The voice of impact
ESG / CSR
Industries
MEASURE
ACT
COMFORM
What is Zero Waste?
Level
In our modern society, which prides itself on excess consumption and commercialism inspiring everyone to have the newest gadgets possible – zero waste is a challenging concept, but not as impossible as everyone might think.
Zero waste refers to the effort to avoid excess waste and encourage the use and design of products committed to using repurposed and upcycled materials.
In this article, we’ll break down what zero waste means, why it’s important, and how your company can get started.
What is the meaning of zero waste?
Zero waste entails the effort to make use of all resources via the use of responsible production, ensuring ethical consumption, sustainable packaging, and reusing materials to their maximum capability in attempts to avoid harming our land or aggravating air pollution.
One of the main goals of zero waste is to help avoid threatening our natural environment or compromising human health – as helping reduce as much waste as possible can allow us to develop more sustainable habits to protect our planet and ourselves long-term.
“ The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations. – (Pope John Paul II). ”
Close
Key Principles of Zero Waste (The 5 R’s):
Zero waste is often characterized by the 5 R’s – refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot.
Here’s a breakdown of these five main characteristics of zero waste and how they help to contribute to the main goal of zero waste:
- Refuse – This refers to saying no to unnecessary items, such as a plastic bag from the grocery store or using single-use items.
- Reduce – This encourages people to minimize waste by consuming less or using items in a more sustainable way – such as by switching out your plastic water bottle for a reusable one.
- Reuse – This illustrates the ideal of using more durable products as opposed to disposable ones – such as by using glass containers instead of plastic containers to store your leftovers.
- Recycle – Although recycling continues to be challenging across the world, zero waste encourages people to recycle whatever they can’t refuse, reduce, or reuse.
- Rot – A less common or widely known principle of zero waste, one of the five R’s includes composting organic waste such as food scraps – as this can help return vital nutrients to the earth instead of sending them to our landfills.
Overall, zero waste refers to the genuine effort to avoid excess waste from entering our landfills, impacting our wildlife, or having a negative impact on the environment or our own health.
Why is zero waste important?
Zero waste is important as it can not only help to reduce waste as much as possible, but allow individuals and businesses alike to adopt more green living practices such as by rethinking consumption, reusing materials, and recycling responsibly – all of which can help us to fight against climate change and ensure a more sustainable lifestyle as a whole.
Remember, the main goal of adopting zero waste practices is to help mitigate sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean – such as by helping to avoid microplastic from harming wildlife and our own health.
“ Refuse what you do not need; reduce what you do need; reuse what you consume; recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse; and rot (compost) the rest. – (Bea Johnson). ”
Here are a few more reasons why zero waste is important:
- Protects the Environment – As working towards zero waste can help to reduce air pollution and the amount of GHG emissions emitted by our landfills, it can help to create an overall healthier environment.
- Reserves Finite Resources – Zero waste encourages the use of reusable materials and renewable resources over finite sources – which means that zero waste can help us to preserve more-difficult-to-come-by raw materials and sources of energy.
- Encourage Ethical Sourcing – How a product is made and the way a supply chain curates its raw materials is an imperative part of a product’s life cycle and how many emissions it will emit over the course of its life. Therefore, zero waste can help to encourage more ethical sourcing and ultimately reduce the long-term impact of your favorite products.
- Boost Sustainable Living Practices – As zero waste can help to develop more sustainable living practices, adopting zero waste tendencies could inspire individuals and businesses alike to implement other sustainable efforts – such as opting for energy efficient appliances or eating more plant-based foods.
- Helps Businesses Go Green – Working towards zero waste could help companies to develop better business habits that will allow for better engagement with stakeholders, productivity from employees, and interest from customers.
The table below will break down some of the reasons why zero waste is important in the midst of climate change:
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Less waste means fewer emissions from landfills, incineration, and production processes. |
| Conserves Natural Resources | Minimizing waste reduces the need for extracting, processing, and transporting raw materials. |
| Decreases Pollution | Prevents plastic waste from polluting oceans and harming wildlife, while reducing air and water contamination. |
| Supports a Circular Economy | Encourages sustainable production, where materials are reused, repaired, or repurposed instead of discarded. |
| Reduces Energy Consumption | Less demand for new products means lower energy use in manufacturing, leading to lower carbon emissions. |
| Encourages Sustainable Consumption | Promotes mindful buying habits and a shift away from overproduction and overconsumption. |
| Protects Ecosystems | Less waste disposal reduces habitat destruction and preserves biodiversity. |
It’s important to note that zero waste doesn’t mean eradicating the use of all finite resources, single-use materials, or waste – but working towards minimizing it as much as possible through mindful consumption, sustainable practices, and responsible waste management.
What are the five main principles of zero waste?
Remember, there are five main principles to zero waste – refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each of these five principles in order to better understand them via real world comparisons:
Refuse
This can refer to saying no when a cashier offers you a plastic bag, even when free of charge, or refusing to buy a certain product that makes use of single-use plastic and opt for something with more sustainable packaging.
As a whole, this is the most important step of zero waste – as avoiding potentially harmful materials or substances in the first place can make it easier to reduce the negative impact of waste.
Reduce
Making an effort to reduce environmental impact by following the ideals of minimalism can help us to avoid excess consumerism and be more mindful of the products we use and how they can impact our environment.
