On a Zero Waste mission

After working at the Foifi ZeroWaste shop in Zurich, learning a lot about the Zero Waste concept and implementing various changes in my life to reduce the waste I produce, I was curious how challenging it would be to maintain these habits once in Peru. To my surprise, for me it’s almost easier (and cheaper) here than in Switzerland. I had planned on minimising waste as much as possible, but it kind of just fell in place without much thought or effort.

Bulk in bolsitas

One of my favourite rituals in Cusco is my weekly trip to the market. There is a big variety to choose from in town and most are even open daily. I love wandering around between the colourful stands, looking for the freshest and cheapest merchandise, listening to the market chatter and observing the constant to and fro.

Most goods come in bulk and you can buy exactly the amount you need. Simply hold out your fabric bag (just make sure you’re faster than the market lady, or you’ll end up with a plastic bag anyway). You most likely will even get compliments like «¡Qué linda su bolsita!» or «¡Felicidades!». I made a point of giving my host mum some fabric bags to take with her when she went to the market. After a while, the dried fruit lady even reminded her to take them out when she forgot to do so :).

Vegan kimchi in mason jars

Apart from its markets, Cusco offers a selection of organic and vegan shops, where you can get natural soap, chemical-free conditioner, kimchi in mason jars and even Zero Waste female hygiene products. Of course shopping there has its price and is not accessible for everyone, but once in a while it is nice to treat yourself. And I did purchase certain essentials there, the quality being more important to me than saving the money by buying them at the supermarket.

The only thing I wouldn’t buy there again: after acquiring a fairly expensive jar of peanut butter, I realised they sell shelled, roasted peanuts at the market. Now I make my own nut butter at home (I really enjoy not having to spend ages shelling the peanuts like in Switzerland…), delicious and Zero Waste – not one spoonful of it gets wasted ;).

Fighting for the Future

Fridays for Future have become popular here too and environmental awareness is increasing. I was happy to see that plastic shopping bags were banned from supermarkets, plastic straws at restaurants are now history, expanded polystyrene and single-use plastics were prohibited at the Inti Raymi in Sacsayhuaman, the biggest festivity of the year.

Nevertheless, in spite of all the advantages here and the advances, waste is a problematic issue and there is yet a long way to go. Unfortunately, the local people don’t all make good use of the bulk system and go shopping with their own bags. Instead, they use the plastic bags the market ladies or the supermarkets supply to carry the individual goods (not unlike many people still do in Switzerland). The «caseritas» that sell takeaway «ponche de quinoa» and other beverages still fill them into plastic bags and hand them to you with a plastic straw. Too bad, with a small effort it would be easy to avoid a lot of plastic…

Small actions

Separating the waste is another topic – organic matter, glass, paper and the rest of the garbage just lands on the street, all jumbled up in piles. Street dogs are the first ones to sort through them, scattering bits and pieces all over the place. Working at my school gives me a unique possibility: I can take our fruit and vegetable scraps with to the school and dump them on the compost there. Of course, I’m fully aware that not everyone has that opportunity, but at least it makes my load a little bit lighter.

UPDATE: there is a new compost service in Cusco! Find a suitable bucket, fill it with your fruit and veggie scraps and for a small fee, Wily from Lombriz Feliz will pick it up every week. In the end, if you wish, you will even get some quality black earth back!

Little progresses, step by step. I am happy about every small achievement, every innovative initiative, every friend that fills their own bottle instead of buying another plastic one, every ingenious improvisation – cause that’s what Zero Waste is really about. It’s not about depriving yourself of things you like, you don’t have to turn into a fanatic environmental activist to do your bit to help protect our planet. Just start by refusing that unnecessary plastic bag and setting an example :).