyle-books
• https://pollybarks.com/zero-waste-books/
• https://www.zerowastewisdom.com/post/2017/03/30/top-5-zero-waste-books

I would also recommend reading ‘Make, Save, Do’ by Lyn Webster. Please check out my book review about this book, and how useful I found it. I use a lot of the recipes that Lyn mentions, in order to cut back on packaged cleaning products.