What is Zero Waste?
After more than 30 years of the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) Americans still create 4.5 pounds of trash per day per person, of which only 1.5 pounds are actually recycled.
The concept of zero waste could change this. Seventh Generation’s Non-Toxic Times Newsletter describes zero waste as
a system in which we never throw anything away. In a zero waste world, whenever any product is used or consumed, whatever is left over afterwards becomes the raw material for something new. Zero waste is a regenerative system, one that mimics the closed-loop systems used by nature in which all waste becomes food for other things.
Zero waste would mean the manufacturer would have to take back anything that the consumer could not recycle on their own at the end of the product’s life. Companies like Nike, Unilever and Stonyfield Farms are already giving their product waste a new life as running tracks, toothbrushes and park benches.
For this system to work, we all need to make it a point to buy products made from recycled material. “Close the recycling loop” is one of the many great tips you can read in the Non-Toxic Times to help you in your transition to zero waste.
