Zero Waste: dairy

A product group where we produce a lot of (plastic) waste. Packs of milk, buttermilk, almond milk, custard and trays and buckets of cottage cheese and yogurt. What are the Zero Waste options for dairy for us?

Skipping dairy

We’re using a lot of dairy. Of course you can reduce or even stop using dairy completely. It is not only the waste that we produce, but also what precedes it. Cows must eat and poop too! Both have their own negative impact on the environment. Stopping completely is not an option for us. Fortunately we have a milk tapper in our area. A farm where you can tap fresh (raw) milk and also buy other dairy products such as yogurt, custard, cottage cheese, cheese and meat.

Close to the source

So here we go! You can go there every day and in my case also simply by bike 🙂 In a small building there are a number of vending machines containing the various products. Just bring some small money. The dairy is all packed in glass which you can return. You can pour the milk into a bottle that you have brought yourself or you can buy a glass or plastic bottle on site, which you can of course reuse.

Fair is fair, it is a bit more expensive than in the supermarket and you have to put a little more effort into it, but it is more zero waste! And the cottage cheese is really delicious !!

Alternatives

A number of “dairy” products can be made by yourself. Almond milk from a pack can easily be replaced by a homemade variant. A somewhat cheaper variant is home-made oatmilk, all you need is oatmeal, water, possibly some sweetener and a little patience.

Yesterday I wrote a blog about Zero Waste washing, you can find it here.