Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of ideas that focus on stopping waste before it happens. These ideas encourage changing how products are made and used so that materials are reused or used again for new purposes. The goal is to stop throwing trash into landfills, burning facilities, oceans, or other parts of the environment. Right now, 9% of all plastic worldwide is recycled. In a zero waste system, materials are reused until the best possible level of use is reached.

Zero waste focuses on stopping waste before it happens, not just managing waste after it is created. It is a method that changes how materials move through society, aiming to create a system with no waste. Zero waste includes more than just reducing, reusing, and recycling. It also changes how products are made and sold to reduce waste. It gives rules for working toward the goal of no waste.

According to the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), zero waste means using all parts of a product so that nothing is wasted. This includes not releasing harmful materials into the land, water, or air that could harm the environment or people.

Advocates believe that rules from the government are needed to change how companies design products, make things, and choose materials. They also say that stopping waste can reduce pollution and save money because fewer raw materials are needed.

Cradle-to-Grave

The cradle-to-grave model is a system that follows a straight path. It starts with taking resources from nature, then making products, and ends with the product being thrown away in a landfill. This model is different from the cradle-to-cradle approach. Cradle-to-cradle products are designed to be reused or recycled into new products at the end of their lives, so no waste is created.

Cradle-to-cradle focuses on creating systems where materials are used in closed-loop cycles. This means waste is reduced, and materials are reused or recycled. This model solves problems before waste is created by changing how products are designed. It helps protect the environment and future generations.

The cradle-to-cradle idea has moved from being a theory to being used in real industries. It changes how materials are handled, similar to how nature works. In nature, one living thing’s waste becomes food for another. Cradle-to-cradle materials follow this pattern, returning to the environment or being used in industry.

As more people live in cities, more waste is produced. In 2012, the World Bank reported that cities created 1.3 billion tons of waste. This number is expected to grow to 2.2 billion tons by 2025. More waste means more landfills, which are often built near communities with lower incomes and more people of color. These areas are chosen because it is easier to get permission to build landfills there, and there is less opposition from the public. In the past five years, over 400 hazardous waste sites were punished for breaking rules that could harm people’s health.

The world’s population is growing, but natural resources are limited. To reduce the pressure on these resources, waste must be prevented. To achieve zero waste, systems must change from using resources in a straight path to using them in a cycle. Materials should be chosen so they can safely return to the environment or stay useful in industry.

Zero waste encourages using resources more efficiently. It supports reusing and recycling but also focuses on stopping waste before it is created. Products are designed to use less material, use recycled materials, and last longer. They are also easier to repair and take apart at the end of their lives. Zero waste helps the environment, saves money, and creates jobs by turning waste into useful materials. It can be used in businesses, schools, homes, and industries.

Advocates say zero waste has these benefits:

• Saves money: Waste shows that something is not working well. Reducing waste lowers costs.
• Faster progress: Zero waste improves how products are made and helps create better environmental plans, leading to bigger changes.
• Supports sustainability: Zero waste helps balance economic, environmental, and social goals.
• Better material use: Zero waste uses fewer new materials and sends no waste to landfills. Any leftover materials are reused, recycled, or turned into compost.

Health

A major problem with landfills is hydrogen sulfide, a gas that comes from the natural breakdown of waste. Research has shown that higher levels of hydrogen sulfide are linked to more deaths from lung cancer and more illnesses and deaths from breathing problems. These studies also found that people who live closer to landfills are exposed to more hydrogen sulfide.

Household chemicals and medicines are often found in large amounts in the liquid that forms from waste in landfills. This raises concerns about whether landfills can safely contain these materials and whether they might enter groundwater or harm the environment around landfills.

Zero waste encourages reusing materials many times, which reduces the need for landfills. This approach can lower the number of harmful substances released into the air and water. It also helps examine products to find out what chemicals are used in making them.

Health problems linked to landfills include:
• Birth defects, low birth weight, and exposure to tiny particles and nitrogen dioxide, which are connected to living near landfills.
• Breathing problems and lung cancer, which are linked to hydrogen sulfide released from landfills.

Promoting zero waste helps reduce the need to build and fill landfills. This can lower the risk of breathing problems and birth defects caused by harmful substances from landfills. Zero waste also helps protect local environments and clean water sources by stopping pollutants from entering ecosystems.

History

In 2001, the California Integrated Waste Management Board set a goal to achieve zero waste. In 2002, the City and County of San Francisco's Department of the Environment also set a zero waste goal. This led to the creation of the City's Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance in 2009.

A group that later became the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) held its first meeting in 2002. The meeting was led by Robin Murray, a British economist and environmentalist.

In 2008, the term "Zero Waste" described methods for managing manufacturing and municipal waste. Bea Johnson, a French American woman living in California, applied the concept to her household of four people. In 2009, she started a blog called Zero Waste Home. In 2010, she was featured in The New York Times.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Day of Zero Waste on December 14, 2022. The event has been held every year on March 30 since 2023. During this day, Member States, United Nations organizations, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth, and other groups are encouraged to participate in activities that highlight zero-waste efforts at local, regional, national, and global levels. These efforts support sustainable development. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) work together to organize the observance of International Day of Zero Waste.

