What’s the Buzz on Zero Waste?

Are you seeing what we’re seeing?

Zero waste is trending - keep cups are in, taking your glass jars to refilleries is on the rise, plastic bags, straws and bottles are o-u-t and composting is cool. 

Much like ‘sustainable’ - zero waste is fast becoming a buzzword.

While, truthfully, much of the buzz is a bit of a trendy greenwash - the zero waste movement is one we should be taking notice of.

Why should we care?

Well, let’s backtrack first.

Before the use of single use plastic and materials exploded, reuse and repair was far more normal. Items were made to last, people were far more aware of buying only what they needed and items were repaired. In more recent years however, the speed in which we live our lives has only increased and accessibility to the convenience of single use resources has grown. This growth has, unfortunately, only led to the exponential growth of global waste production. 

So what does zero waste actually mean?

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. (Zero Waste International Alliance 2018)

The modern zero waste movement we are seeing now is thought to have originated off of Daniel Knapp’s idea of Total Recycling in the 1980s. During this time however, and as is still at times seen in society today, the movement was stereotyped as being for ‘hippies and tree huggers’ and was not widely accepted by society. It has not been until more recent times that the direness of our global waste problem is becoming alarmingly more evident as, despite the efforts of environmentalists, our use of plastics and other single use materials has only increased. 

Zero waste is about lessening our impact on the environment, with a focus on the ‘waste hierarchy’ (pictured).

Greenpeace International has stated that for our future to be zero waste, further changes need to be made to the way we manufacture, utilize and dispose of materials.  Single use items will no longer be normal, and all items will be repurposed in some way whether it be via reuse, recycle or composting. 

You might ask though - how is reducing my own waste going to make a difference?

Fair.

If every other human on this planet kept their habits as is, but you changed yours… maybe it wouldn’t make a difference.

So why bother?

Because one ‘zero waste’  individual cannot save the global waste issue, but collectively, we can make a real difference. In doing so, a greater awareness is built, and the pressure on manufacturers, companies, and government to take more responsibility will increase. We are already seeing this happen - as zero waste trends upwards, so too are the number of bulk food refilleries, zero waste stores, sustainable fashion labels etc! This increases accessibility, which helps to bridge the convenience gap of single use. 

If we have any hope of slowing down the catastrophic effects of climate change, a zero waste, and further - circular - way of living needs not only be a trend - but a must.

To find out where to start and more information on building a sustainable life, head over to Nonstop Solutions on Instagram and Facebook.