Zero waste facts for kids
Zero waste is a big idea about how we can stop making so much trash. It's about changing how we make and use things so that nothing gets thrown away. Imagine a world where everything we use can be reused, repaired, or turned into something new.
The main goal of zero waste is to keep trash out of landfills, incinerators, and our oceans. It wants to protect our planet from pollution. Right now, only about 9% of all plastic around the world gets recycled. Zero waste wants to change that by making sure all materials are used again and again.
This idea is more than just recycling. It's about rethinking how products are made and delivered. It encourages companies to design items that last longer and can be easily reused. This way, we create much less waste in the first place.
The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) says zero waste means using all parts of a product. It means nothing harmful should go into our land, water, or air. This helps keep both our environment and people healthy.
Many people believe that governments need to help. They can encourage companies to design products and packaging better. This would help reduce waste from the very start. Less waste also means less pollution and can even save money. Companies would need fewer new materials to make their products.
Contents
Understanding Zero Waste
From "Cradle-to-Grave" to "Cradle-to-Cradle"
Imagine a product's journey from when it's made to when it's thrown away. The old way is called "cradle-to-grave." This means resources are taken from nature, a product is made, and then it ends up in a landfill. It's a one-way trip, like a line.
The zero-waste idea promotes "cradle-to-cradle." This is like a circle. When a product's life ends, its materials are used to make new products. Nothing goes to waste. It's like nature, where one organism's "waste" helps other living things.
This circular idea helps us design things better from the start. It means we think about how to reuse materials before we even make the product. This way, we solve waste problems before they happen. It's a sustainable approach for our planet and future generations.
Why Zero Waste is Important for Our Planet
As more factories and cities grow, we create a lot more trash. In 2012, people in cities made 1.3 billion tons of trash. Experts thought this number would reach 2.2 billion tons by 2025. This huge amount of trash means we need more landfills.
These landfills are often built close to communities. Sometimes, they are placed near communities that are often less wealthy. This happens because it can be easier to get permission there. Also, places that handle dangerous waste have had problems that could harm people's health.
Our planet has limited resources. We need to protect them. Zero waste helps by making sure we use materials wisely. It encourages us to move from a "throw-away" system to a "use-again" system. This means materials can safely go back into nature or be used again by factories.
Zero waste is not just about reuse and recycling. It's about preventing waste from the start. It encourages designing products that:
- Use less material.
- Are made from recycled materials.
- Use safer materials.
- Last a long time.
- Can be easily repaired.
- Can be taken apart to recycle their parts.
Zero waste helps our planet, saves money, and can even create new jobs. It's a strategy that can be used everywhere. This includes businesses, schools, and even our homes.
Here are some great things about zero waste:
- Saves money: Less waste means less inefficiency, which saves money.
- Faster improvements: It helps companies find better ways to make things. This leads to new and exciting solutions.
- Supports a healthy future: Zero waste helps our economy, protects the environment, and improves everyone's well-being.
- Better use of materials: A zero-waste strategy would use far fewer new raw materials. No trash would go to landfills. Instead, materials would return as reusable or recycled materials. They could also be suitable for use as compost.
Protecting Our Health and Environment
Landfills can cause health problems. When trash breaks down, it releases gases like hydrogen sulfide. Studies have shown that living near landfills can lead to serious breathing problems. It can also cause other illnesses.
Dangerous chemicals from homes and medicines can leak from landfills. This liquid, called leachate, can get into our underground water. This is a big worry because it can harm the environment and our drinking water.
Zero waste helps by reducing the need for landfills. It promotes using materials over and over. This means fewer harmful gases and chemicals are released into our air and water. It also encourages checking what chemicals are used in making products.
By reducing landfills, zero waste can help:
- Reduce breathing problems and other illnesses linked to landfill gases.
- Protect our local environments and drinking water. It stops pollutants from getting into nature.
The History of Zero Waste Efforts
The idea of zero waste has been growing for a while.
- In 2001, the California Integrated Waste Management Board set a zero-waste goal.
