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Zero Waste
http://www.zerowastehome.com/
Things I Was Already Doing
washing and reusing plastic bags using cloth napkins, handkerchiefs, reusable sandwich bags,
grocery bags and lunchboxes using reusable glass straws at home using filtered tap (instead of bottled water) taking plastic grocery bags to the library and packing materials
to my local shipping store for reuse reusing paper (and business cards) for printing and notes avoiding the use of paper plates, cups, and utensils
Things I Was Already Doing
shopping at thrift stores for clothes and household items avoiding taking home unneeded “freebies” such as plastic cups and
pens from vendors promoting their products making my own dishwasher and laundry detergent, hair conditioner,
lip balm, and deodorant using sustainable menstrual supplies (sorry if that embarrasses you,
gentlemen) recycling plastic, aluminum, tin, paper, cardboard, and glass
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency
Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash in 2012.
We recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.5 percent recycling rate.
65.5 percent of our garbage is NOT being recycled
Disturbing Facts about Plastic
Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.
50 percent of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw away.
Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times.
We currently recycle only five percent of the plastics we produce.
The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year.
The production of plastic uses around eight percent of the world's oil population.
Problems with Plastic Recycling
Indicate the financial advantages for the customer Compare quality and price with those of the competition
The 5 Rs
Refuse
Single-use plastics (bags, bottles, cups, lids, straws and utensils)
Freebies (hotel toiletries, party favors, food samples, swag)
Disposable items Packaging (DIY, buy in bulk) Junk Mail
How to Cut Back on Junk Mail
CatalogChoice.org (to be removed from catalog mailing lists) First-class mail (Refused – Return to Sender – Remove from
Mailing List) Mail addressed to previous resident (USPS change of address
form) Standard/third-class presorted mail (Can return to sender if
mailing says “return service requested,” “forwarding service requested,” or “address service requested)
Bulk mail (and standard with no forwarding) – contact directly to be removed from mailing list
Reduce
Choose quality over quantity (repairable vs. disposable)
Avoid unnecessary purchasesDecrease your exposure to
advertising
Buy It Once
Reuse
Chose reusables over disposables - bags, cups, jars, bottles, rags, towels, napkins, hankies, batteries, etc.
Collaborative consumption - borrowing, sharing, libraries, tool libraries, seed swaps, bartering, etc.
Repair instead of replace – clothes, shoes, etc. Rethink – consider using items you already have on hand for
different purposes rather than buying new things Return – hangers to the dry cleaners, packing material to shipping
centers, egg cartons to individual egg sellers, grocery bags to the library, etc.
Recycle
Plastic Paper (office paper, newspaper, magazines) Cardboard Phone Books Aluminum Tin
Not Glass...
Terracycle
Drink and baby food pouches Potato chip and other snack bags Snack bar wrappers Cereal bags (that come inside cereal boxes) Toiletry containers (toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, etc.) Pens, pencils, and markers Scotch tape dispensers Hair care and cosmetic packaging Electronics
Rot
Zero Waste Missoula?
What I'm Doing Now
Homemade toothpaste Reusable produce/bulk item bags (and washable crayons) Wide mouth mason jars Silicone baking pan and muffin tin liners and container covers Recycled unbleached toilet paper Wooden push pins Electronic greeting cards Composting (again) Terracycle
Where I've Got Room for Improvement
Remembering to bring reusable drinking vessels Bringing my own container for leftovers when eating out Paper towels (my family can't seem to live without them) Costco (good deals, but so much packaging) Making the most of compost Growing and preserving food Out of print books Gifts (especially gifts for kids) Transportation and shipping
What Do You Do to Reduce Waste?