Is a zero-waste lifestyle really possible?

craftsman wrote: ↑ Zero waste - No. Ultra-low waste - maybe. Low waste - yes. It really depends what your filter is on the size and type of things that you can call waste.

A great example would be clothes. If you consider the argument that many of the fibers that come off of clothes when they are washed go into the waste stream and aren't caught but flushed into the environment, then it can be argued that those fibers are waste. And if you consider that many of the lower cost fabrics break down fairly quickly in a few laundry cycles, then that's really four to five times the volume per year per person that's in that small mason jar. You can also say that same thing about shoes and tires as they wear into fine particles on the road and those particles just don't disappear into nothingness either.

Good point. I eventually realized all the cheap clothing I was buying at huge discounts were a waste of money. Now I'll do a bit more research for a well constructed item made of better quality material.

There are "5 R's" to this approach.

1. refuse
2. reduce
3. reuse (+repair)
4. recycle
5. rot

I think "refuse" is concept a lot of people should consider when shopping. Nowadays when I consider buying something I ask myself if I can make do without it since I live in a small space with very little storage. I can't think of a single time when I've regretted walking away from a purchase.

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/ ... fault.aspx

All of us make decisions every day that impact how much garbage we send to the landfill and waste-to-energy facility. The Zero Waste Challenge is about figuring out how to greatly reduce that garbage.

The challenge for Metro Vancouver, which manages the region's waste, is to increase awareness that reducing and reusing waste are a priority to managing waste sustainably. This requires advocating policies and regulations to reduce waste, opening discussions on the approach to consumer goods to include more durable, repairable and recyclable goods, and encouraging citizens to act. What does it mean to reduce, reuse and recycle more (the 3 Rs)?

Work with other governments, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and businesses to advocate increased reduce and reuse initiatvies (the first 2 Rs)
Provide tools such as an online recycling database, promote best practices for business, strengthen the market for recyclable materials (the third R)

The challenge is for each of us is to:

Reduce our waste (for example, choosing products that last, products made from recycled material)
Reconsider what we throw away (for example, ensuring small appliances are recycled, inedible food is composted)
Start a Zero Waste Community Challenge
Become a Zero Waste School
Reduce garbage at work

The challenge for our society is to move away from producing and favouring disposable products, and instead design for a waste-free future.

"Zero waste" is a concept that's been talked about by "the regional authorities" for some time now here. When the landfill is approaching 100% capacity and u gotta truck garbage to areas further afield, you wish more people would think about "zero waste".

It may be nice to think that donating stuff is good for the environment, but I get very uncomfortable when I go into a second-hand store filled with crap. This stuff shouldn't have been made in the first place, but I guess our consumer culture is all about selling products. What would happen to our economy if we stopped over-consuming?

The thing about our garbage is that when we throw something away, we never think about it again. Out of sight, out of mind. It's only when there is a garbage strike that people have to face their garbage footprint.

There's a reason why garbage pickup here is only once every two weeks. It is because it costs money to put garbage in a landfill. But a lot of people don't think, and they complain, rather than think about the bigger picture.

Personally I like using things like store bought toilet paper and throwing it down the drain after a single use so I guess I will never be able to fit a years worth of waste into a single mason jar. For those that can sacrifice it, all the power to them.

I find these extremes do more harm than good. Few are ever able to take it this far and it ends up discouraging more people than it actually helps.

ZERO waste. What a joke. Can't happen.

Bones from a rack of ribs = food waste ... takes forever to degrade.

Empty Potato Chips Bag = waste

Old Incandescent light bulbs / fluorescent tubes = waste ... even LED light bulbs as well ....

AV-Fishing wrote: ↑ ZERO waste. What a joke. Can't happen.

Bones from a rack of ribs = food waste ... takes forever to degrade.

Empty Potato Chips Bag = waste

Old Incandescent light bulbs / fluorescent tubes = waste ... even LED light bulbs as well ....

Bones definitely take longer to compost than, say, potato peels, but it's probably more like a year or two than forever. Large-scale composting facilities have no problems with them. Or bones can be turned into bone meal for plants, or feed.

Maybe potato chips shouldn't be packaged in single-use plastic bags. Maybe they should be in paper as before, or a biodegradable material. That has costs, but it's not technically difficult.

I have no idea how easily different types of lamps can be recycled, but I imagine they can be. A lot of that type of thing is a matter of cost- the cost to produce new to the producers is more than the cost of recycling. But that equation can be changed.

