If you’re in any way interested in the environment you will have heard of the term ‘zero waste’ and the zero waste movement. If you’re on instagram you’ll have seen numerous beautiful shots of ‘zero waste’ homes. The problem is going zero waste is not as easy as it might seem and it might not be exactly what you think it is either.
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What is the Zero Waste Movement?
“Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials, without burning them, and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.” – Zero Waste International Alliance
In short, the movement is about avoiding sending anything to landfill or to be incinerated and to reuse as much as possible. This is why avoiding plastic is such a big part of the zero waste movement and why campaigns like Plastic Free July are so popular. Plastic can be recycled, but only so much, and not all of it is currently able to be recycled. Buying plastic basically means you’re creating waste.
Zero Waste Influencers & Bloggers
There are numerous bloggers and instagram influencers who show off the zero waste movement. Many of them have a small glass jar to illustrate how little waste they actually produce every year. This can be inspirational, but it can also have the opposite effect. Producing so little waste is actually incredibly difficult, and if you produce more waste in one week than these influencers produce in a year it can be incredibly disheartening and you might think it’s not worth the effort to carry on.
The Biggest Problem With The Zero Waste Movement
The whole movement centres around individual actions. Each of us should make an effort but it’s society as a whole that needs to change. Our whole approach to consumerism is wrong. Governments focus on ‘growth’ as an indicator of a successful society. When we focus on growth we focus on encouraging people to keep spending and spending with no thought of the consequences. The consequences being we deplete natural resources and we produce a horrendous amount of rubbish.
Corporations, alongside governments, need to take more responsibility. Planned obsolescence should be penalised. Products should all be produced in a way that means they are repairable, rather than disposable. There is some headway with this, and repair shops are beginning to open up, but so much more should be done.
Planned Obsolescence
Planned obsolescence is ‘a method of stimulating consumer demand by designing products that wear out or become outmoded after limited use.’ – dictionary.com
Zero Waste Shopping
Some of the biggest corporations are making small changes to reduce their waste, but there are many small businesses opening up that are all about producing little or no waste at all. Check out some of the best online zero waste shops in the UK and also look for refill shops (for food mainly) in your local area. It’s always better to support local businesses anyway, and this should reduce your carbon footprint too.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting a zero waste lifestyle is to replace things they own with plastic free items. This goes against everything the zero waste movement should be about! Yes it’s nice to have natural materials instead of plastic, and they are far more aesthetic, but before buying plastic free items, use up what you already own.
There are some amazing zero waste starter kits you can buy as gifts for friends, family or yourself. Just make sure you buy ones which will be helpful. For example if you have loads of plastic containers that you store food in, there’s no need to throw them all out and replace them with bamboo or glass containers. Buy the zero waste option when the plastic containers are no longer usable!
What Can You Do?
As long as you’re reducing how much you consume and how much rubbish you produce you’re making a difference. If you aim to produce no rubbish at all, you’re almost certainly going to fail.
- Avoid single use items
- Buy only what you need
- Reuse or repurpose what you already own
- Compost any food waste
- Recycle everything that can be recycled
- Always carry reusable shopping bags
- Take a reusable water bottle and coffee cup with you when you’re going out
- Buy experiences, not things, as gifts for friends and family
- Buy loose fruit and vegetables
- Take action. Email your local MP to demand change!
Buying less and reusing what we already own means you’re helping the planet and you’ll save money too.
Every single one of us can make a difference, but if corporations and governments aren’t willing to change, we have to make them change. Vote with your wallet and buy local. And change the party you vote for if the one in power doesn’t seem to care.
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Yes, this is a very big can of worms indeed. It is extraordinarily hard to stay self-motivated. The bottom line for me is: If you don’t decide to be part of the SOLUTION, you’ll remain part of the PROBLEM. I know that is dualistic thinking, but it clarifies the issue and the importance to us all of addressing it. As someone who has received help from The Zero Waste people in setting up and supporting Ecologisers: the Young People’s International Anti-litter Charity, I have a PERSONAL reason to be grateful to them.
Ecologisers have a TEN YEAR PROJECT to publicise, promote and popularise EcoSanta. ONCE HIS SACK IS EMPTY, ECOSANTA IS ASKING CHILDREN, WORLDWIDE, TO HELP HIM FILL IT WITH RUBBISH THE REST OF THE YEAR AS A GIFT TO THE EARTH. This initiative helps culture-change for the NEXT generation. And that is easier in some ways, because young children are ‘clean slates’. Not yet programmed into the current culture. Become part of the change, have fun with EcoSanta!