- The City of San Francisco also aimed for zero waste in 2002. This led to their Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance in 2009.
- The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) held its first meeting in 2002. It was led by economist Robin Murray.
- In 2008, a French American woman named Bea Johnson started applying zero-waste ideas to her home. She began the blog Zero Waste Home in 2009. Her efforts were even featured in The New York Times in 2010.
- The United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Day of Zero Waste on December 14, 2022. This day is celebrated every year on March 30, starting in 2023. It helps raise awareness about zero-waste efforts around the world.
Smart Packaging and Product Design
Reusable Packaging Ideas
Think about how milk used to be delivered. Many years ago, milk often came in reusable glass bottles. A milkman would deliver them and then pick up the empty ones. These bottles were cleaned and refilled many times.
Today, we often see milk in one-time-use cartons or plastic jugs. From a zero-waste view, reusable bottles are much better. They use less new material over time. The glass is made from silica-sand. After many uses, the bottle can finally be recycled. This greatly reduces waste.
Shipping Products Wisely
When you order things online, they often come in a big outer box. This happens even if you only buy one small item. This creates a lot of extra waste.
Some companies are now designing products that don't need an extra box for shipping. This is called "ships in own container." It's a smart way to reduce packaging waste.
Zero Waste vs. Recycling
It's important to know that zero waste is different from just recycling. Recycling is a part of zero waste, but zero waste is a much bigger idea.
Recycling often means putting bottles, cans, and paper into special bins. But modern recycling is more complex. It involves many companies and government support. For example, in 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the U.S. recycled about 33.5% of its waste. This included composted materials.
Sometimes, recycling numbers can be misleading. For instance, some reports might include soil used to cover garbage dumps as "recycled."
Electronic Waste and Reuse
The computer industry creates a lot of waste. Millions of computers are thrown away each year. In 2016, about 44.7 million metric tons of electronic waste were made. Only about 20% of this was properly recycled.
Some computer makers now refurbish (fix up) old computers. They then resell them. Community groups also collect old computers. They fix them and give them to communities that need them. This is a great example of reuse, which is a key part of zero waste.
How Zero Waste Works
Zero waste is a design principle. This means it can be used for any product or process. It applies to everything, from toxic chemicals to plant matter. It helps us design things to minimize the need to throw anything away. This includes how products are made and how we use them.
Recycling, on the other hand, usually deals with simple materials. Zero waste goes further. It asks us to rethink everything. It wants us to maximize reuse and find new ways to eliminate waste. This includes avoiding harmful methods like incineration. Zero waste wants products to be designed so they can be repaired, fixed, remade, and reused.
Companies Leading the Way
Corporate Initiatives for Less Waste
Many companies are now working towards zero waste.
- General Motors (GM) aimed to make about half of its 181 plants "landfill-free" by the end of 2010.
- Companies like Subaru, Toyota, and Xerox also have plants that send no waste to landfills.
- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked with companies like GM for decades. Their WasteWise program helps reduce waste.
- GM's goal is to recycle or reuse over 90% of its materials. They sell scrap, use reusable boxes instead of cardboard, and recycle used work gloves. Any remaining scraps might be burned to create energy for the plants.
- This not only helps the environment but also saves money. It makes production more efficient.
- Microsoft and Google also have big zero-waste goals. Google has six locations aiming to send 100% of their waste away from landfills. Microsoft aims to keep 90% of its waste out of landfills. These efforts help make our world cleaner.
Local Zero-Waste Actions
A garden centre in Faversham, UK, found a smart way to reduce plastic waste. Instead of giving customers plastic plant pots, they reuse the pots locally. When they sell plants, they repot them into paper pots. They also use materials like hessian to wrap plants. This helps prevent customers from taking home single-use plastics.
Reusing and Composting Waste
The waste sent to landfills can actually be useful. It can be harvested for things like solar energy or natural fertilizer. This fertilizer, called de-composted manure, helps crops grow.
Waste can also be reused and recycled into new products. Latisha Petteway from the EPA said, "The success of General Motors... shows that zero-waste goals can be a powerful push for manufacturers to reduce their waste and carbon footprint."
