The zero waste lifetyle by amy korst ppt

Before I started living trash free with my husband, Adam, we had all of the above in our house, for a total of five trash cans at our instant disposal.. Although these piles of trash we

THE ZERO- WASTE LI FESTYLE

THe Zero-WasTe

L ifesT y L e

Live Well by

Throwing Away Less

A my Korst

ten speed press Berkeley

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Acknowledgments vii Foreword by Bill McKibben ix Introduction: Trash, Trash, Everywhere 1

Part 1: GettinG Started 13

1 A Trashed Planet 14

2 Planning to Go Waste Free 21

3 Reduce and Reuse 46

4 Recycle 64

5 Organic Waste 89

Part 2: traSh-Free ChallenGeS 105

6 The Zero-Waste Kitchen 106

7 The Zero-Waste Bathroom 132

8 The Zero-Waste Bedroom 155

9 Zero-Waste Cleaning 162

10 Zero-Waste Kids 171

11 Zero-Waste Travel 183

12 The Zero-Waste Workplace 201

13 Zero-Waste Holidays and Special Occasions 207

Part 3: next StePS 229

14 The Global Zero-Waste Movement 230 Epilogue 241

An A-to-Z Guide to Recycling (Just About) Anything 248 Further Reading 253 Bibliography 255 About the Author 257 Index 258

introduction:

Trash, Trash, everywhere

Everybody has a trash can In fact, it’s a safe bet that we all have multiple trash

cans crowding our lives—in the bathroom, in the car, under the kitchen sink,

and in the garage

Before I started living trash free with my husband, Adam, we had all of

the above in our house, for a total of five trash cans at our instant disposal

One day, while out running errands I counted how many trash cans I came

in contact with in public restrooms, restaurants, movie theaters, and stores:

thirty-two! I couldn’t believe it Then I heard a statistic that still troubles me:

the average American produces three pounds of landfill-bound garbage each

day I started seeing trash everywhere, especially in places it doesn’t belong,

like littering the sides of the road and all over the wilderness where we went

hiking and camping I watched the trash pile up in our five garbage cans, and

I hauled a full 32-gallon can to the curb each week We tried hard to be green,

so I didn’t understand how we could be responsible for creating so much

trash Where did it all come from?

I decided to take a closer look at our country’s trash habits, and the more

I dug, the dirtier things appeared to be Although these piles of trash we each

produce every year are stinky and unsightly, the problem is much worse than

that—for our environment and our health Trash is intimately connected to

every environmental problem we face today, from climate change and

habi-tat destruction to water pollution and chemical exposure It’s also intensely

personal and impacts every decision in our daily lives, including everything

from how much money we spend to how much weight we gain

1

Facing My trash addiction

When I first faced these facts, I couldn’t believe how something as innocuous

as our garbage could be negatively connected to so many of my personal and

political concerns, but the facts were undeniable—if I wanted to change the

country’s trash addiction, I had to address my own trash problem first But how?

I had heard about people in other parts of the world living “trash free,”

which basically means sending nothing to the landfill—ever I wondered if

the same could be done here in the United States, in a country where people

produce more trash than anywhere else in the world

One night, after scraping dinner leftovers into the trash can, something

inside me snapped I had spent all week agonizing over every item I threw

away, from tiny metal paper clips to empty deodorant containers

Tentatively I broached the subject with Adam

“Remember last weekend when my parents were here?”

“Yeah.” He was looking at his computer, distracted

“We were joking about living trash free for a whole year? I think I want

to do it.”

This got his attention He looked at me, eyebrows raised He studied my

face to see whether I was serious I was afraid I had gone too far around the

environmental bend even for my liberal husband

“Okay,” he said And he went back to work

“Okay? That’s the whole conversation? Just ‘okay’?”

He turned back to me “Look, I’ve been thinking about it all week, too It

feels like it’s time we do something big for the environment, put our money

where our mouths are If you want to do it, I’m on board.”

