Zero Waste – 5 Things You Didn’t Know
16 June 2009
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I love the idea of zero waste. It’s something that catches everyone and gets them to think.
- Is it possible?
- How would we do something like that?
- What would our world look like?
I guess it depends on if your a visionary or a realist. Either way here are five things I can tell you about zero waste.
- I am living a zero waste lifestyle. I’m not a radical extremist either. I do not stick out or need special help. My life is simpler and easier since I made the change and I’m also happier and healthier.
- Your home can be zero waste. I’ve visited a home with a large house, 2 cars, a big yard, and yep no waste. The two people living there have a deal with their neighbors to take some of their trash since they are missing some raw materials. They get to skip the weekly work on taking out trash and feel good about living a clean life.
- Zero Waste means a little bit of work but a lot of habit changes. This is possibly the hardest part about becoming zero waste, changing habits. The work is easy, surprisingly easy, but changing those habits requires time and patience. It’s a path with plan, not an overnight change. Though, most folks do make the change very quickly. The best place to start is recycling, maximize what you are recycling. Next, focus on reducing. This can happen in any number of ways but always results in less spending and more saving for you.
- Business can be zero waste. Believe it or not the biggest impediment to becoming zero waste is us. The facilities exist, the people with expertise exist, and even the local/state/federal governments want this to happen. Still, some business are taking a leading role (and building up their green prestige among customers) by putting themselves on a path to zero waste. This often starts with a reality check, how much are we spending on trash right now, how many pickups are we asking for. Then it moves into change management with a plan to decrease spending on trash every month/quarter. Eventually the cost savings are realized and the business then switches over to a zero waste plan.
- Our World Needs Your Help. You cannot go anywhere (save the desert or mountains) and not find trash. In fact, it is normally littered on the streets, in our waterways and parks. We all know this but have become used to it. In fact, I remember at an early age accepting that our world is getting worse. I remember thinking that making this world dirty is natural and acceptable. Well, it’s not and with very little work we can all inch towards a zero waste country.
Imagine a United States that is zero waste. Imagine taking your kids, friends, and loved ones into parks and oceans that are clean and healthy. Start now and take your baby steps towards zero waste.
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