5 reasons to live a zero-waste lifestyle
- baksemra
- Jan 1, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
According to the World Bank, humankind currently generates two billion tonnes of waste per year and we expect it to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050. Just around 30% of it can be recycled. What will happen to the others?
It’s not just the generation of waste that will threaten our planet in the upcoming decades, but the way we choose to manage it. There are many ways to minimize the flow of waste worldwide, and we should take personal responsibility to slash our own waste.
1. Fight against global warming
“ Zero waste approach could comprehensively reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted and therefore, reduce the volume of emissions that are the largest drivers of climate change worldwide.” - Circularity Gap report
The current culture of consumption is not sustainable. Extracting raw materials from natural resources and processing of them require the amounts of energy and cause more pollution. Once they’re used, the goods are mostly dumped in the #landfill or burned in an #incinerator. When biodegradable waste is sent to the landfill, it produces carbon dioxide and methane, which has 84 times more heat-trapping capacity than carbon dioxide over the short term. Sending less waste in these landfills is the best way to cut the emissions.
That’s why eliminating the waste and buying fewer products are common practices for #zero-#waste lifestyle!
Pssst! Do you want to know eco-hacker tip:
The food we put on our plates has an enormous impact on #climate #change. Animal-based products like dairy and meat cause more emissions. Being #vegan/#vegetarian is the single biggest way to minimize your environmental impact on the planet.
2. Help tackle to the waste crisis
Governments don’t know what to do with this huge amount of waste! They send it to developing countries that accept them in exchange for money. Most of the time, waste is sent to a landfill, burned or in the ocean, anyway.
Guess what’s the most dangerous waste of all? #plastic!
The world generates at least 3.5 million tons of plastic a day!
How terrible is it! Only 6% of plastic waste is recycled worldwide. Can you believe it! Even if we were recycling all of it, we could only recycle it up to 7 times before it loses its properties.
And you know what? Plastic is never recycled! It only breaks down into a micro size that now can easily enter into our food chain. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exist in some shape or form.
There may be an advanced technology that will solve the plastic waste crisis, but currently, we’re not even close to achieving it!
The most effective method we have is to cut the production of new plastics!.
Here’s an easy-peasy tip to start:
Removing all plastic from your grocery shopping!
In fact, 45% of all-plastic waste comes from daily single-use items and packaging. Especially food packaging drives me crazy.
If you also suffer from seeing plastic wash up on the beach, just begin a zero-waste lifestyle today!
3. Be health
Are you concerned about your health because of using a toxin-containing beauty product? Have you ever thought how many microplastics are you drinking in water and how you can cut down exposure to them? Have you ever heard the story of Kathryn who got a benign tumour in her breast and who accredited this most closely with her deodorant?
"Homemade cosmetics and cleaning products not only dramatically cut down on waste, but also cut out lots of potentially dangerous chemicals.”
Every day, chemicals bombard us.
Sadly, we breathe polluted air from the street; we dress in synthetic clothes washed with harmful detergent; we clean our house with powerful sanitisers and we’re probably ingesting plastic from food packaging. These can cause cancer, reproductive disorders, endocrine disruption, and many other health problems.
Thanks for the natural alternatives! You can find them unpackaged or degradable packaging or even produce your own products.
4. Protect biodiversity and ecosystem
"When humans consume more than nature can provide, it creates a disequilibrium and we’re destroying a heritage that keeps us alive."
Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. It is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. This complex eco-system balances all the elements that maintain life. Each organism has a significant role in the global ecosystem. Trees purify the air, seaweed filters out water, plants bring us food and medicines, and bees pollinate crops, even microbes produce biogas that can be used for sustainable energy.
Exploiting natural resources is normal to live a human life. However, our current system pushes us to consume more than what they need and encourages us to discard these resources as soon as we don’t need them anymore. Birds die from stomachs full of plastic, turtles get straws stuck in their noses, and Seal kicks the bucket with a plastic ring on the mouth.
Billions farm animals are subjected to factory farming conditions.
Don't forget! The more we recycle and the less we buy, natural resources will not be destroyed for endless consumption and we can discover new riches!.
5. Support your budget
Are you tired of spending £3 on a latte every single day?
"Zero waste as the practical translation of a Circular economy."
We can move to a circular economy which considers and decreases wasted resources at each stage of the production. It creates good, green jobs as resources are endlessly recirculated through our economy instead of being used once and then disposed or destroyed.
Recycling factories which collect and handle the recyclable materials, waste depots and compost facilities, repair centres, and diversion programs can create up to 30 times more job!.
Do you know that you can save between 15 to 30% during the year if you live a zero-waste style? You can save the money by making your own meal for dinner, zero waste toothpaste or mouthwash or your own nut butter and almond milk.
Saving money in a zero-waste lifestyle is a piece of cake: here are some tips!
Use a reusable filter or a french press for your coffee.
Wash your clothes only if they are really dirty, not only after one wear, and start the washing machine when it is full.
Avoid using a conditioner, just open the window.
Repair items if they break.
Don't use a dryer.
Ride a bike for transportation.
Refuse little things like business cards, straws or disposable pens.
Visit the second-had store!
Use bar soap - less package than liquid soap.
AND, please don’t buy extra stuff if you don’t need it or already have something that could work just fine!
Even by implementing a few small actions in our lives, we can all work together to change the world. We don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.
Together we can make a more sustainable future.
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