Zero waste seems impossible to me, too. But lowering waste dramatically is probably well within reach.

Zero waste is impossible because at one pt even if we're assuming that we're "perfect" now to the environment, we weren't before that pt, so some damage was already done.

That leads me to the next pt, why do ppl bother procreating? We are a net -ive to the world.

I was at Superstore on Black Friday and joined a group chatting in front of a printer display. Of course it's just a matter of time before you hear that some people are picking up the new printer because it's cheaper than buying ink for the one they already have at home. I despair a little when I think about it. I just refilled 4 ink cartridges at Costco for $55 (it would have been $150 for new cartridges), and although the price is still fairly high, given the cost of the actual ink, I feel really good about the "reuse" aspect of it.

sn00ch wrote: ↑ There are "5 R's" to this approach.

1. refuse
2. reduce
3. reuse (+repair)
4. recycle
5. rot

I think "refuse" is concept a lot of people should consider when shopping. Nowadays when I consider buying something I ask myself if I can make do without it since I live in a small space with very little storage. I can't think of a single time when I've regretted walking away from a purchase.

I really like this. So much of what we buy is unnecessary, or we already have an item at home that would fulfill the same purpose, but maybe it's just not new and shiny.

I compost, recycle, reuse & reduce and have the smallest waste bin the city provides but still can't get to zero waste but I do have ultra low waste. I even save the corks from wine bottles and donate them to the LCBO, give stuff away on https://groups.freecycle.org/group/Toronto/posts/all, throw my old clothes into clothes recycling bins (even the ripped and/or stained ones as I hear they are shredded), refill my colour laser cartridges using toner from inkowl.com, print only what I need, reuse the other blank side of paper that has already gone through my laser printer, etc.

The biggest culprit I find in creating waste is the plastic packaging of food and consumer products. Much of it cannot be recycled.

sn00ch wrote: ↑ Good point. I eventually realized all the cheap clothing I was buying at huge discounts were a waste of money. Now I'll do a bit more research for a well constructed item made of better quality material.

There are "5 R's" to this approach.

1. refuse
2. reduce
3. reuse (+repair)
4. recycle
5. rot

I think "refuse" is concept a lot of people should consider when shopping. Nowadays when I consider buying something I ask myself if I can make do without it since I live in a small space with very little storage. I can't think of a single time when I've regretted walking away from a purchase.

Great point, thanks! I recently started to implement the refuse point, and it saves me a huge amount of money, not mentioning the overconsumption concerns. I think if many people take this approach seriously, we could produce much less waste!

I have recently started avoiding plastics. It's been eye opening to say the least! Love the Bulk Barn program where you can bring in your containers. Any other eco-friendly places that help with reducing bringing home plastic? I know the Body Shop years ago had a trade in your plastic bottle for a new one program, but seems like they've discontinued that.

Great point,. and great start! Once I had that "lens" on, it was quite easy to avoid a lot of waste -- using my own reusable cup when I go to Timmies, saying no to plastic straws and cutlery, using a shampoo bar and a bar of soap. Even the eyeliner and mascara I buy...they all happen to be packaged in kraft paper (except for the mascara tube....).

It is a journey. But a rewarding one - supporting the local indie companies that are helping us live healthier lifestyles seems like a good decision to me! =)

EcoSuperstar wrote: ↑ Great point,. and great start! Once I had that "lens" on, it was quite easy to avoid a lot of waste -- using my own reusable cup when I go to Timmies, saying no to plastic straws and cutlery, using a shampoo bar and a bar of soap. Even the eyeliner and mascara I buy...they all happen to be packaged in kraft paper (except for the mascara tube....).

It is a journey. But a rewarding one - supporting the local indie companies that are helping us live healthier lifestyles seems like a good decision to me! =)

I’ve never tried a shampoo bar. What a great idea. Any recommendations/tips?

chococrazy wrote: ↑ I have recently started avoiding plastics. It's been eye opening to say the least! Love the Bulk Barn program where you can bring in your containers. Any other eco-friendly places that help with reducing bringing home plastic? I know the Body Shop years ago had a trade in your plastic bottle for a new one program, but seems like they've discontinued that.

hmm the soap dispensary in Vancouver

We know Loblaws offers points for bringing your own bags. Maybe do the survey and ask the program be extended to produce bags as well.

In the news recently, dead whale had 40kg (88lbs) of plastic in its stomach: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47608949

Zero waste isn’t possible. It’s aspirational, and a good aspiration at that.