Packaging Examples

Milk can be transported in several ways. One older method used glass bottles that could be reused, often delivered by a milkman to people's homes. Although some places still use this method, newer options are now more common. These include one-way cartons made of paperboard, one-way aseptic cartons, one-way recyclable glass bottles, one-way milk bags, and other similar containers. Each method has benefits and also some challenges. From a zero-waste perspective, reusing bottles is helpful because it uses less material for each delivery compared to other systems. The main material used to make glass bottles is silica, a type of sand. This material is turned into glass and then formed into bottles. The bottles are filled with milk and sent to customers. A system called reverse logistics collects the bottles, cleans them, checks them for damage, and then uses them again. Over time, the bottles may become too worn for reuse and are then recycled. This process helps reduce waste and the amount of materials sent to landfills. The main waste from this system includes water used for cleaning, detergents, energy for heating, and bottle caps. While completely zero waste is not possible, a life cycle assessment can measure waste at each stage of the process.

Online shopping orders often include items packed in an outer box to hold multiple products together for easier shipping and tracking. This creates extra waste, especially when only one item is ordered. To address this, some products are now designed to be shipped without needing an outer box. This feature is called "ships in own container."

Recycling

It is important to tell apart recycling from zero waste. The most common way people recycle is by putting bottles, cans, paper, and packaging into curbside recycling bins. A more modern version of recycling includes more steps, such as using money and help from the government. For example, a 2007 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the U.S. recycles 33.5% of materials nationwide, including composted materials. Many large companies now manage recycled materials. However, sometimes recycling rates are reported incorrectly, such as when soil and organic matter used to cover garbage dumps are counted as "recycled." In areas with recycling rewards, local groups sometimes increase recycling numbers to meet goals.

Recycling is different from zero waste. For example, in the computer industry, millions of computers are thrown away as e-waste each year. In 2016, 44.7 million metric tons of e-waste were created, but only 20% was recorded as recycled. Some companies fix old computers for resale. Community groups also help by fixing donated computers and giving them to people in need.

A clear example of the difference between zero waste and recycling is in the software industry. Zero waste design can be used in software development by creating code that works efficiently, rather than copying code pieces multiple times. This saves time and effort. Software storage has also improved, moving from disposable diskettes to internal drives that are more reliable and less expensive. This shows how zero waste avoids unnecessary use of resources.

Zero waste is not well supported by laws that try to follow the waste hierarchy. A key feature of zero waste is that it can be used for any product or process, whether it involves harmful chemicals or harmless plant materials. It applies to problems like pollution from burning coal or misuse of nuclear power resources. All processes can be designed to reduce waste, both in their own operations and in how people use their products. Recycling, however, only deals with simple materials.

Zero waste can also address waste related to human potential, such as poverty or lack of education. It includes designing products to use less energy in industries or transportation and to protect natural resources like rainforests. It is a general rule for using all resources efficiently.

The recycling movement is slowly expanding beyond managing solid waste to include issues similar to community sustainability efforts.

Zero waste, on the other hand, is not limited by waste management rules. It focuses on maximizing reuse while creating new methods that reduce harmful practices like burning trash or recycling. Zero waste aims to design products that can be repaired, reused, or remade instead of being thrown away.

Significance of dump capacity

Many landfills are becoming too full to handle more waste. This situation is often used as a reason to support Zero Waste goals. Some people argue that there is plenty of land in the United States and other countries that could be used for landfills. Some ideas suggest destroying all garbage to solve the waste problem. These ideas often claim that garbage can be turned into oil, sometimes saying that this process could create enough oil to meet the world’s energy needs. One idea, called Anything Into Oil, was shared in 2004 by Discover Magazine and Fortune Magazine. It claimed that a refrigerator could be turned into "light Texas crude" using high-pressure steam.

General Motors (GM) is an example of a company that has changed its waste policies. GM plans to make about half of its 181 plants worldwide "landfill-free" by the end of 2010. Other companies, such as Subaru, Toyota, and Xerox, also have landfill-free plants. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked with GM and other companies for many years to reduce waste through its WasteWise program. GM’s goal is to recycle or reuse more than 90% of materials by selling scrap, using reusable boxes instead of cardboard, and recycling used work gloves. The remaining waste might be burned to create energy for the plants. This approach helps protect the environment and saves money by reducing waste and improving production efficiency. Microsoft and Google are also working toward Zero Waste goals. Google has six locations aiming to keep 100% of their waste out of landfills. Microsoft aims to keep 90% of its waste out of landfills. These organizations work to create a cleaner world and reduce waste.

A garden center in Faversham, UK, has stopped using plastic plant pots for customers. Instead, it reuses plastic pots locally and repots plants into paper pots before selling them. It also wraps plants in hessia and uses other methods to avoid giving customers single-use plastics.

