Zero Waste

Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all your products are reused. By attaining a zero waste lifestyle you will be sending zero trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean.

Why is it important to live a zero waste lifestyle?

Our current lifestyle of consumption is unsustainable. The U.S. EPA has estimated roughly 42 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the production and use of goods, including food, products and packaging. We live in a society where we don’t value our products and simply discard of them when we are done.

A lot of our waste doesn’t even make it to the landfill. Instead it clutters the sides of roads and swims in the ocean. Plastic is highly especially dangerous to the ocean, marine life, and our health. It isn’t biodegrade so it photodegrades, which means it only gets smaller and smaller.

5 Easy steps to attaining a zero waste lifestyle

Switch to a reusable cup
Plastic bottles are one of main waste contributors in our landfills as they have a very low recycle rate. By investing in a reusable cup, whether it be stainless steel or bamboo, you will make a positive impact on the environment.

Use reusable bags
There is an overwhelming amount of plastic bags in our oceans and landfills. Plastic bags are a single-use product and on average are used for approximately 12 minutes then thrown away. Bring your reusable bags with you to the store rather than creating more waste.

Switch to package free products
By eliminating the amount of packaging in your home, you will make a huge impact on our landfills and oceans. Instead of buying plastic bottles full of product, you can buy package free products like bar soap, shampoo bars, conditioner bars and many more.

Start Composting
80 per cent of everything thrown away can be composted. There is municipal compost but you can also make your own compost bin. Finding the right one that works for you may be difficult but well worth the effort. Things like food and newspapers can’t break down in landfills as the air can’t circulate properly to let the natural products decompose.

Switch to a bamboo toothbrush
You are supposed to change out your toothbrush every three months, and if you do that you are sending over 40 toothbrushes to a landfill in a decade. Change out to a bamboo toothbrush because you can compost them when you are done with them.

Changing over to the zero waste lifestyle can be as easy as switching out your daily products or the things you do in your day-today life. It is important to understand that there is no planet b and we are responsible for making a change to better our planet.