Hi Ava – I am disappointed, but perhaps not surprised, that it is still a big problem in some parts of Asia.

Great suggestion! These look fantastic. Thanks!

Late reply, but sharing in case it helps future readers… Do a little youtube search and watch thru-hikers filter water on the Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, etc, as they cover literally thousands of miles in the middle of nowhere. Seeing the algea-covered, animal-pooped, dead-frog-floating water tanks they sometimes have to dip from will assure you that they’ve done their research and only choose the best gear! Sawyer, MRI, MSR, Lifestraw, and other filters are tested and proven to work, and you can even research their nitty-gritty molecular level stats and studies. I trust my hiking filters all day long, rather than a bottle filled with unregulated, who-knows-what that came from who-knows-where? 🙂 Stop in at REI or your local outdoor shop for friendly, knowledgeable advice!

Hi Kaylini,
Yes, the ball dropped for me in Asia for sure, when I saw the amount of plastic waste littered just out of view.
Like you, the idea of going completely zero waste is a way off; this is why I’ve started by eliminating single-use waste. Onwards and upwards!

Hi Jeremy,
Wow – you’re doing great stuff!
You’re right – eliminating all packaging for grocery items is almost impossible on the road.
For me, I do what I can (like using farmers markets as you suggest), and I avoid buying grocery items that are overpackaged (like in Japan – everything is a package within a package within a package!).
But that box of pasta or can of beans? I just make sure it gets recycled.

My most stringent efforts are to reduce/eliminate waste while eating and drinking out. 99% of the time I can do that with my little kit.

Happy (no-waste) travels!

I have found it very difficult to eliminate single-use packaging while traveling. At home I carry not just a big bag but also little ones for fruits, bulk bins and other snacks I may pick up. However, on the road, it is hard to find things in bulk or without packaging, and that are also suitable for use on the road. So I often find myself buying a bag of salad mix, a can of beans, a box of pasta, etc. It was worse in Scandinavia where nearly everything is wrapped in plastic. In the US you often need to find a special “natural foods” store in order to buy in bulk, and then even if I bought bulk beans, I don’t have a practical way to soak/cook them at campsites or hostels. Worse, I then have to carry the waste until I find a recycle bin. If I had saved all the cans, bottles, boxes and plastic wrapping, it would fill several large suitcases. Markets in the Baltics were better but not always ideal. Learning how to say “no bag” and “no receipt” is helpful. One idea I have is to focus my future travels on tropical countries with lots of fresh produce that you can buy at farmers markets, so very little processed/packaged food is necessary.

Any suggestions you have would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Kendrick! I think the best way to teach our kids (and anybody, really) is to lead by example. And by implementing good practices, your kids will naturally follow suit!
I so adore my collapsible coffee cup!