How much waste do you think you produce in a week? What about a month? A year? How much of it goes to landfill, or are you a super recycler? If you're like me, you try not to think about it too much as it can feel quite alarming when you add it all up! Zero Waste Week is a time where we can refocus on how much rubbish we produce each week and try to find ways to limit it. Producing zero waste is quite an ambitious challenge, but if we even halve our waste then that would be amazing progress!
It's important to remember why we need to do this. We are so far removed from the whole operation of waste disposal that it is easy to forget it even exists once the rubbish lorry has been along and collected it. Plastic continues to be one of the biggest problems in the waste disposal process. So much plastic is for single-use, and is then dumped back into landfill where it will remain for several hundred years. Even plastics that can be recycled and not always put through this process and end up in landfill too.
Plastic pollution in our oceans is a major cause for concern. As plastic is so light, it can float and travel long distances and is very hard to retrieve. Around 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year and over 90% of bird species are thought to have plastic in their stomachs. Some of the biggest culprits are plastic bags, plastic drinks bottles, and any kind of plastic packaging (this accounts for 40% of all plastic produced).
So what can we do? Any action is better than no action, and although making different choices can sometimes be more expensive, we need to think about what damaging plastic is costing the planet:
💚 Visit a local green grocers
Lots of greengrocers sell produce loose or in paper bags which can be easily composted
💚 Shop second-hand
Lots of clothes are made from polyester or viscose which are a kind of plastic; buying second hand is cheaper and avoids new plastic being made
💚 Buy from a refill shop
If you have one nearby, take some containers along and fill up on a few items from the refill shop. Look to see what other plastic free items they have as well
💚 Get a compost bin
You can easily buy or make a compost bin. This saves your food scraps from going to waste and is amazing for the garden!
💚 Buy less
We tend to generally buy a lot more than we need! Challenge yourself to see if you can go for a week (or even a month!) without buying the things you absolutely need such as food and toiletries
Find out more at https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk
