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Zero Waste |
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by Ilona Poplavskaya | 02-03-2022 03:53
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Zero waste is a popular eco-direction in the West that popularizes conscious consumption and reduction of waste. Simply put, it"s a rejection of garbage or the absence of garbage. This idea is promoted by the Zero Waste International Alliance, which proposed this definition. According to Wikipedia, the philosophy of zero waste is to ensure that waste does not get to a landfill, waste incinerators or the ocean, polluting land, air and water and harming people and animals. You"ll ask, where should the garbage go? So, people who adhere to this idea use more and more reusable goods in everyday life, try to buy a new one less, and reuse the old one. Therefore, less garbage accumulates. Proponents of the movement prove that all excess materials can become resources, not garbage. For example, in 2018, the Coca-Cola Brazil brand invested $400 million in equipment for cleaning and refilling its bottles. And, for example, roads and prostheses are now made of plastic bottle caps. It"s impossible to become zero waste right away. This should be approached consciously and with soul. To be environmentally friendly (eco-friendly). Understand that you are good for the whole planet. As eco-activist Olga Kib says, "the main thing is not to blame yourself for everything you throw into the common garbage so as not to fall into despair - and to remember mistakes so as not to make a mistake in the future." There are five principles of zero waste: - Refuse (refusal) Zero waste begins with giving up unnecessary things. Use reusable items - for example, instead of plastic bags, take eco-bags with you to the store. Restore old furniture, buy used appliances, reduce your wardrobe to a minimum. - Reduce (decrease in consumption) Approach your purchases wisely, reduce your consumption. You shouldn"t accumulate things, it"s just things. - Reuse (reuse) When buying eco-products, you have repeatedly seen a green icon in the form of three bent green arrows and the inscription reuse on the goods, which means reuse. Buy a water bottle or a thermal mug and forget about plastic cups. And some coffee shops will also give you a discount. - Recycle (recycling) Don"t forget about the separation of waste. We buy too much plastic. But only 9% of it is recycled. Therefore, sorting garbage is very important. It will allow you to recycle up to 90% of waste. - Rot (composting) In the village, garbage is disposed of into a compost pit. And in city apartments, kitchen composters and sink shredders, which gained popularity among American housewives in the late 1940s, are increasingly popular. They allow you to abandon the trash can, which needs to be constantly taken out, and turn garbage into small crumbs that does not clog the sewers. "For us in zero waste, the main thing is that you will leave behind, " says Charlotte Votkives, co-founder of the Zero Waste Life project, in an interview. - "For me, the priority is not to surround myself with what will then lie on the planet for several hundred more years. I do not produce garbage at all, and I put all food waste in a compost pit where food residues decompose worms. The same goes for clothes: if you get together as girlfriends and arrange a swap (exchange of clothes), you won"t have to go to the mall and buy something new." Supporters of zero waste argue that the absence of waste will significantly reduce environmental pollution and reduce costs as the demand for raw materials will fall.
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6 Comments
Hello Ilona, this is your mentor Joon.
Zero waste is a concept introduced by Bea Johnson. According to the book she have written discussing about the concept, we have to act under 5 principles which are 5Rs you have listed on your article. However, we do not have to be too strict. What we have to do is to keep in our mind that we should reduce as much waste as possible. By having that mind and moving it into your action, you would naturally be able to implement Zero Waste lifestyle in your daily life.
Well read your articles, and let's keep up!
Best,
Joon
Posted 04-03-2022 14:40
Wow! This is great
Posted 04-03-2022 03:17
Wow! This is great
Posted 04-03-2022 03:13
Hello Ilona, this is your mentor Chelwoon.
Interesting article that introduces the basic concept and the five principles of zero waste. And I didn't know you were such a good writer!
What impressed me the most among the quotes I read from your article is eco-activist Olga Kib's words. His saying is not limited to eco-activity, but is also crucial to attitude in life. I think you would agree with me.
Nowadays, there are many companies which try to make products by reusing pet bottles. In this way, we can make clothes or toothbrushes and so on. How is this possible? The reason is most of them are all produced from petroleum. First we extract oil and distill it, then we can get 'Naphtha'. And then it goes through the process of 'Thermal Cracking' and synthesis. So complicated. The point is we can 'reuse' huge amount of pet bottles or rubber tires by some additional reprocesses! But of course, proper 'recycling' must take precedence in order for it.
Thanks to your article, many ambassadors will be able to learn about zero waste!
Regards,
Chelwoon
Posted 04-03-2022 02:51
A very informative article, Ilona. Indeed, zero-waste is an effective approach. I got to learn a lot from the above-mentioned principles of zero-waste. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Warm regards,
Bidhata
Posted 02-03-2022 22:59
Hello Ilona ,
I hope you are doing well .
Definitely zero waste is one of the way to manage waste and make our environment waste free.
Thank you for sharing it!
Sincerely ,
Sonika
Posted 02-03-2022 13:58