Zero Waste
Zero Waste is worth thinking about and some communities are calling for such resolutions. All of the burden isn't put on the end consumer but shared with companies who produce goods.
Play this lighthearted video for encouragement to reduce waste and make us all hoppier. Thanks to HCAM TV for making this with us! Use the guidance on this page and the menu items to help you establish habits that help the environment.
Step up your game
Recycling is fine, but it's often energy intensive and inefficient. The other R's are even better - sustain your dollars and the earth!
ReSpect - Companies and consumers start by caring about our health and planet, as well as concern for the harmful impacts of waste.
ReThink - Consider the life cycle of what you use, from the effects of production and transportation to disposal. This can help you consume more responsibly.
ReDesign - Product designers consider new ways to make items that reduce or eliminate waste, like toothpaste tablets provided in a compostable bag, rather than much heavier plastic or metal tubes in individual boxes.
ReFuse and ReDuce - do you really need it? Can you use less of it or use it less often?
ReUse - can you borrow it, get it pre-owned, donate it when you're done, or use a refillable version?
RePair - Is it something you can fix or get fixed rather than replaced?
ReCycle or UpCycle or Compost - can you turn it into something else that's useful? Composting food scraps is one huge improvement most people can do.
ReSponsibly dispose of - some things can't be put in the regular trash, like hazardous wastes
The consequences of our waste include
Toxins used to create items that end up in our water and in animals including us
Raw material extraction to manufacture items that scars the land
Natural habitats turned into farms and factories to produce items resulting in declining wildlife populations
Greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet and affect human health, which are produced in making and transporting items, from burning coal and gas to animal methane release
Harmful toxins in our air and water from transporting and burning or burying waste that affect our health, and emissions that increase the global temperature
For more information on what you can do to give your waste new life
Refuse & Reduce - ways to use less
Reuse & Recycle - for items from books and bottles to furniture
Textiles - NEW law as of Nov. 2022 bans textiles (clothing etc) and mattresses from the trash
Composting - turn you food scraps and lawn waste into valuable soil while reducing harmful emissions