What Is the Point of Zero-Waste?

What is zero-waste?

Zero waste is the initiative of creating zero-waste in your day-to-day life—think recycling, but on steroids. So, no using single-use plastics, no packaged goods, no throwing anything out. "What about recycling and composting, can you do that?" Well, that depends on who you ask, but the most common answer I have come across is no. This initiative is putting the emphasis on reducing and reusing and considering recycling a last resort.

The idea is simple. We have too much going to our landfills, and it's causing damage to our environment. Even if just a few people reduce their 4.4 pounds of trash per day down to zero, it will make a difference. But is that true?

How many people before it makes a difference?

4.4 pounds of trash per person sounds like a lot, but does it still hold the same weight when you compare it to the amount of waste created in a day by everyone in the United States? As of 4:02 PM on 7/25/2018 there are 326,922,693 people in the United States of America. That equates to 1,438,459,849 pounds of trash per day. By going zero-waste you remove .00000003% of trash being created, congrats! To make a significant, sizable difference, you would need a lot of people to join it.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't go zero-waste, and that's not what I'm advocating for. I just believe that people should have a realistic view of the impact that they are having on the environment. It's also important to know, zero-waste isn't for everyone. It requires a bit of a disposable income to get started, and a lot of time and resources that not everybody has.

What would switching look like?

Almost everything comes in a neat, single-use plastic packaging. From to-go boxes of food to your tube of toothpaste. How is it possible to replace all of them? First off, reusable bags: You're going to want to stock up on as many of those as you can, but don't go in and order a bulk pack on Amazon just yet... the box and packaging isn't zero-waste.

Everything you buy is going to be in-person at a store to cut down on the amount of waste made. Don't think about taking those receipts either—not zero-waste.

You're going to have to bulk up on large storage jars because pasta, grains, and flours will have to be bought from a bulk store to avoid the boxes and bags that they come in.

Conditioner, shampoos, toothpaste, and things of that nature don't tend to come in bulk bins. To combat that, many people who live zero-waste make their own. This may be a cheaper alternative, but it does pose a fairly large time commitment.

This is just scraping the surface. Zero-waste means no more use of paper and pen, only digital notes. You must carry around a reusable cup wherever you go, reusable straws, silverware, reusable Tupperware for leftovers or any food you may order that doesn't come on a reusable dish.

It's a lot to remember for something that doesn't do much. Also, asking food service working to make your food in their specific container, or drink in their specific cup may break ServSafe violations, as well as throw off their serving size.

It's not actually zero-waste.

There are some things that will also just never be zero waste, like toothbrushes. Now, there are more eco-friendly options available, the bamboo rather than plastic, but at the end of its life, it will ultimately be thrown away.

You're not going to be able to re-purpose everything life. Also, your bulk bin products come shipped in from somewhere, when you ask for no receipts they throw it away for you when you ask for your drink in your fancy cup, chances are they make it in the disposable plastic cup to get the portions right.

Yes, you definitely make less trash, there is no denying that, but it is not zero-waste.

So, should you do it?

Surprise surprise, I think the zero-waste movement is amazing, but as a political statement, rather than an 'I'm saving the world mindset'. If you have the money and the time commitment to educating yourself on the movement, I think you should do it, at least for a little bit. My problem comes in when people exclaim how easy it is and how everyone should do it and help save the world because quite frankly, it's not easy, not everyone can do it, and you are not saving the world.

I went zero-waste for a week during my freshman year of college because I wanted to see how much trash I made, and how much I rely on single-use plastics. It was hard, I didn't stop using my conditioner in a plastic bottle, and I definitely forgot and messed up a few times, but it did open my eyes to my reliance on plastic. I truly believe that if possible, everyone should try it to have a better grasp on the plastic reliance we have in today's society.