How We Can Achieve Zero Waste
Governments often set goals and provide some money for waste programs. But local governments usually handle things like recycling pickup. They might also share facilities with nearby areas.
To reach zero waste, products need to be designed differently. Manufacturers and industrial designers should make items that are easy to take apart for recycling. They should also be easy to put back into nature or the industrial system. Products that last a long time and can be repaired also help reduce waste. Less packaging also solves many problems early on.
If governments don't make these changes mandatory, we can still help. Shoppers and stores can choose products that support zero waste. More and more schools are also teaching students to think about how to reduce pollution. To stop materials from becoming waste, everyone needs to learn. This includes consumers, businesses, and non-profit groups. We all need to know how to reduce waste and recycle successfully.
The 5 R's for Zero Waste at Home
Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home, created a helpful guide. It's a modified version of the traditional "3 Rs." She calls them the "5 Rs" for achieving zero waste at home:
- Refuse: Say no to things you don't need, especially single-use items.
- Reduce: Buy less and use less of everything.
- Reuse: Find new ways to use items instead of throwing them away.
- Recycle: Properly recycle items that cannot be refused, reduced, or reused.
- Rot: Compost your food scraps and other organic materials.
Bea Johnson developed this method by living a waste-free life. Her family's annual trash could fit into a small jar. This method is now used by many people, businesses, and cities worldwide.
The Zero Waste Hierarchy
The Zero Waste Hierarchy is a guide for how to best use materials. It helps everyone, from lawmakers to individuals. It builds on the well-known "3 Rs" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). It encourages focusing on the most important steps first.
This hierarchy helps us plan and evaluate solutions for waste. Many places around the world use a similar pollution prevention hierarchy. In Canada, for example, the Environmental Protection Hierarchy is part of all recycling rules. It guides all government waste prevention programs.
Some older systems focused too much on "recovery" (like burning waste for energy). This often led to costly systems that destroyed materials. Because of this, Zero Waste Canada and the Zero Waste International Alliance now use a hierarchy that focuses on the first 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (including Compost).
Cities and Countries Aiming for Zero Waste
Many governments have set zero waste as a goal, including:
- Brazil
- Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
- Canada
- Italy
- Capannori, Tuscany
- Japan
- Kamikatsu, Tokushima recycles 80% of its waste at the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. It aims for zero waste.
- Sweden (Country wide)
- United States
In the UK, different groups work together to manage waste. These groups include local authorities and waste companies. They decide how best to reach waste reduction goals set by the government.
Zero waste is supported by environmental groups. However, the waste industry sometimes prefers burning waste to create energy. Public support is often key for zero-waste plans to succeed. In Taiwan, public opinion helped change how businesses use materials. This made them more sustainable.
California is a leading state in the U.S. for zero-waste goals. It has the most cities in the Zero Waste International Alliance. Many cities there have defined what it means to be a Zero Waste community. They have also set goals to reach this status.
San Francisco defines zero waste as "zero discards to the landfill or high-temperature destruction." They have a plan with three steps: prevent waste, reduce and reuse, and recycle and compost. Los Angeles aims to "maximize diversion from landfills and reduce waste at the source." This means big changes in how products are made, used, and thrown away.
Zero-Waste Stores and Restaurants
Shopping Without Waste
Retail stores that specialize in zero-waste products are opening in many countries. These include Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of October 2024, there are over 200 such stores in the UK. They sell products without packaging or with very little. Shoppers can bring their own containers to fill up.
Restaurants Reducing Food Waste
Restaurants are also adopting zero-waste ideas. Since the mid-2010s, many have opened in countries like the UK, the U.S., and Finland. These restaurants try to minimize food and operational waste. They do this by sourcing whole ingredients, composting on-site, and turning food scraps into new menu items.
See also
- Environmentalism
- Nursery pots
- Miniwaste
- Packaging waste
- Paul Connett
- Plastic bag ban
- Precycling
- Source reduction
- Throw-away society
- Whole-life cost
- Zero waste agriculture
- Zero-waste fashion