One way to reduce under the notion of zero waste is to let go of items we no longer use – such as kitchen tools that are rarely touched or by donating our clothes to a second hand store.
Deciding which items we actually use on a daily basis can not only help to improve the planet, but it can allow us to improve our mental health and productivity with reduced clutter.
Reuse
In the same way removing things we no longer use or need can help us to work towards zero waste, we can also try to repurpose items in our homes.
For example, an old candle can have its wicks removed to be used as a storage container for stationary – or by using old spice jars as pen holders.
This concept is most commonly referred to as upcycling, which is a fun and creative way to make sure the most life is made out of the things you have bought.
Recycle
If you must opt for plastic or other materials that cannot be easily repurposed, the next best thing that can be done to work towards zero waste is to recycle the single-use items in your household.
However, recycling should be one of the last options in terms of zero waste – as first opting for something reusable or more sustainable is always the better option. This could include using a biodegradable sponge or microfiber cloth in place of paper towels to avoid the need for recycling in the first place.
Rot
The most overlooked of the main principles of zero waste, rotting refers to composting – such as by taking old food scraps and utilizing them before throwing them away.
This could include saving all the inedible parts of your vegetables from the week, and then using them to make vegetable stock.
As a whole, making of the 5 R’s can help use to not only ensure zero waste – but inspire us to make more sustainable choices in our personal and professional lives to curate a more sustainable world.
How can businesses and households adopt zero waste practices?
Both businesses and households alike can employ zero waste methods to help reduce the environmental impact created by their daily activities, but before diving into how this can be done – it’s important to understand the hierarchy of zero waste principles.
Hierarchy of Zero Waste Principles
The United States Conference of Mayors has provided a hierarchy of zero waste principles to allow businesses and individuals alike to be successful in their zero waste endeavors.
Ultimately, the main goal of the hierarchy of zero waste principles is to encourage reducing waste at the source as opposed to choosing alternative disposal options – such as by opting for donating old items or clothes to thrift stores before trying to recycle the product.
The hierarchy of zero waste, which follows a hierarchy of material management, is as follows:
- Producer Responsibility
- Product Redesign
- Reduce Waste & Toxicity
- Avoid Excess Consumption
- Improve Packaging
- Repair, Reuse and Donate
- Recycle
- Compost
- Down Cycle and Beneficial Reuse
- Waste-Based Energy
- Landfill Waste
Overall, this hierarchy values prevention over disposal – as one of the main goals of zero waste is to avoid excess waste that could harm the environment to begin with from ever being used in the first place.
Implementing Policies for Zero Waste for Businesses
- Implement the principles of a circular economy
- Acquire third-party certifications such as B Corp
- Work to reduce waste at the office, such as by opting to go paperless or ordering materials in bulk to avoid excess packaging waste
- Encourage employees to repair or refurbish their company supplies before asking for new materials or discarding old supplies
- Ensure recycling and trash bins are clearly labeled at the office
- Adapt new sustainable procurement practices such as by using eco-friendly suppliers or biodegradable materials
- Educate your staff on zero-waste practices with workshops or incentivizing with small rewards for employees that adapt these practices well
How to Make Your Home Zero Waste
- Avoid Excess Consumerism – Just as the thief of joy is comparison, the thief of employing the ideals of zero waste is excess consumption. Try your best to only buy quality, durable products that you will actually use in your everyday life.
- Become a Sustainable Shopper – When shopping, try to prioritize quality products over items that won’t last as long – such as by opting for slow fashion over fast fashion. In addition to this, try to bring reusable bags, jars, and containers when shopping to use at bulk stores and avoid needing a plastic bag.
- Get Recycling & Compost Bins – While most homes and buildings will now offer recycling, not all of them will offer composting bins – but it’s easy to set up at home and makes it a simple way to make sure your food scraps don’t go to waste.
- Avoid Food Waste – Global food waste is a massive problem, which means that making an effort to use airtight containers and avoid buying too much food to begin with could help in terms of zero waste.
- Eco-Friendly Cleaning Habits – Using microfiber cloths in place of paper towels, natural cleaning products as opposed to chemical solvents, and energy efficient devices can help to ensure your home promotes the ideals of zero waste.
Overall, zero waste is a challenging concept – but businesses and households alike can all make an effort to reduce how much waste we create and become more mindful of how our consumption patterns could be harmful to both ourselves and the world.
What About Greenly?
If reading this article about zero waste has inspired you to consider your company’s own carbon footprint, Greenly can help.
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. We offer a free demo for you to better understand our platform and all that it has to offer – including assistance on how to reduce emissions, optimize energy efficiency, and more to help you get started on your climate journey.
Learn more about Greenly’s carbon management platform here.
Sources
EPA https://www.epa.gov/transforming-waste-tool/how-communities-have-defined-zero-waste
https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-materials-management-non-hazardous-materials-and-waste-management-hierarchy
Landfill Solutions https://landfillsolutions.eu/the-5-rs-of-sustainability-and-zero-waste-management/
Clos Solène https://www.clossolene.com/journal/the-earth-will-not-continue-to-offer-its-harvest-except-with-faithful-stewardship-we-cannot-say-we-love-the-land-and-then-take-steps-to-destroy-it-for-use-by-future-generations/
Zero Waste International Alliance https://zwia.org/zero-waste-business-principles/