Zero Waste Guide – living more sustainably

How does zero waste work?

The zero waste movement is a new approach with a new way of thinking. People who live by the zero waste principles try to avoid waste wherever possible. The thought of eliminating waste sounds almost impossible, as neither our society nor the industries are prepared for it.  Terms such as ‘low waste’ or ‘less waste’ are easier to imagine and have been proved successful. The goal should be to send no waste or as little as possible to landfills. The zero waste lifestyle is based on five simple principles:

1. Avoid: If you don’t need something, then you should do without it. Self-control plays an important role, but critical thinking is just as important. For example, think about how many things you have at home or perhaps which things could you share with family, friends or neighbours.
2. Reduce: Consuming less means throwing less away. This does not only refer to material things, but electricity, water consumption and using your car also fall into this category.
3. Reuse: Many items have a long shelf life. Proper use and looking after your things helps to make them to last longer! Repairing things or lending them to someone in your local community or giving them to someone who can still use them is a great way to extend their shelf life and to avoid any waste.
4. Recycle: Valuable raw materials can sometimes be recovered from waste. Waste should be separated properly. An even better option would be upcycling, which can turn old unwanted products into new and useful products!
5. Compost: Waste that cannot be reused is sometimes compostable. This means that it decomposes over time and goes back to the first stage of the natural cycle.

How zero waste started

The Frenchwoman Beá Johnson, who lives with her family in the USA, is considered the founder of this movement. She has been living nearly waste-free since 2008 and has a blog on the topic. She has also written a book about zero waste. The Johnson family only produce enough waste per year to fill a large jar. This has been made possible by adapting the zero waste method. Johnson believes that many people are put off as it can seem a bit overwhelming to follow a zero waste lifestyle, but this is still unproven. It is both sustainable and a great option to make as much homemade food as possible, but Johnson emphasises that this is difficult for many people, especially families. It’s easier to buy non packaged and unprocessed (reusable) products whenever possible. You will save time and money, while also protecting the environment and maintaining good health.

The aim of the Zero Waste Movement

The goal of the Zero Waste Movement is to evolve as a society towards a circular economy. Currently, our economy is linear, which means raw materials are processed into products, which are used and then thrown away. These raw materials do not go back to the first stage of the natural cycle. They end up as waste in landfills sites, polluting our environment and affecting our climate. In a circular economy, raw materials are used in such a way that they become part of the natural cycle at the end of their life cycle. This method will help to conserve the earth’s natural resources. Read the article on   Cradle to Cradle to learn more about a circular economy.

The Zero Waste Movement aims to reduce waste and to change the way society thinks. The changes start at home! Evaluating your own consumption is the first step. We are not always aware of how often and how much waste we produce each day. This guide is intended to help you get started and to provide some ideas on when and where you can avoid waste in your daily life. The mottoes are ‘reusable instead of disposable’ and ‘do-it-yourself instead of buying something new’. Making simple homemade products with a couple of tips and tricks is an easy way to avoid a lot of packaging waste in everyday life, which protects our environment and helps you to save money.

Conclusion

The topics of sustainability and reducing waste are more popular than ever before. Every year, more than 8 million tons of waste end up in our oceans, which poisons animals and plants. Society and the government are adopting a new way of thinking. More and more people want to do their part to protect the environment and to avoid producing waste. The zero waste lifestyle offers many useful approaches to sensibly reducing or even avoiding plastic waste. Through practical upcycling projects, you can give many old clothes a new life. If you don’t need to upcycle an item of clothing, then it can be given to those in need through clothing donations. Future-oriented approaches such as Cradle-to-Cradle show that a full-circular economy is entirely possible.

However, you should try and avoid plastic packaging where possible so that you can minimise your household waste. Zero waste also means conserving resources. It’s better to use up products and then replace them with more sustainable alternatives.