Chances are you’ve heard the term Zero Waste before.
#ZeroWaste has been used almost 4 millions times on Instagram, and
there’s little doubt that the phrase Zero Waste is on its way to
becoming as commonplace as terms like organic and nonGMO.
But what does Zero Waste living really mean?
At surface level, the term “Zero Waste” is a pretty simple concept -
Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, all with the goal of sending
nothing to the landfill. And the great news is, for most of us, this
is actually a very feasible goal to achieve in the short-term.
The Zero Waste International Alliance states that Zero Waste is
achieved (for a person, a business, a municipality, etc) if 90% of
waste generated is diverted from landfills and incinerators. It is
estimated that 85% of what Americans throw away today can be recycled
(curbside or through hard-to-recycle outlets) and/or composted. That
means we could get very close to Zero Waste not even by changing how
we buy and consume, but simply by properly recycling and composting
our existing waste. If all you do is adopt this mindset of “landfill
diversion” you’d be off to a great start.
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