To accomplish that, people have to reduce (their consumption), reuse (as many materials/ parts/components of products as possible), and recycle (making sure the recycled items indeed go into recycling facilities without contaminating other products. In short, no “wish cycling“; if the label on the bin says that something isn’t recycled, it means it isn’t. At the moment, only 9% of plastic gets recycled. So, this is definitely something to think about before buying anything plastic.
The current economic and production model introduced during the Industrial Revolution (over 200 years ago) of taking, making and disposing of is still going strong and is deeply intertwined with the outdated linear economic system. Luckily, movements such as zero-waste push for circularity while highlighting the astronomical costs and dangers of waste.
The concept of a zero-waste lifestyle can be traced back to the beginning of civilisation, when every item was used until it was no longer usable.
The modern zero-waste lifestyle focuses on prompting behaviour change on an individual level to prevent waste. Producing as little waste as possible has benefits:
- you, as your savings rate goes up because you aren’t in a cycle of spending just for the sake of it and buying,
- environment because you aren’t tossing away rubbish and unused/unwanted items, adding to the landfill or moving the responsibility of discarding your unloved items onto charities (charities cannot sell the stuff they already have, so most likely, your things are sent to a third world country to sit in the landfill there, polluting the water and nature of another country).
Becoming a conscious consumer is an integral part of implementing a zero-waste lifestyle, which firmly pushes toward breaking the consumption cycle and focusing on quality and longevity over quantity, trends, and fast fashion.
The zero-waste movement inhabits the following set of beliefs:
- Rethink – Do you really need to buy this product? Don’t let the marketers make you believe you need more of everything! What are you going to do with the product once you are done with it?
- Refuse – if there is something you don’t need, say NO (free magazines, newspapers, drinks, single-use plastics or anything that is disposable and not really needed).
- Reduce – Cut down on the number of things you have and shift your focus to long-lasting products. Keep in mind that charities have a hard time selling items.
- Repair – repair what you can; don’t toss something away just because it has a light stain. I recently fixed my socks, and the whole process wasn’t only fun but also very rewarding. Repairing items such as dishwashers and washing machines is an essential step towards creating a sustainable circular lifestyle and economy.
- Reuse – for instance, jars or bottles. My mum always uses bottles to make juice or wine. She uses jars for jams, salads, pickles, etc. My local package-free shop collects jars and bottles. What can you do with your packaging? How can you reuse it?
- Rote – compost your food. It’s hard to do in the city, but compost pickup services have been established in some countries, and you could also try vermiculture composting (I’ll write more about this once I try it myself).
- Recycle – a zero-waste lifestyle aims to minimise recycling. However, if you have to recycle, make sure the packaging is clean and goes to the right bin.
The reduce, reuse and recycle rules/concepts were first popularised in the late 1970s. In 2013, Bea Johnson introduced the world to the Five Rs (check out her book” Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life”). The remaining Rs were added by the Zero-Waste Movement/Community.
Choosing a Zero-Waste Lifestyle is choosing an intentional lifestyle in which the priority isn’t to use up, misuse, or abuse the finite natural resources Earth provides us with. Instead, investing in long-lasting, package-free, ethical, local and compostable products whenever you can is what the lifestyle stands for.
Of course, going zero-waste in our modern, complex world is very challenging. Still, even if each of us reduces our waste by 10%, it would be a fantastic start toward a healthier, more sustainable future for us all.
Most of all, don’t underestimate your “small” local actions. Positive and impactful change always starts small. For instance, this week, I finally made my way to our nearest package-free shop, some 20-25 minutes’ drive from us (I know it’s still driving, but I figured since I was in the neighbourhood, I would pop in).
I bought a 5L container of laundry liquid (I had it with me), metal straws for the 3 of us (baby M. doesn’t need one yet), and brushes to clean dishes. I also looked around and compared prices. I’m not going to go completely waste-free all of a sudden. However, I’m surely going to do my best to cut down on our waste without bankrupting our family in the process.
Going zero-waste, or even cutting down on it, is challenging because it challenges the status quo of our consumer-debt-driven culture.
I’m not encouraging anyone to go zero-waste as I know how hard it is, especially when you have kids and live in the city. But making minor monthly or weekly adjustments will help establish good habits that globally can make a massive difference for the sustainability of life on this planet. No, we cannot all move to Mars and live in a colony, so let’s try to focus on saving and treasuring what we already have.
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