What Is Zero Waste?
There are a lot of environmental concerns associated with the waste we humans produce. Air pollution, water pollution, land degradation, and wildlife endangerment are just a few of the side effects caused by trash on the environment. Reducing waste, therefore, is a key tenet of living a green lifestyle.
In recent years, a concept known as “zero waste” has gained popularity amongst stewards of environmentalism. But what is zero waste? Is it possible? And what does it mean to live a zero waste lifestyle?
In this article, we take a closer look at the zero waste movement, how its principles can be incorporated into our daily lives, and what impact the movement has and can continue to have on individuals, businesses, and communities.
Photo by Svitlana
A brief history of the zero waste movement
It’s perfectly natural to produce waste. In fact, every living organism on the planet produces waste; it’s called excretion. In other words, the body rids itself of materials that it no longer needs.
In a balanced ecosystem, organic waste isn’t really waste at all – at least not in the way that we think of it today. That’s because organic waste is rapidly reincorporated into the environment, without a lasting impact. Another example of this process is composting, where natural materials such as food scraps and other plant materials are decomposed into soil.
Even as humans evolved and started crafting goods and materials, they still only used easy-to-find materials such as stone, wood, and bone. Once these materials reached the end of their usefulness, they would be discarded and reabsorbed into the environment. In this sense, ancient homo sapiens were living the original “zero waste” lifestyle.
Up until the industrial revolution, humans remained relatively wasteless. Households produced little garbage as we know it, food waste was fed to animals or composted, clothes were mended, and possessions were passed down from generation to generation.
After the industrial revolution, however, things changed. Many processes became mechanized and the extraction of raw materials skyrocketed, making it easier and cheaper to create mass-produced disposable items – even more so once plastic was invented. While useful and versatile, plastic does not biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into microplastics and toxins that remain in the environment for a long time, impacting natural ecosystems, wildlife, and even human health.
In response to increased waste production, communities were pressed to develop waste management systems to deal with it all. Landfills became the primary solution – and still are. At landfills, waste is buried and compacted, and while they have improved over the years, landfills pollute air and water, putting the environment and human health at risk.
In the 70’s and 80’s, as the environmental movement gained traction, the term zero waste was coined. Early stewards of the zero waste movement included Paul Palmer and Daniel Knapp, both of whom believed that all waste could be diverted away from landfills through reduction, reuse, and recycling. At the time, the concept was largely disregarded, though it’s clear that many of its main principles, including recycling, have finally gained widespread appreciation.
Today, the zero waste movement consists largely of eco-influencers, but it has also caught on on a political scale: numerous businesses, communities, and even cities such as Fort Collins have created “zero waste plans” to move towards maximum waste diversion.
What is zero waste?
Contrary to its name, zero waste doesn’t mean producing no waste at all. Instead, it’s a philosophy and lifestyle that focuses on waste prevention, reduction, and diversion.
The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA)’s definition of zero waste is peer-reviewed and internationally accepted:
Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.
While the ultimate goal of the zero waste movement is to eliminate waste altogether and have a completely closed-loop system, it’s not an “all or nothing” deal. Sure, there are individuals who claim to have managed to reduce their annual household waste to a single mason jar, but that’s not necessarily a realistic goal; nor does it accurately reflect all of the waste that happens upstream of our home.
That said, the principles of zero waste are valuable in their own right: living by these principles does reduce waste, and it can help individuals, communities, and businesses alike redesign the way they consume, produce, and dispose of products. Let’s take a closer look at these principles:
Zero waste principles
At its core, zero waste is based on the principles of the waste management hierarchy, commonly known as the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. There are other versions of the waste management hierarchy such as the 5 Rs or the one we go by here at This Green Lifestyle, the 7 Rs: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Rot.
For comparison, ZWIA’s “zero waste hierarchy” focuses on most of these principles, expanding on the bottom (least desirable) end of the waste hierarchy:
Adopting the zero waste lifestyle involves making conscious choices that prioritize sustainability over convenience. This can include choosing to buy products with minimal packaging, bringing reusable bags and containers when shopping, using cloth napkins and towels instead of disposable ones, and reducing energy and water consumption.
Other key principles of zero waste include the following:
Design closed-loop systems
Keep processes close to the source
Conserve energy
Increase community engagement and education
Create and keep materials high on the zero waste hierarchy
Support local economies
Reduce raw material extraction
Minimize discharges to land, water, and air
Benefits of zero waste
Whether adopted by an individual, business, or community, zero waste principles have the potential to vastly reduce waste and its associated environmental impacts. By minimizing waste generation, we can:
Reduce greenhouse gasses
Support local economies by conserving and reusing resources locally
Promote local food cultivation and composting
Save energy and preserve natural resources such as fossil fuels and metals
Protect human and wildlife health
Decrease water pollution
Improve air quality
Extend the life of landfills
For an overview of the current waste crisis, check out the EPA’s facts and figures here.
Zero waste for businesses and communities
The principles of zero waste aren’t just for individuals to adopt. In fact, it’s perhaps just as important, if not more so, that businesses and communities work towards reducing waste as far upstream as possible.
For businesses, implementing zero waste practices can lead to significant cost savings. Reducing waste means reducing the amount of materials purchased, disposed of, and transported, all of which can add up to substantial cost savings over time. Businesses can also benefit from increased customer loyalty by demonstrating their commitment to sustainability.
Communities can also benefit from zero waste principles. By implementing programs such as curbside recycling and composting, communities can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote sustainable living. In addition, communities can encourage businesses to adopt zero waste practices by providing incentives, such as tax breaks or grants, for those that make a commitment to sustainability.
There are already numerous examples of businesses and communities implementing zero waste goals and practices, including this small coffee shop in Fort Collins.
Is zero waste possible?
Part of why zero waste hasn’t caught on as widely as perhaps it should be is frankly because it seems like an impossible goal. Just the immeasurable use of plastics alone, many of which are non-recyclable, makes zero waste seem like a pipe dream.
At this point, completely eliminating all waste (no landfilling, no incinerating) is perhaps just that: a dream. For example, those individuals that have reduced their waste to a single jar? While admirable, it doesn’t accurately reflect all of the waste that happens upstream of them, including mining, material extraction, production, transportation, etc.
That said, let’s not discount zero waste; if anything, it’s certainly a dream worth chasing. The zero waste approach to production and consumption can not only significantly reduce an individual’s waste generation, but “voting with your wallet” can also produce upstream effects, such as businesses adopting more sustainable practices.
Already, there are many examples of individuals, businesses, and communities creating zero waste plans and goals. While some may be guilty of greenwashing, others have been able to make vast improvements to their waste practices. For example, the city of San Francisco, which implemented a zero waste goal for 2020, has been able to divert over 80% of landfill waste.
Zero waste vs. low waste
While a completely closed loop system may not be realistic at this point in time, it’s important to apply the principles of zero waste as much as possible. One way to take away some of the pressure associated with zero waste is by calling it “low waste” instead.
With low waste, the goal is to reduce waste wherever possible. Whether that means using a reusable shopping bag at the grocery store but still buying products wrapped in plastic, or adding a compost bin next to the trash and recycling bins in the office, the little steps are better than no steps at all.
Additionally, it’s important to recognize that a zero waste lifestyle can be expensive to implement, as it often requires specialty stores that provide bulk and reusable goods. By contrast, a low waste approach is feasible for anyone, because it meets you wherever you are at now.
Above all, remember that ultimately, improvements in waste management need to happen at all stages of production and consumption. Hold businesses and communities accountable by voting for laws and representatives that have clear sustainability goals.
How do you reduce your everyday waste? What’s been your biggest challenge so far? Let us know below!
