Why Zero Waste is Essential?

Before jumping into the definition of Zero Trash, I want to remind you of the picture where a fish underwater is stuck in a finger-chamber of a plastic glove, and without help, it cannot get out. If you can remind that picture, or if not, but at least can imagine the situation and feel sorry for it, you are reading the right article.

There are a lot of scenarios like this. But to understand the thing clearly, we need to know what Zero Waste is, why it is essential, and how we can go into it and then start this lifestyle.

What is Zero Waste?

It is the attempt to lessen the quantity of trash and recycling of the amount of trash employing composting, leaving single-use products and choosing reusable ones, not selecting the packed items, and reconsidering our decisions on what we buy to use. In a simple sense, zero Waste is the idea of reducing the trash of our daily life. It’s not about making an absolute “zero”; it’s about reducing it.

Now the Zero Trash lifestyle is of something more meaningful sense. When you stop throwing a middle-sized poly bag of trash every day and start making it one every three or four days, that will amount to zero trash lifestyle. When you start dumping one big bag of trash a week instead of three bags, that will signify a zero-waste lifestyle in your life. But these changes don’t come overnight, a strong will and habituation make you able to achieve this lifestyle.

Well, all these mentioned facts would make no sense if you don’t have the reasons. That’s to say, why do you need zero Waste? Why do you need to acquire zero waste living? Well, you need to look around and ask yourself why. It’s OK if you already have your reasons. But if you don’t, I am going to state some points that should help you decide.

Why Zero Trash?

1. Scientific cause:

   1. The Americans dump 250-400 million tons of trash each year. Globally the amount is around 1.5 billion tons. Where do you think this garbage go? The outer space or some magical place where we won’t see trash anymore? Nope. It stays on earth, the maximum of it is dumped in the sea, and a large amount of it is landfilled or sometimes thrown in open places. This trash doesn’t make any good rather pollute the environment. Our environment is where we belong, so to keep it clean, what else can be more effective than zero Waste?

2. Love towards animals:

   I started with an example that occurred because of our trash. Looking around, we’ll also see birds having a blade between their beak or maybe stuck into any plastic material. These situations can only hurt, but we can avoid them by maintaining zero trash activity.

   

3. Please save your money:

   Once you get used to zero waste lifestyle, you start saving your earnings by spending it less. Because then you think twice before buying anything you want, but you buy only the things you need. You get used to purchasing reusable pieces of stuff, which will result in stopping unnecessary expenditures. Such a minimalistic matter!

   

4. For maintaining the beauty of nature:

   You don’t like to see the beach full of plastics and scraps, right? No one enjoys a place’s natural beauty if it’s covered with trashes. From where do they come? Yeah, from us. And using zero Waste, we can control such conditions.

   

These reasons should be convincing for both who already have decided and who are yet to decide.

Now that we have gone through the Whats and Whys, we can begin knowing how do we change our lifestyle and start zero trash. But before that, we should get to see the lady who’s been living a zero-waste life since 2012. Lauren Singer has been collecting all the trashes created by her from 2012 in just a 16 oz mason jar! She is a consistent and competent warrior of the zero-waste movement.

So how you go zero trash, is here

1. You have to refuse what you don’t need. Prioritize your necessities and buy things accordingly.
2. It would help if you reduced what you need. Once you can lessen the necessities of you, it’ll be easier to go zero waste.
3. You have to reuse what you’re consuming. You can also eliminate single-use items.
4. You also have to recycle what you didn’t consume. So recycling is a part of the whole process, and it’s a good practice in the way of going Zero Waste.
5. Audit your food waste. Look for the debris created by foods you eat and try removing them from your meal list. By eating foods like fruits, vegetables, and anything that doesn’t come with packaging, you’ll get plastic-free life. You can also donate extra food to the organization that needs and collects food.
6. Try connecting zero waste communities. And by getting connected to the concerned community, either online or offline organizations, you’ll get the necessary support.
7. Make things yourself and start composting. When you start making things yourself, you won’t be dependent on market items, and you will also value your possession. Starting composting will also enable you to use stuff you have already used and made zero waste home.

Some Simple Guidelines

Before concluding, here are some simple guidelines on how to reduce waste.

• Use bamboo toothbrush
• Carry cloth bags
• Get reusable mugs
• Get one stainless steel razor
• Use low waste deodorants
• Swap disposable pads to menstrual cups
• Change bulbs to LED
• Get your bills paperless

As mentioned before, being absolutely “zero” is neither realistic nor possible. We only can reduce the use of plastic trashes by Zero Waste tasks. So that’s how from our limits, we can make our planet a better place!

Shadman Shabab Khan Protik (Guest Post Writer)