With that, we decided to attempt trash-free living The Green Garbage

Project was born

Getting to Zero Waste

Ten years ago, if you’d told me that I would dedicate most of my free time to

garbage, I would have called you crazy Like everyone else, I find garbage to

be stinky, smelly, and generally disgusting Unlike most people, I also find it

fascinating

Today, whereas most Americans produce about three pounds of

landfill-bound trash each day, over the course of our entire Green Garbage Project

year, Adam and I managed to produce less than three pounds of such trash

between us We found that, although to most people this seems to be an

incredible feat, garbage-free living isn’t hard at all After that first trash-free

year, we decided to make our zero-waste lifestyle a permanent way of life

Today I spend most of my spare time thinking about trash, reading about

trash, writing about trash, or sorting through my own trash I now know

more about trash than I ever really wanted to know (For instance, did you

know that bubble wrap, which was originally designed to be wallpaper, can

be recycled if all the bubbles are popped?)

Mostly I’m passionate about trash because it can help anyone get involved

in saving the planet Trash is something we all make, and it’s downright easy

to start reducing what goes into your garbage can

So What Exactly Does “Trash Free” Mean?

Trash-free living means different things to different people, as you’ll see

throughout this book For some families, a trash-less life might mean

mov-ing from fillmov-ing a giant, 64-gallon garbage can a week to fillmov-ing a 32-gallon

garbage can once a month To others, it might mean a small grocery sack of

garbage a week To still others, going trash free means sending absolutely

nothing to the landfill at all

I fall into this last category For the year of our Green Garbage Project,

Adam and I tried to make absolutely no garbage We came awfully close to

our goal—by the end of the year, all our trash fit inside a regular shoebox

Surprisingly, we found that once we had a system in place for purchasing

goods and recycling packaging, trash-free living became second nature

So, whether you’re interested in moderate or extreme trash reduction,

whether you want to simply pare down your army of trash cans or try to

pro-duce zero garbage in a year, I can show you how to do it

Benefits of a Trash-free Life

Although the obvious benefits of producing no garbage are environmental,

they don’t stop there In addition to reducing your impact on the planet, here

are some other benefits of your new zero-waste lifestyle:

Your life just got a whole lot simpler: We all wish we had a little more time

in the day Trash-free living helps streamline many areas of your life, from

grocery shopping to cleaning the house You’ll learn to repurpose everyday

Introduction: Trash, Trash, Everywhere 3

During the first twelve months of our zero-waste lifestyle, this is the trash the

two of us created:

• Broken dog squeaky toy, run over

by lawn mower

• Severed bungee cords

• One lightbulb

• Broken Christmas ornament

• Ear plugs

• Two pens and a highlighter

• Eight razor blades for a Gillette

Sensor Excel razor

• Two toothbrush heads for

battery-powered toothbrush

• Birth control pill packaging:

twelve plastic wrappers, twelve plastic cases, and twelve plastic-foil pill packs

• Flea medicine packaging

• One hospital bracelet

• Two Theraflu pouches

• One insect-sting relief pad

• Seals from contact lens blister

packs

• Various pill blister packs

• One Styrofoam cup from Teacher Appreciation Week, given to me

as a gift

• Popped balloons, given to us as

a gift

• Two pieces of wrapping paper

• Cut-flower preservative powder

• Plastic tag

• Two pairs of latex gloves

• Two Crackerjack liners

• Fourteen seals from medicine jars

or condiment bottles

• Big ball of plastic and tape

• Plastic mailer

• Flat packing foam

• Odds and ends—tags from cloth-ing, a plastic tag from a bundle of radishes, two suction cups from the bottom of our bath mat

One Year Of Trash

products like baking soda and lemon juice to do double duty, in the kitchen

and in the cleaning bucket You’ll spend less time at the store and more time

at home with family and friends

You will spend less money and be happier with your purchases: When

I started paying attention to my purchases, I realized I was buying a lot of

things I wanted but didn’t need Going trash-free means becoming much

more conscientious about your purchases You’ll deliberately buy items that

can serve dual purposes, and you’ll look for durable goods that last a long

time before breaking

You will support local businesses: Shopping locally benefits the

environ-ment, because goods are not trucked all over the country for consumption

Equally important is the impact you can have on your local community when

you support family-owned establishments instead of big corporations

Stud-ies show that “three times as much money stays in the local economy when

you buy goods and services from locally owned businesses instead of large

chain stores,” according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance

You will eat healthier: And if you pair that with some good exercise, you’ll

lose weight and feel better Cutting out garbage means eating more whole

foods that don’t come overpackaged in plastic You’ll shop the periphery of

the grocery store and frequent local farmers’ markets, buying good-for-you

foods like fruits and veggies and locally sourced meat, dairy, and eggs

You’ll be doing your part to preserve the planet for future generations:

