Mason jars are the backbone to zero waste living.
Although mason jars have been around for a very long time, in recent years we have seen them be used in many new ways. Originally, mason jars were only used for canning foods. Mason jars could preserve foods for up to a year and a half, which worked well in the late 1800s-early 1900s when people were growing their own foods and refrigerators didn’t exist. Mason jars were also used for pickling. This use for them has carried on today with the same popularity as back then. But with the rise of DIY projects in recent years (you can thank websites like Pinterest), mason jars have new uses.
In the realm of zero waste living, mason jars are essential. These multi-use products are durable, reliable, and generic. They are cheap to buy in bulk and easy to use. All over the internet, we see the “Zero waste jar”. People putting all their trash from months, sometimes over years, into a mason jar. Do they throw this trash away? No! They keep it as a makeshift shrine to pride themselves on how little waste they are producing. Although this often times doesn’t showcase all the waste an individual is producing (hint: externalities!), it gives a pretty good idea, and pretty good motivation as well. Although these zero waste jars can seem intimidating, they also harbor hope. The fact that people living in the 21st century, in a first world country, are producing this little waste and not absolutely hating it shows that our society has a lot of promise. The zero waste jar is the face of the zero waste movement, but it might not be the most practical use for the mason jar. The zero waste gurus of the internet have found a plethora of ways to utilize the transparent 72 cent jar!
Bulk Shopping 
If you are lucky enough to have visited a grocery store with bulk, you often times see that they have snacks and dry foods in these huge containers that you take yourself. Think of it as a candy shop on steroids, these bulk shops are the cornerstone to zero waste living. Grocery shopping can get very tricky without this bulk option, and for many people, mitigating their waste seems impossible. When you shop in bulk, you bring a mason jar (or another reusable container) and fill it with the bulk product of your choice. Then, when you check out, you tare the weight of the mason jar to get the weight of the product, and viola! You just shopped in bulk. Bulk shopping is how zero waste gurus survive, literally. But these mason jars are not only helpful to buy the food, but also to store it! You can keep these jars in your pantry and label them with a cute sticky note (stickers are not recyclable- but sticky notes are!). If you are not sure what grocery stores are zero waste around you, you can type in where you live here and find the closest bulk shop. Amazing!
DIY
Another way zero waste gurus use mason jars is for DIY projects. Household products, like toothpaste and mouthwash, that don’t come in bulk can also be made at home. These products are often times fun and easy to make, using simple cheap products rather than harmful chemicals. You can find zero waste DIY project here.
There are many more ways you can use mason jars: as water bottles, candles, containers for products, storage, and even to cook. But you don’t have to live zero waste to enjoy these benefits.
…
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” -Eleanor Roosevelt.
Recyclopath 