What is zero waste?
Going ‘zero waste’ is an attempt to reduce an individual’s trash and waste through reducing our consumption and rethinking the way we live. Along with the age-old “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra, we can also refuse, repair, and rethink items.
Why is zero waste important?
We are 1 in over 7 and a half billion people, and though that seems insignificant, we can make a lot of change together. Starting change at a small scale has the power to fight climate change at a large scale.
A large cause of climate is the increase in Greenhouse gases including water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and Chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFC’s. Much of the sun’s radiation should be reflected away from the Earth, but the collection of the GHG’s has trapped heat in the atmosphere, creating the greenhouse effect. On average, Earth is getting warmer, but it doesn’t stop at that. Climates are going to their extremes in regions; wet regions are getting wetter, and dry places are getting drier.
what do we have to do with this?
Starting with landfills, in Australia alone, we create around 20 million tonnes of trash which create mostly methane and CO2, because they go through an anaerobic process of breaking down organic material. Keeping our waste out of landfills is critical in battling climate change, so it’s imperative as consumers to reduce the mount of waste we create and keep them out of landfills.
Have you heard of fracking? It’s a process of obtaining natural gases & crude oil from the Earth. Unfortunately, it pollutes water, soil and air with toxins vital to our daily lives. It can even lead to sinkholes and earthquakes, even in places where uncommon. This is just the start of life for all of our single-use plastic items.
It’s estimated that plastic bottles take over 450-1000 years to break down, polyester clothes can take anywhere from 20-200 years, and fishing line takes upward of 600 years. I could go on, but you know where this is going. Just by using long-lasting, non-petroleum-based items in our every day lives, we create less demand for these single-use items. Adding all the days up, we can make a huge impact!
How can I start?
I’m sure you’ve already taken some steps! Opting to use your reusable water bottle over the single-use plastic bottle, bringing your lunch to work, and taking public transportation to work are all ways we’ve started our journey. Things like making a compost at home, shopping at bulk stores, and using cloth napkins are a few other ways to reduce. Stay tuned for more ideas and tips that have helped me make changes in my life. A little bit of change is better than none. Thanks for your effort!
