Moving Towards Zero Waste
Zero waste should be an individual and societal goal. To live a zero waste life is to repurpose and reuse as much as possible. It is also done in a way that is the least harmful to humans and the environment. Zero waste should be a collective direction on a global level. It will take individuals, manufacturers, and governments to make the real and necessary changes needed to put an end to our throwaway society. The steps it will take include, repurposing as much as possible, holding individuals and manufacturers accountable for waste, and utilizing composting.
Humans and society have been fighting waste issues for its entire existence. With technological advancements, we have come a long way from what the Romans first introduced in its ancient cities. The problem is that society as a whole produces a lot more waste than the ancient Romans did. Even with growing amounts of waste, cities have not made changes to its removal procedures in a very long time, "Today's consumption-driven society produces an enormous amount of waste. This large amount of waste creates a huge pressure for the city authority to manage waste in a more sustainable manner. Waste management systems have not received as much attention in the city planning process as other sectors like water or energy. Therefore, gaps can be observed in waste management in current city planning" (Zaman, Urban). Society either needs to go back to a simpler way of life or start making changes as to how much we use and then create waste. A lot of it is how we have become such a lazy society in that we use wasteful products, "In high consumption cities in the industrialized world, large amounts of paper waste, over-packaging, food waste, and e-waste are all causing particular problems" (Zaman, Urban). Think about all of the takeout containers that end up in the trash on a daily basis.
While most places now recycle, it is not always effective and it still does not account for much of what gets thrown away, "Globally, around 85% of the collected waste is sent to landfills, including uncontrolled landfills and open dumping, and only 15% of the collected waste is recycled" (Zaman, Zero). This is not enough to make a real difference in cutting back on the amount humans waste. There are other problems that have been created with societies' love of plastic waste, "Plastic waste pollution is a major environmental concern since 79% of all plastics we generate are ended up in some form in the environment through land or water. These plastics will continue to pollute the environment for hundreds of years as plastics' decomposition rate is generally prolonged" (Zaman, Zero). Even with the introduction of bio plastics and things that are meant to shorten the life of the plastic, it is not a big enough move in the right direction.
The concern now is that if large cities don't start making changes soon, then they could end up buried in their own waste and causing a lot of damage to the environment in the process. "Despite technological advancement and engineering solutions, one-third of the global waste is managed in environmentally unsafe manners such as littering, open dumping, open burning and unsanitary landfill, etc. Yet, it is still one of the least priority areas for allocating budget and necessary infrastructure in many countries around the world" (Zaman, Zero). More money needs to be spent on fixing the waste problem. It makes the most sense for larger cities to start dumping money into what can be done to improve the systems in place currently. The reason why some argue against making the necessary changes is that, "To date, the landfill is the leading waste management option because of the low management cost" (Zaman, Zero). Just because it is saving money in some ways, does not mean it is the best option.
While the landfill option may be cheaper in management costs, it is not what is best for the environment, "...the traditional market-driven economic system often ignores the environmental costs of the pollution caused by landfills" (Zaman, Zero). So much of what ends up in the landfill stays there for much longer than people realize. It is not just the environmental effects that make our current systems an issue. It is only going to get more and more expensive. Society shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to the amount of waste we are producing. With this, the costs will also grow, "According to the World Bank's report, around USD 205 billion was spent on waste management worldwide in 2010, and it is predicted that the cost will increase to USD 375 billion by 2025" (Zaman, Zero). While the current system has low management costs involved. Things need to be done now to prevent future costs. Spending the money now to put better systems in place and to change the way work as a society is what will have a lasting impact and cut down on future costs. If it can get to a point where there is significantly less waste produced to begin with, it will not only save costs, but also the environment.
To really make a change, society has to band together to create changes worldwide. Things need to be done collectively all over the world. Some places have already started to implement systems that have created real change. One city in Norway has started collecting plastics at machines in grocery stores in return for money. This would be a very motivating factor for many people to properly dispose of plastic so that it can be repurposed in a meaningful way. It would take a collective effort to make real change, "The Zero Waste strategy says no to incinerators, no to mega-landfills, no to the throwaway society and yes to a sustainable society." (Zero). We truly have become a throw away society. There are far too many clothing stores out there that sell cheap, low quality clothing that people often only wear a few times before it ends up in the landfills. Society needs to get back to simpler times when we produced less waste. The population is only continuing to grow and we are becoming only more wasteful. It will catch up eventually and be a problem that may be too late to solve. "Most people are familiar with the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) but it is the Fourth R of Responsibility, which holds the key to sustainability. We need individual responsibility, community responsibility, industrial responsibility, professional responsibility and political responsibility" (Zero). It is the responsibility of everyone to recognize the issue and want to make the changes necessary. "We need community responsibility at the back end of the problem, industrial responsibility at the front end, and we need good political leadership to bring these two together. And because this issue is too important to leave to the narrow focus of "waste experts" we need every sector of the economy involved. We need to integrate zero waste strategists with farmers, educators, economists, industrial workers, architects, community developers, and social activists" (Zero). There needs to be a world wide collective effort as the few small cities making real changes will not be enough.
