Overflowing trash cans in January—who didn''t do their job?

After New Year’s, the neighborhood is full of trash cans that, despite their size, can’t hold all the trash we’ve been eagerly trying to cram into them. Most people who walk past such a trash bin assume that the sanitation department isn’t doing its job (again). That’s logical, since it’s easiest to point the finger at someone else.But just as there are two sides to every coin, you can also look at this problem from a different perspective: instead of blaming someone else (the sanitation department), you can ask yourself, “What can I do to keep the trash bin from getting so full?” Or perhaps even, “Am I to blame for there being so much trash in it?”

That’s what Manca and I were asking ourselves today as we walked with our dog Gili through our neighborhood in Rožna Dolina, where the photos in this article were taken. Since we’ve drastically reduced the amount of waste we produce over the past three years, it seems unimaginable to us that we could generate such large amounts of trash in just a few days—the kind you see piled up in front of some houses these days.It’s only through walks like these and seeing just how much food—as well as other, still-usable items (even wrapped gifts!)—we throw away every day that we realize what a bubble we’re living in. Although it breaks our hearts to see this, we persevere because we see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Every now and then, Rifuzl (or, more precisely, one of us who works at Rifuzl) comes under fire from various critics regarding our efforts to promote packaging-free shopping. There’s a lot of criticism, but in the end, it all boils down to variations on the following: if the decision and effort to reduce waste fall on each individual, the whole thing is pointless. The government should pass laws to reduce waste.

OK, so let’s imagine, just for the sake of this exercise, that the government actually takes such a step. What would the law look like? The possibilities are, of course, endless, but for this thought experiment , let’s choose the simplest and most effective measure: a ban on the sale of products packaged in single-use plastic.It sounds logical, doesn’t it? Most waste is single-use packaging anyway, and it won’t decompose for hundreds of years.So we have a logical measure. But what would the consequences be? If we think about it a little more, given the kind of society we live in, there would be an extraordinary backlash from society against such a change (I predict that those who are now trying to convince me that a government agency must address the waste problem would be the ones to protest the most).

Off the top of my head, here’s what such a ban would entail:

1. We live in abundance and comfort like never before, and such a change would mean we’d have to give up a lot of things. Online shopping? Currently impossible for most products. A wide selection of products of the same type? Many foreign companies or multinationals would likely not adapt to selling in Slovenia.

2. Higher product prices due to increased costs of packaging in alternative formats.

3. A much smaller and more limited selection of products on store shelves.

4. Shorter product shelf lives.

5. Having to give up many habits if we forget to bring our own containers. For example: coffee on the go, but you don’t have a cup with you? It won’t work—next time, bring your own cup.

6. A massive increase in packaging made from other materials, such as glass, paper, and wood. Although these materials decompose naturally in the environment, they often contain harmful additives (paints, adhesives). A greater demand for these materials would create new problems for the environment: more resources would be needed for paper, wood (logging), and glass (quarries), and more energy would be consumed to produce this type of packaging, along with the construction of new factories, power plants, and so on.

7. Fewer items on store shelves and lower sales mean less economic power and a lower GDP (which is still the measure of a society’s success), which in turn affects the entire economy upon which the global economy as a whole relies.

I could go on, but I think it’s already clear by now that the consequences of such a measure would be quite dramatic.One more thing. “The state” is made up of people, including those in government institutions. People with their own desires, habits, and fears. People who have put a great deal of effort into reaching a certain political position. The term of office lasts four years. Which of the elected officials would want to incur the wrath of the people with such a radical measure as a ban on plastic? That’s right—no one! That’s why even those of us who would genuinely like to see such a change can only hope that it will actually happen.“But Primož, given everything you’ve written, how can you still be optimistic, and how do you and the Rifuzlarji keep at your work?” Because Manca and I are noticing slow but significant changes in society. The objects around us no longer bring us joy (as clearly evidenced by the many still-wrapped gifts filling the trash bins these days). At Rifuzl, every day we open the eyes of a passerby, encouraging them first to reflect, then—step by step—to change their habits, share their experiences with others, and recommend Rifuzl to them... so that their neighbors, friends, family, and acquaintances, too, can discover ways to reduce waste in their own lives. And so, stories and words of gratitude are already beginning to emerge.

Because living with less waste means living better and happier. And in the end, that’s what drives us Rifuzlers (= everyone who enjoys shopping with their own containers): we do this because reducing waste brings us joy, and at the end of the day, we’re happier and more grateful for what we have.

Even if my “zero waste” efforts don’t happen to save the world from plastic waste, it’s enough that at least I’m not adding to the trash.If each of us decides for ourselves to adopt a different lifestyle (and not one imposed from the outside, say, by “the government”), we can take a step—with joy—toward a better society in which we want to live in the future. And we take this step not because of external pressure, but out of our own desire, with pleasure, and at a pace each of us chooses for ourselves. Rifuzl exists solely to make that step easier for you. Nothing more, nothing less.What’s your take on this? Write it in the comments below, or share a link to this article along with your thoughts on your favorite social media platform (click for FB) and tag @Rifuzl so we can find and read it too! ;)