The term “zero waste” is gaining popularity. However, Zero Waste is more than just minimizing the number of stuff we toss away in our trash cans as consumers. It’s also not possible to recycle and compost 100 per cent of what we use. While those measures are critical, zero Waste entails so much more! The goal of Zero Waste is to address the entire system of how we consume natural resources.

What does a zero-waste system entail?

• New regulations and policies that adopt a responsible approach to the use and conservation of finite natural resources.
• New manufacturing procedures and wiser design, in which manufacturers are held accountable for their goods’ whole lifecycle, incentivizing them to create for the environment rather than the landfill.
• New programmes in every sector of our society are being implemented to move our culture away from Waste and toward a sense of responsibility for our planet and its future.
• Infrastructure for a resource recovery to replace landfills and incinerators and recover 90% or more of our Waste.
• Citizens, who now live in a system that supports your efforts while advocating for Zero Waste progress in your town, are empowered citizens.

How is the zero waste system helping in building a sustainable society?

Extraction businesses that transform natural resources into finished products, such as timber, agriculture, mining, and petroleum, produce 87 garbage cans worth of materials for every garbage can at our curb (World Resources Institute). So, even if we recycle and compost all of our own rubbish, we won’t be able to eliminate all of the junk that has already been generated.. Even if production waste were not as high, zero Waste still requires minimizing resource consumption wherever possible and putting resources to their highest and greatest use to conserve natural resources and safeguard the environment.

A zero-waste system considers all aspects of a product’s life cycle. It is a full overhaul of our current natural resources extraction, use, and disposal system. It incorporates environmentally friendly production procedures that do not jeopardize the planet’s life-sustaining systems. It necessitates manufacturers designing items with their end-of-life in mind. It contains a well-balanced infrastructure for resource recovery. Supportive policies and citizen participation are at the heart of it. Finally, it is controlled by nature’s cyclical and therapeutic mechanisms, in which Waste does not exist.

• On a global scale, zero Waste entails rethinking the entire system of resource extraction, design, production, distribution, usage, and management to conserve natural resources and reduce our environmental effect.

• On a local level, zero Waste necessitates local policies that safeguard our natural resources and promote sustainable material usage, collaborative community activities that enable things to be used to their full potential, and robust local economies.

• On a personal level, Zero Waste means making deliberate purchases of necessary products that we know are sustainably made, can be reused, and can be easily recycled or composted locally when their “useful” life is up.

Why is the concept of Zero Waste so important?

Our existing system for the use of natural resources is unsustainable. According to the Global Footprint Network, over 80% of the world’s population lives in a country with an “ecological deficit,” meaning they consume more resources than the ecosystem can replenish. Furthermore, since the 1970s, humanity has been in global ecological overshoot. They believe that we currently consume the equivalent of 1.7 Earths in terms of natural resources and garbage, implying that the Earth takes one year and six months to restore what we consume in a year. Zero Waste helps the environment in the following ways:

1. Through tactics such as producer responsibility regulations, green purchasing programmes, and enhanced recycling, Zero Waste strategies help to reduce the number of poisons emitted into our air and water. As a result, there are fewer pollutants in our air, water, land, and bodies, allowing us to live better lives.

2. Plastic pollution not only kills birds and mammals, but it also increases the number of hazardous compounds such as PCBs and pesticides consumed by fish and then by humans. Unless we find a different solution, the problem will double. Minimizing the use of throwaway plastics, mandating manufacturers to create products and packaging that can be easily recycled, and investing in new facilities and programmes to recycle plastics are all part of the solution.

3. Trash incinerators, oil refineries, power plants, chemical manufacturing plants, landfills, and other polluting industrial facilities are disproportionately concentrated in minority and low-income communities. As a result, these communities have higher levels of sickness and a lower quality of life by reducing production emissions, substituting cleaner products, and avoiding disposal emissions.

4. Zero Waste encourages the use of safer items that safeguard our health by:

• Non-toxic items and packaging are prioritized in purchasing practices.
• Bans and fines are in place for products that are known to cause health hazards, such as polystyrene packaging.
• REACH, for example, is a regulation that prohibits the use of heavy metals in electronics and other items.
• When possible, reducing the usage of disposable plastics, especially those containing toxins like phthalates and bisphenol-A.

Conclusion

The aim is zero, but it’s vital not to get too caught up in the word. What is essential is the Zero Waste philosophy. The path to Zero Waste is a long one, and it will take the combined efforts of individuals, communities, organizations, corporations, and the government to get there.