Leading a simple life through zero waste
KUALA LUMPUR: For some, minimising waste may appear insuperable, especially looking at the fact the modern society is a consumer society and is constantly lured by a never ending list of products and services.
Along with consumerism comes by products like waste, and with waste comes problems like overwhelmed waste disposal facilities, pollution, environmental degradation and etc.
However, Bea Johnson and her family in California, US, have proved that it only takes a single glass jar to put in their 365- day consumer waste! And this is what they have been doing since 2008.
Bea, the Global Zero Waste Movement founder, has been the zero waste lifestyle icon around the world due to her enthusiasm and efforts in helping to reduce waste on earth and create a sustainable environment for future generations.
Zero waste as defined by Zero Waste International Alliance is a goal in educating the society to reduce, consume and recycle unwanted sources so that the waste could be used for other purpose or given back to nature.
Change the consumption habit
Regardless of food, clothes, stored stuff, personal hygiene products and everything in daily life, Bea has been making sure that every single thing needed is waste-free. Her waste free life is the outcome of her year-long experiment in simplifying things that suits her lifestyle.
It all started in 2006 when her family moved to downtown California, with easy access to groceries, restaurants, school, etc., where they could just walk or take a ride or in other word, live a simple life.
“Before we moved to our new ( current) house in Mill Valley, California, we rented a small apartment for a year and only moved in with a few stuff. Soon, we realised that the small number of stuff could help us to save more time for ourselves, family and friends.
“After downsizing and putting most belongings in storage for a year, we discovered that we hadn’t missed 80 percent of our belongings. Due to that, we decided to let go the stuffs and eventually evolved into zero waste living,” she told reporters after sharing her 10year zero waste journey during Zero Waste Fest, in Kuala Lumpur, recently.
Until now, her minimalist lifestyle has taken her to more than 30 countries including Malaysia by sharing her waste- free skills and instill inspirations to others on zero waste practice.
The mother of two boys also authored the book Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Waste, which has been translated to 17 languages including English, Korean, Japanese and Spanish. 5RS rules
While most think that recycling is the primary solution for better management of waste, Bea and her family see otherwise with recycling being their last resort. They believe that zero waste is not about recycling more but it is about recycling less by preventing waste from coming into the home in the first place.
She added that people should eliminate the wrong idea of zero waste thinking that they should recycle more but the truth is zero waste practice teaches people to live a simple life and reduce household waste as much as possible.
“We find that eliminating things is quite simple by following these five R’s rules – Refuse what you do not need, Reduce what you do need, Reuse by buying second-hand and swapping disposables for reusable alternatives, Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse and last thing is Rot by composting the rest like food.
She also encouraged people to buy items without packaging and consider the second-hand items option besides buying consumer goods in bulk by bringing along container like glass jar, and cloth or tote bags.
“Other than that, you also can simply stop accepting freebies because consuming just does not happen through the act of buy but also by accepting things that are handed out to us. To me, accepting is condoning the problem just like buying,” she said.
Zero waste future in Malaysia
Amazed with the overwhelming feedback from the public during the Zero Waste Fest organised here by a non-profit organisation, Malaysia Zero Waste, Bea said there was a good possibility for Malaysians to become zero waste society as long as they follow the proper ways.
“The five Rs rules that I suggest is applicable anywhere around the world and can be adapted with the rules according to their regional custom, culture or religion and it’s up to everyone to figure out which one suits them the most and apply those rules according to their circumstances.
“In Malaysia, I’ve visited the recycling centre and I am truly impressed with their work on recycling management. However, people don’t have to wait for the government or manufacturers to make the first move, the individuals themselves have to take action,” she said.
First fest with no waste Aurora Tin, Malaysia Zero Waste founder, said Malaysia’s First Zero Waste Fest initiative was held to raise awareness among Malaysians in reducing the daily waste besides aimed to connect the community with the businesses that practice zero waste.
The event, held at Slate @ The Row, here featured Bea in motivation speakers’ panel, zero waste mini exhibition, workshop and more than hundred zero waste products sold by 15 local and international vendors.
Among zero waste products introduced and sold in the festival were multipurpose concentrated liquid soap made of used cooking oil; washable pads; bamboo straws and organic lotion bar.
“During the festival, the public is encouraged to bring their own reusable packaging or containers to shop all the products here, and only recycle and compost bin are provided here.
The one- day festival drew about 1,000 visitors, beyond the initial target, and for Tin it is the indication that Malaysians are ready to practice zero waste in their daily lives and it will also change the business patterns in the next five years.
“If the demand for the zero waste products increase, I think more industrial productions will join to produce more zero waste items and perhaps they will lead to sustainable business in the future. In the long term, maybe there will be no packaging for all products in the market and this is good news to save our health, protect the environment and nature,” she said.
In 2017, she said Malaysia Zero Waste started the ‘ Zero Waste Pasar Malam Shopping Tour’ by inviting people to carry their own reusable bags to shop and held the zero-waste picnic at KLCC. — Bernama
After downsizing and putting most belongings in storage for a year, we discovered that we hadn’t missed 80 percent of our belongings. Due to that, we decided to let go the stuffs and eventually evolved into zero waste living. Bea Johnson, Global Zero Waste Movement founder