REDUCING WASTE TO ZERO
With the rise of our waste emissions having increasing effect on the environment, one woman is leading the way in sustainable living “Reduce, reuse, and recycle” are words taught to school kids but, according to Facebook IQ’s 2019 topics and trends report, it’s now one of the most-used phrases people think of when shopping.
With more people becoming aware of the effects of plastic on the environment and Millennials and Generation Z having more conscious buying patterns, the production of the product becomes almost, if not, more important as the product itself.
Climate change is on everyone’s mind in one way or another and we all want to be our planet’s hero but where do we begin?
In The Conversation, Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel said we need to look at the goal of a zero-emissions planet and how to get there
while increasing the country’s economic growth.
“The level of emissions reduction we can achieve in the next decade will be crucial. So we cannot afford to wait,” Dr Finkel said.
Tackling a large issue that affects so many people has no easy fix and can be overwhelming, so the most important thing to do is start with a change regardless of how big or small.
After watching the ABC’s War On Waste last year and seeing the transition in supermarkets and retailers in banning single-use plastic bags, I was curious to know more about Australia’s waste problem and the potential solutions.
It’s much bigger than we think.
Australia is one of the most wasteful countries in the developed world with waste generation growing at twice the rate of our population.
One third of the average household’s rubbish is food waste which gets thrown away, but it doesn’t just go away, it sits in landfill creating methane gas, much more potent than carbon dioxide.
To combat excessive waste, thousands of Australians and more from around the world have turned to living zerowaste; the conscious lifestyle that aims to send nothing to landfill.
French-American founder of the zero-waste lifestyle Bea Johnson said no one should be afraid of the term ‘zero-waste’ because it’s all about simplifying life — creating a life of many moments and experiences rather than having many material things.
“I know and understand that the term can sound extreme and difficult as it is different to what you normally do,” Mrs Johnson said. “It’s about going back to basics,”
“Is the goal in waste reduction — a medium or tiny bit of waste? Or almost zero waste?”
The Johnson family of four’s yearly rubbish fits into a 500ml (glass) jar and they achieve this by living by the five Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, or rot.
The veteran zero-waster said by refusing items like plastic packaged goods, less trash is created and certain plastics’ harmful toxins are then prevented from damaging the environment.
Then it’s on to making more conscious decisions when buying food, clothes and everyday items, and asking yourself if it’s a need or a want, and if it is a want, is it worth it and will you still want it later?
No one likes a rotten egg, but gardens do love compost — made by the natural decomposition of organic matter (almost anything that was once alive), in other words, rotting plants.
There are three main ways to compost at home; cold compost, hot compost, and worm compost.
Cold compost is the process of collecting yard waste, food scraps, coffee grounds, and paper items like newspapers and paper towels and gathering it all in a bin where the material will decompose.
Hot compost is a faster process which uses nitrogen, carbon, water and air to fastcook the hot compost, but this method is recommended for the more advanced green thumb.
As its name suggests, worm
composting involves red worms producing castings rich in nitrogen after eating the food scraps.
The red wigglers can be bought online or at a garden supplier.
By beginning to compost food and garden waste, the amount of organic waste sent to landfill significantly decreases and reduces pollution to the atmosphere.
International Composting Awareness Week runs until May 11.
For more information on composting, check out the resources on
ecohouseandgarden.com.au.