What is Zero Waste, And Why Does It Matter?

What does it mean to be zero waste?

Zero waste is a lifestyle that aims to reduce the amount of waste you produce. In order to live a zero waste lifestyle, it's important to understand what constitutes as waste and how to avoid producing any in the first place. The key principles of zero waste include: reducing, reusing, and recycling. 

The now famous Zero Waste Week campaign challenges people to go without creating any new rubbish for seven days. It encourages reuse and recycling by providing tips on how you can cut down your use of plastic, glass and other materials that are difficult to recycle.

The idea behind this kind of lifestyle is not just about reducing your personal impact on the environment but also about taking steps towards sustainability for future generations.

Why should I care about Zero Waste?

The concept of zero waste is to reduce or eliminate the amount of waste that goes to landfill. The idea is for less rubbish to be created, especially at home.

The Zero Waste movement was started by a woman called Bea Johnson who has reduced her family's rubbish output from four bags per week to just one bag every six months. In the last decade, the Zero Waste lifestyle has boomed thanks to the widedspread apprehension of the environment. There are now social media channels, vlogs, books, and even schemes to hel promote live a more zero waste lifestyle worldwide.

But zero waste is about more than just recycling and composting, it's also about changing our lifestyles so we use less plastic and disposable items, eat only what we need, buy in bulk and make things last as long as possible.

The Benefits of Zero Waste

There are many benefits of reducing your waste output including spending less time on sorting through your rubbish, being able to buy products without packaging, 

Save money

You'll save loads on packaging and you won't have to buy things like bin liners or plastic bags ever again. Plus, you'll be able to choose what you want without having to pay for unnecessary packaging. Pick Ethical have some good ideas on ways to save money whilst reducing waste.

Avoids using up raw materials

By reducing the amount of packaging used on frequently bought products, and by repairing and recycling what you already have,  you'll be avoinding using up natural materials. By reducing our consumption the amount of raw materials required for manufacturing and minimizes the harmful practices that are associated with mining or producing virgin stock.

Can help you save money

Making an effort to avoid buying new products in place of repairing or upcylcing means avoiding spending on unnecessary goods.

How to be zero waste

One way to stop the amount of plastic we use is to use zero waste stores, which will help you live a plastic-free lifestyle by buying food in bulk. Zero waste stores are springing up around more frequently and several websites have created a map of zero waste shops around the UK. Use maps like this or search for "nearby refill store" on google.

Try to watch some zero waste vlogs and participate in zero waste week to help you get started.