Ten reasons to go Zero Waste
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The Zero Waste movement is based on minimizing the waste and garbage we generate by applying the expanded hierarchy of the three “R”s: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle…
It is a movement that began in the 1970s but its popularity grew significantly from the 2000s onwards.
Bea Johnson, with her book Zero Waste Home (2013) popularized the zero waste lifestyle.
There are many reasons to embrace this lifestyle, such as reducing the environmental impact of our actions and saving money. But there are many more!
So, below we’ve shared 10 reasons to incorporate the concept of “Zero Waste” into your life, combined with some posts from our Instagram account that delve deeper into each one. Let’s get started!
Reduce litter: reduce and reuse before recycling
The term ” litter ” comes from the combination of the words “garbage” and “nature, ” used to describe the tons of waste that accumulate daily in oceans, forests, and natural spaces around the world, becoming part of the landscape. This problem can’t be eliminated through recycling alone.
Although some countries have garbage collection systems and recycling programs, the truth is that, globally, the vast majority of waste ends up in landfills, incinerated, or in the natural environment.
Although we will always defend that recycling is very important, Zero Waste focuses much more on reducing and reusing so that waste is not generated and recycling is less necessary .
Activities focused on collecting litter from beaches and mountains, such as beach cleanups and plogging, are very positive for raising awareness and preventing all this waste from damaging the landscape. However, these actions need to be combined with more robust strategies focused on prevention to prevent this litter from occurring in the first place.
Reusable bags
Practice responsible and sustainable consumption
Zero waste is closely linked to more conscious purchasing. Asking ourselves what lies behind the products we buy and how our purchasing decisions shape the world makes us more responsible consumers.
Consuming sustainably includes, among other things:
Buy what you need
Extend the useful life of things
Reuse everything you can
Repair whenever possible
Bet on durable products
Assess the environmental and social impact of each product
Avoid unnecessary packaging
Avoid toxins
Understanding a product’s environmental impact isn’t always easy . However, as consumers gain more information about what they buy, they make more conscious decisions. But what is sustainable consumption? There’s a simple way to define it:
Sustainable consumption is that which guarantees the satisfaction of our current needs without compromising those of future generations.
Responsabile consumption
Invest in local commerce and local products
Local purchasing is another essential aspect of Zero Waste. By buying locally, we support the economic and social fabric of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities.
In the case of food, for example, by buying locally sourced products, we prevent food from traveling thousands of miles to reach our plates and we contribute to generating job opportunities in rural areas.
On the other hand, local businesses bring life to our streets and allow many families to make a living from their small businesses, offering friendly, personalized service to customers.
Investing in local commerce
Save money
Although many people may think that a Zero Waste and more sustainable purchase entails a higher expense, the truth is that this lifestyle contributes in many ways to saving us money .
For starters, when you reduce your material needs, you buy fewer things, so you stop spending money on products or services you no longer need.
On the other hand, making better use of your belongings through their care, reuse, and repair means you’ll end up buying fewer things in the medium and long term.
Buying secondhand is a great example of this savings : by giving clothes or furniture a second life, we not only save money, but we also contribute to materials being in circulation for longer and being better utilized.
Save money
Reducing emissions that cause climate change
Waste generation contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions , especially methane emissions produced in landfills.
Therefore, reducing the waste we produce also means reducing our carbon footprint.
Shifting from a waste management mindset to a resource management mindset is essential to addressing the climate crisis and ensuring a sustainable future for all living beings on the planet.
Reducing emissions that cause climate change
Protect Biodiversity
Zero Waste also directly or indirectly concerns itself with the preservation of the planet’s species.
We must remember that most products require raw materials for their manufacture. These raw materials are extracted from nature, causing significant environmental impacts related to biodiversity loss. Examples include deforestation and water and air pollution.
Furthermore, many types of waste, such as microplastics and toxic waste, end up dispersed throughout natural spaces, entering animal food chains and disrupting ecosystems even in the most remote places on the planet .