It’s no secret the earth is in trouble Landfills are overflowing, our water

sys-tems are becoming polluted, animal species are becoming endangered and

going extinct at an alarming rate, and we are finding toxic chemicals in our

food and beauty products This book will show you how trash is connected to

each of these environmental problems and more Every time you choose

sus-tainable over throwaway, you’re doing your part to eliminate these problems

Your efforts will help beautify natural areas and decrease littering: Have

you ever been hiking in the wilderness or making a sandcastle at the beach,

only to have a piece of garbage flutter across your path? Seen someone toss a

cigarette butt out the car window? The less garbage we make collectively, the

less litter there will be to spoil nature’s beauty

You will reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals and artificial colors and

sweeteners: A garbage-free life means you’ll choose healthier options than

the prepackaged, processed foods that line the grocery store shelves We know

food-like substances like Pop-Tarts and Cheetos aren’t good for us—avoiding

the garbage is just one more reason to look for healthier alternatives

You’ll become more self-sufficient: One of the most enjoyable parts of

a garbage-free life is learning some skills our culture has all but forgotten

Pretty much anything store-bought can be made at home, if you have the

time and interest This book includes simple recipes for everyday products

like English muffins and all-purpose cleaning spray as well as advanced

reci-pes for ricotta cheese and bagels, among others

Introduction: Trash, Trash, Everywhere 5

how to Use this Book

This book is organized into three distinct parts: “Getting Started,”

“Trash-Free Challenges,” and “Next Steps.” The chapters are designed to be read in

order, but feel free to skim over sections that don’t apply to you Here’s what

you’ll find in each section:

Getting Started

The first five chapters of the book tell you how to reorganize your life around

the concept of trash-free living These chapters contain the basics—what you

need to know to successfully pull off a zero-waste lifestyle You’ll first do a

home-waste audit to find out what’s in your trash Then you’ll learn about the

3 Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle A fourth R—rot—will help you navigate the

world of composting (it won’t be stinky, I promise!), even if you live in an

apartment or don’t have a garden You’ll learn how to determine what’s

recy-clable in your area, why the Rs always come in that order, and how recycling

really works The basic steps of your day-to-day life are also covered, from

grocery shopping to meal planning to remembering your reusable totes

This section of the book is designed for all readers, no matter your

cir-cumstances These chapters will help you build a foundation for your waste

reduction You’ll learn a little about trash production in our country today

as well as the damaging environmental impact trash can have on our planet

After your home-waste audit, you’ll set a waste-reduction goal and bring the

rest of your family on board Then you’ll set up efficient systems for sorting

your recyclables and organic wastes from your trash You’ll learn to love the

Depression-era mantra, “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without” as

you embrace the “forgotten Rs” of reduce and reuse

Trash-Free Challenges

Part 2 is designed to cover specialized topics in an in-depth fashion Here you

may want to read the chapters that specifically relate to your lifestyle This

section focuses on tricky trash-free areas, like navigating holidays without

creating trash (it can be done, even at Christmas), raising kids without

gar-bage, and eating out in restaurants without creating waste The goal of

garbage-free living is to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible; that includes going

to movies, shopping at the mall, eating out in restaurants, and taking family

vacations These activities make life more enjoyable, so part 2 aims to help

you tread lightly on the planet without depriving yourself of these pleasures

Next Steps

The final part of the book provides a big-picture look at the world’s trash

problem and looks at global initiatives to curb our wastefulness In

addi-tion to lightening the load we haul to the curb each week, there are larger

political movements afoot that are working to make companies and

govern-ments more aware of the blight of trash and their contribution to it Raising

awareness for these initiatives helps more people go trash free and makes the

whole process even easier

This book is designed for anybody, whether you are interested in

begin-ning, moderate, or advanced trash reduction Throughout the book, you’ll

also find tips targeted toward your comfort level The most important thing

is to be aware of your trash and work to reduce it—every little bit helps

`

What if I told you that you could go from an overflowing can perched on

the curb each week to making less than five pounds of trash in a year? That

taking the trash-free plunge would simplify your life, ease the strain on your

pocketbook, and help the planet, all at the same time?

All this is not only possible, it’s downright easy And this book will teach

you how to do it Let’s get started

Introduction: Trash, Trash, Everywhere 11