One of the ways that cities can make smart changes is to reuse and repurpose old buildings instead of tearing down old ones and starting over. When there is nothing wrong with an existing structure it is very wasteful to remove it, a large part of what ends up in landfills is construction waste. Cities could use designers that intend to consider the wastefulness of a new project, "Architecture and design will be less about new buildings, but more about retrofitting, urban renewal, and adaptive re-use of existing buildings and neighborhoods to be more resource efficient" (Zaman, Urban). Just like when an old mall is torn down and turned into high rise building. There will always be some waste associated with the old building, but as much of the structure as possible should be utilized. Cities should also be giving projects to designers that focus on sustainability. "In future, we will develop sustainable designs inspired by nature, where waste is seen as a resource and organic waste is used as a fertilizer; where new building materials are created from recycled waste; and the potential for renewable energy is fully unleashed, harnessing wind, geothermal, solar and biomass resources to feed renewable energy into a smart grid. We will change the way we generate energy and see more and more decentralized systems on roofs and facades, where cities become power stations in themselves, and where all citizens can become energy producers (instead of just being consumers)" (Zaman, Urban). There is too much information available that should not be ignored when it comes to the future of city planning.
Another thing that needs to be done on a collective level is for cities, states, countries to implement laws that hold manufacturers accountable for their waste. "Some manufacturers are well ahead of the game and have found that by recovering and reusing either the parts or the materials in their products, that they can save money, both on disposal and production costs" (Zero). It seems that the biggest issue is for companies to just make the choice to change. There is plenty of evidence that shows the monetary savings as well as the benefit to the environment; "A very good example is the Xerox Corporation in Europe. They are using the same trucks that take their machines to 16 different countries, to collect old machines. These are taken to huge warehouses in Venray, Netherlands, where the machines are stripped down. The company is recovering 95% of the material either as reusable parts or recyclable materials. This saved Xerox $76 million in the year 2000. Other companies are also reporting huge savings when embarking on zero waste strategies" (Zero). These strategies can be used in a lot of areas within a company. Make it beneficial for people to return the packaging to the company to be reused. Make it beneficial for people to return the dry cleaning hangers each week. There are so many things companies can be doing to help save them money and also cut down on the harm to planet.
One of the biggest things that can be done on a large scale and on smaller scales is composting. If more homes did this, it could make a huge difference as to what ends up in landfills and incinerators each day. This is something that can be done on a larger scale as well, at the city and state levels. This is one of the best things we can do for our planet, "Compost(ing) also has a distinct advantage over incineration of not only reducing the global warming involved in the production of synthetic fertilizers but also sequestering the carbon in wood and other cellulosic fibers thereby delaying the release of global warming carbon dioxide" (Zero). Composting can benefit so many, from local farmers, to individual gardens. Composting materials can be used by, "farmers to replenish their soils of depleted nutrients" (Zero). More cities should be doing specialized composting pickups and composting on a large scale. Not enough cities do this and it is something that benefits so many. It is also something that can be implemented in any home even if it is not offered at a city level, "Many towns, where householders have more space, have taken a simple preliminary step before building a centralized composting facility, of encouraging as many of their citizens as possible to compost their own kitchen and yard waste in backyard compost bins or vermiculture boxes. Some provide the kits either for free or at reduced cost" (Zero). If more focus was put on this easy solution, it could potentially save the environment and money on so many levels.
There are so many more things that can be done on an individual level to help take small steps in the right direction. Any individual or family can start making choices in their home to cut back on waste and eventually move towards a zero waste lifestyle. Bea Johnson made the choice for her family to start living zero waste, in her book she details the five main steps to live by: refuse what is not needed, reduce what is needed, reuse what is consumed, recycle what can not be refused, and compost the rest (Johnson). These are some great ideas to live by. People don't realize how little they actually need. If more people also move in the direction of purchasing things that have eco friendly packaging, then more companies will start to get on board. Buy the stuff in glass or cardboard packaging. Buy items that have better for the environment refillable options. Don't buy all that paper and plastic to serve dinner with every night. Don't take that free pen or the free samples at hotels. Buy the serving bowl needed for the dinner party from a thrift store. It is all about being mindful in every aspect of what is purchased, use, and get rid of.
Changing our mindsets and habits can be difficult. Amy Korst is another individual that made the changes for her family. In her book, The Zero-Waste Lifestyle: Live Well by Throwing Away Less, she lists many things that can be done to cut back on waste. One of her big focuses was on charitable thrift stores, she says to take things not needed, that may be someone else's treasure, for donation (Korst, 59). She also says to utilize a similar idea, almost like a garage sale, but for free, where items can be offered to neighbors, and items can also be traded (165). Korst also expresses the need to cut back on single use items and waste while grocery shopping. She recommends bringing not just reusable shopping bags, but reusable containers to be used for produce, deli, and meat needs (36). It is truly about being mindful before purchasing something or allowing it into the home. Atiq Zaman also lists some other rules to live by in, Zero-waste: A new sustainability paradigm for addressing the global waste problem, he lists the following ideas, "Focus on needs instead of desire when it comes to consumption and shopping, avoid shopping single-used goods (bottled water, bags, utensils, etc.), avoid shopping goods with unnecessary packaging and buy bulk with reusable/refillable bottles/jars and from local growers, reuse non-compostable items such as jars, bottles, cloths, etc. as much as possible, be mindful about what to buy and how it would contribute to waste generation and seek alternatives, recycle whatever cannot be reused, compost all organic materials in the household" (Zaman, Zero). These changes and ideas should be adopted in every home and shared with others. Until society as a whole starts making moves in the right direction, it is on each member of society to start somewhere.
In closing, it will take great societal effort to make the necessary changes we need to put an end to our wasteful world. Governments and its officials need to make things like composting a requirement in every state. They also need to hold manufacturers accountable for the amount of waste they produce. Society needs to learn how to repurpose as much as possible as was once the norm. Really though, it starts with each individual paying attention to what is consumed and wasted. It starts with each person reflecting on themselves and making the right choices for the planet going forward.
Works Cited