Protect biodiversity
Prevent Food Waste
A less visible aspect of the Zero Waste movement is also one of the most important: the amount of food we throw away and waste.
How would you feel if we told you that almost a third of the world’s food is wasted ? This is a figure published by the FAO , the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Although this includes the entire production chain (from cultivation to consumption), Zero Waste generally focuses on avoiding waste when food reaches the final consumer. Some actions you can take to reduce food waste at home include :
Learn recipes for leftovers
Buy in bulk the quantities you need
Store food in clear containers to keep better track of what you have in the kitchen and prevent it from going bad.
Create a section in the refrigerator for products that should be eaten first because they go bad quickly or have a short expiration date.
Food prevention is key to reducing waste
Need less
The effort to reduce waste directly leads you to buying fewer things and needing less to satisfy your needs, something that also promotes minimalism.
But what about everything we’ve accumulated up to this point? Here, too, comes a process of getting rid of what we don’t need or giving it a new life.
We rarely use many of the items we have at home . Therefore, a good practice in this regard is to borrow or rent items you’ll only need occasionally.
Working on our attachment to material things also has psychological advantages : we free ourselves from burdens and feel lighter, allowing us to dedicate our time, money, and space to other things.
Plus, getting rid of things we no longer use can mean extra income if we sell them on secondhand platforms or hold a swap meet, for example.
Improve your diet
Since the Zero Waste movement advocates buying in bulk and avoiding packaged and processed foods, it indirectly promotes a diet less based on ultra-processed foods.
Although it is not a guarantee of having a balanced diet, it is a way to avoid, for example, additives and added sugars .
Buying in bulk allows us to buy real products
Leaving a better world for future generations
Embracing a more sustainable, waste-free lifestyle isn’t just good for our present. It’s a way to ensure that future generations can enjoy a clean, healthy, and resource-rich planet.
The best waste will always be the one that isn’t generated . Any waste we don’t generate today will be a resource preserved for future generations.
And that’s our selection of 10 reasons to go Zero Waste.
Young people who want a better world
What were your reasons for switching to Zero Waste?
Everyone has different motivations for starting a more sustainable lifestyle. It may be a desire to reduce their environmental impact, save money, avoid unnecessary products, or simply lead a more minimalist and conscious lifestyle.
We hope this list has inspired you. Don’t hesitate to share your tips and learnings with us. Together, we can reach more people, businesses, municipalities, and educational centers.
If you’re taking your first steps towards Zero Waste, this app can help you learn tricks and find stores and products near you.
Summary and conclusions
The Zero Waste movement, popularized by Bea Johnson, is based on the philosophy of minimizing the amount of waste we generate, prioritizing reduction and reuse over recycling. This lifestyle offers multiple benefits, from environmental protection to economic savings and improved health.
✅ Combat “litter”: The movement focuses on waste prevention to keep it from ending up in landfills or polluting oceans and forests, recognizing that recycling alone is not enough.
✅ Promotes responsible consumption: Promotes more conscious purchasing, prioritizing durability, repair, reuse, and consumption of products with the lowest possible environmental impact.
✅ Support the local economy: By encouraging the purchase of bulk, local, and seasonal products, Zero Waste strengthens local commerce and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation.
✅ Generates financial savings: Contrary to popular belief, this lifestyle helps save money by reducing unnecessary purchases, extending the lifespan of products, and encouraging secondhand purchases.
✅ Protects biodiversity and the climate: By reducing production and waste disposal, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (such as methane) are reduced, which directly benefits ecosystems and the fight against climate change.
✅ Prevent food waste: The movement actively addresses the amount of food wasted, proposing actions such as learning recipes that make the most of food, buying in bulk, and properly storing food.
✅ Personal benefits: Adopting this lifestyle also has advantages such as a reduced need to accumulate material goods, a healthier diet by choosing unprocessed products, and the satisfaction of contributing to a more sustainable future for future generations.
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