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What to pack for the Zero Waste Trip- Multi-use


Zero Waste kit

In less than two weeks we will be packing up the car to head over to Victoria to begin our cross country road trip.

We anticipate we will be travelling around Canada for two months, so deciding what to take requires thought and planning. There is only so much room in car which will included Piper, our dog, and a tent. We will be preparing some of our meals in hotel rooms or camp sites.

We will be making every effort to reduce or avoid waste on the road.

I thought I would list some of the ideas we have for our Zero Waste kit for the road. We are looking for items that are multi-purpose that will help us to function on the road

  • Stainless steel beverage containers with lids – We can use these to hold the coffee we make or if we order coffee to go, they can hold water and cold beverages and they can double as a container to hold food.(tip mark volume measure on side to help coffee vendor fill reusable cup)

  • 4 Mason jars 250 ml – jars double as glasses, we can make oatmeal in them, hold food and you can heat food in them. The lids been you can store and carry food.

  • Platinum silicone pouches- These pouches you can store bulk food, you can drink from them, eat from them, freeze water or food in them and cook with them. The pouches have a clasp to seal them. Silicone is basically made up of silicon, a natural element present in sand and rock, which after oxygen, is the most abundant element on earth! Silicon is transformed into silicone when combined with oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Because it is an inert material, it does not react with food or liquids so no unpleasant flavors can transmit. It’s also non-toxic, hypo-allergenic and does not promote bacteria or fungus growth.

  • French coffee press that is thermos- we did not want to use those coffee machines in many hotel rooms with coffee pods so we are bringing coffee (thanks Level Ground Trading Coffee),. The thermos allows us to travel with coffee or to use it for keeping other liquids hot or cold.

  • Cloth napkins – avoid using paper napkins plus we can wrap food with them

  • Spork and reusable cutlery – to avoid using single use disposable cutlery.

  • Stainless steel containers - multi- use container to hold lunches or left-overs or for containers for purchasing deli foods.

  • Stainless steel containers - multi- use container to hold lunches or left-overs or for containers for purchasing deli foods.

  • Selection of small containers to hold sugar, salt and even milk so we can avoid plastic coffee creamers and sachets or ketchup and mustard if we go to a restaurant or so we can make some of our own meals.

  • The Food Cycler, electric composter- we will be composting our food scraps on the road. This composter allows us to compost materials in a few hours with minimal power. It is the size of a bread maker and means no smells or flies in car.

  • Anova sous vide device – did we tell you we are challenging ourselves to not only make coffee but cook healthy meals on the road. This device allows you to cook almost anything in a bag or jar using a water bath. We have been testing this out cooking omelettes, steak, vegetables and rice in our silicone pouches. This device we allow us to make meals in a hotel room or at most camp grounds.

  • Water boiling heater – for fast heating of water to make coffee we are taking this device.

  • One large pot – that will be used for cooking with the Anova and then the water can be used to wash dishes.

  • 12 volt cooler – to keep food cold without using ice.(no need to buy ice in plastic bags)

  • light weight cloth shopping bags- for shopping and to avoid plastic bags for holding stuff or carrying stuff

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