Zero Waste Travel To An Offbeat Destination
It was my staycation in Goa, India. The monsoon greens and serene beaches were the only things I needed after a long Covid lockdown. During my exploration, I landed on an entirely remote beach that seemed to have been undiscovered by the regular tourists. The crystal clear waves pushing the sand through my feet was magical. There was tranquillity in the air, with the cool breeze and the rustling winds. I decided to return to the same place the next day.
The next day, I packed my essentials and set my path to the same beach. When I reached there, I was shocked. The same beach, like an untouched beauty yesterday, was camouflaged with plastics. I could see all the things we use in our daily lives, from a packet of chips to plastic spoons to straws, from socks to mesh nets, as if everything that people use was there, in water in front of me. As I went near to the water, I could see very tiny plastics being carried by the waves.
It was hard to believe what met the eye. But, it was the reality, a reality of untamed consumerism, a depiction of imprudent human intervention and its impact on nature. This chapter made me realize, then and there, it’s a long way for people to understand and harmonize their actions with nature.
This made me think, and think hard, upon how as a traveller, I can do my part. Travel in a way to not disharmonize the ecology of the place. Embracing myself, to pull the curtains of the travel industry to see behind-the-scenes of tourist waste management.
Let’s discuss a few tips that will not harm the environment and avoid creating tourist induced imbalance:-
1. Avoid Single-Use Plastics & Disposables
Single-use plastics and disposables are a big no-no. Can you relate to going to a serene beach, enjoying sea-side snacks offered in single-use disposables? There is nothing more satisfying than leaving the place you visited the way it was. You can carry your own snacks, avoid eating at places that might cause litter, or educate vendors to opt for sustainable serving alternatives.
2. Carry Your Own Water and Refill
Single-use plastic bottles create a humongous amount of plastic waste considering the footfall of tourists in peak seasons. They are an environmental catastrophe especially for offbeat destinations where waste management implementations are completely informal. As tourists, this is the most basic and easiest part we can do. Carrying your water and getting it refilled will not only quench your thirst but will also help in preserving the ecology and also will give you enormous self-satisfaction of doing your part.
3. Segregate & Then Discard Your Waste At Your Place Of Stay
It’s high time for hotels, Airbnb's or resorts to start providing, implementing and collecting waste into different categories. It’ll not only help in introducing tourists to waste segregation who are not familiar with it, but it will also help local municipalities to handle waste more effectively. Often, during holidays whether alone or with your family, make sure that you enquire about your place of stay to check if they support waste segregation. This will relieve and boost the recycling of tourist waste.
4. Throw Garbage Mindfully in Dedicated Bins On Public Spots
Local authorities should be responsible for setting up separate bins, namely, wet, dry and hazardous waste in public places. The tourists should also pay attention to mindfully and consciously throwing waste in the correct categories. It hardly takes seconds and exiguous effort to throw food waste and packaging into separate bins.
5. Carry Your Own Cutlery
This one is my personal favourite. When you enhance your capability of saying “no” when your favourite street food vendors give you that single-use plastic spoon or straw, the feeling is fantastic. When you toss out your own cutlery from your bag, not only do you discover the gourmet within you, you imbibe freedom from single-use plastics one at a time. Also, now we have ample options from brands such as Nestasia and Outlery.
Travelling sustainably, without impacting the environment, has always been on the cards. unless we ourselves pushed them away. Let’s do our part with these simple, easy and basic tips to get started with zero waste travel.
