What exactly is Zero Waste? Quite literally, the Zero Waste movement is the collective effort of humanity to reduce the amount of waste to zero, or to as much as we can. Just from living our lives, we produce various types of wastes. These include liquid waste, solid rubbish, organic waste, recyclable rubbish, and hazardous waste. Although these types of waste may initially sound foreign and unfamiliar, they are all very common in our everyday lives and require to be reduced or reused in order to minimize the amount of each type of waste. 

Liquid waste is any type of liquid matter that is left unused, like dirty water. However, it is arguably the most difficult to “refuse” and not use because liquid waste inevitably comes from using water, which is an essential need to survive. Therefore, the best we can do is reduce our use of water and dispose of it properly. Solid rubbish is any type of solid waste that is not recyclable. Solid rubbish can be further divided into four different kinds, and these include plastics, papers, metals, and glass and ceramics. Organic waste includes waste that can be broken down by microorganisms. Nevertheless, the reduction of this type of waste is also important to avoid the production of greenhouse gases such as methane. Recyclable rubbish may include any of the types of waste above that is recyclable. If something is recyclable, it is able to be reused into another product. Finally, hazardous waste may include any of the types of waste above that may react. When engaged in a reaction, these wastes may be dangerous as they are flammable, toxic, etc. 

When dealing with these types of wastes, we can approach them by using the guidelines of American Zero Waste influencer Bea Johnson. First, we can refuse to use these types of waste. Although we may be able to refuse using solid rubbish, recyclable rubbish, and hazardous waste to an extent, it is impossible to refuse to use liquid and organic waste. Therefore, we can reduce our use of liquid and organic waste by not using as much water and finishing all our food. Again, although solid rubbish, recyclable rubbish, and hazardous waste could be reused, it is not really possible to reuse liquid and organic waste. Therefore, the best solution for achieving the goal of zero waste with liquid and organic waste is to reduce and not waste these valuables. 

Therefore, for the most part, we can follow Johnson’s guidelines and apply it to the several types of waste to ultimately reach our ends of zero waste. We should not only follow these guidelines, but also convince others to do the same to encourage sustainability in our earth. 

Sources:

1. https://4waste.com.au/rubbish-removal/5-types-waste-know/