Waste sent to landfills can be used to make useful materials, such as solar energy or natural fertilizer for crops. It can also be reused or recycled for practical purposes. "The success of General Motors in creating zero-landfill facilities shows that Zero Waste goals can encourage manufacturers to reduce waste and their carbon footprint," says Latisha Petteway, a spokesperson for the EPA.

Market-based campaigns

Campaigns based on market strategies and laws, such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the precautionary principle, are often labeled as "Zero Waste" efforts. However, there is currently no proof that EPR increases reuse, as it may only shift waste management responsibilities to private companies instead of reducing waste overall. The precautionary principle aims to require companies, not the public, to prove that new chemicals are safe before they are used. This connection to Zero Waste remains unclear. Many organizations, cities, and counties use the "Zero Waste" slogan but do not support essential changes needed for true Zero Waste, such as redesigning products. Instead, they often focus only on recycling. Some businesses, like Staples, Home Depot, Toyota, General Motors, and computer take-back programs, claim to support Zero Waste but typically mean they are increasing recycling efforts, not redesigning products. In the past, social justice campaigns successfully influenced companies like McDonald's and Nike to change their practices by showing that organized consumers can act as active participants in the economy. However, for a campaign to be truly "Zero Waste," its goal must be to reduce waste creation and redesign products, not just improve recycling. In EPR programs, companies should be held responsible for product packaging, not consumers, to encourage greater involvement from producers.

How to achieve

National and provincial governments often set goals and may offer some money for waste management, but in practice, programs like trash pickup, recycling centers, and composting are usually handled by local governments. These programs may also use shared facilities in different areas.

Achieving zero waste needs products made by manufacturers and designers to be easy to take apart for recycling and reuse in natural or industrial systems. Making products last longer and easier to repair reduces the need for new items. Using less packaging helps solve problems early in the process. If not required by laws, choices made by stores and customers for zero-waste-friendly products can still influence how things are made. More schools are encouraging students to live differently and think carefully about actions that create waste. To keep materials from becoming waste, people, businesses, and groups must learn how to reduce waste and recycle properly.

In the book Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste, the author, Bea Johnson, shares a version of the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) called the 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. This method, developed through years of living without waste, helped her family reduce their yearly trash to fit in a small jar. Today, this approach is used by individuals, businesses, and cities worldwide.

The Zero Waste Hierarchy is a system of policies and strategies that support a zero-waste system, starting with the most effective ways to use materials and moving to the least. It is meant for everyone, including leaders, industries, and individuals. It adds more detail to the well-known 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and encourages action and investment at the top of the hierarchy. It also helps people plan systems or products that move closer to zero waste. Around the world, pollution prevention hierarchies are included in recycling rules, waste management plans, and resource programs. In Canada, a pollution prevention hierarchy, called the Environmental Protection Hierarchy, is used in all recycling laws and resource conservation methods. While adding a fourth R (Recovery) before disposal was a good idea, many groups focused more on this step instead of the top of the hierarchy. This led to expensive systems that destroy materials rather than reduce waste and environmental harm. Because of this and other similar systems, Zero Waste Canada and the Zero Waste International Alliance have adopted the only globally reviewed Zero Waste Hierarchy that focuses on the first three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, including composting.

Zero waste jurisdictions

Many governments have set a goal of achieving zero waste. These include:

• Brazil: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
• Canada: Vancouver (see Zero Waste 2040 Strategy)
• Italy: Capannori, Tuscany
• Japan: Kamikatsu, Tokushima (recycles 80% of its waste at the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center and aims for zero waste)
• Sweden (nationwide)
• United States: Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; Chula Vista, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; Oakland, California

In the United Kingdom, a method called network governance was used under New Labour. This involved creating groups that brought together important people in waste management, such as local government officials, waste industry workers, and government representatives. These groups worked voluntarily. Since there is no clear government plan for reducing landfill waste, local and regional groups have more freedom to create solutions. The government sets the overall goal, but it does not decide how to reach it, allowing groups to work together to find the best way.

Zero Waste is a plan supported by environmental groups. However, the waste industry prefers a costly method called energy from waste incineration. Studies often show that public support is important for success. In Taiwan, public opinion helped change how businesses use materials, which is needed for Zero Waste to work.

California is a leading state in the United States for its zero-waste goals. It has the most cities in the Zero Waste International Alliance. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, many cities have defined what it means to be a Zero Waste community and set goals to reach that status. These cities include Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Pasadena, Alameda, and San Jose.

San Francisco defines zero waste as "zero discards to the landfill or high-temperature destruction." The city uses a step-by-step plan to reach this goal. The steps are: prevent waste, reduce and reuse, and recycle and compost. Los Angeles defines zero waste as "maximizing diversion from landfills and reducing waste at the source, with the ultimate goal of striving for more-sustainable solid waste management practices." To reach this goal, changes must be made to how products are created, used, and disposed of.

Zero-waste stores

Retail stores that focus on zero-waste products and practices have started in different countries, such as Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of October 2024, there are more than 200 stores in the United Kingdom that sell items without packaging or with very little packaging. These stores allow customers to bring their own containers to carry their purchases.

Zero-waste restaurants

Since the mid-2010s, more restaurants in countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Finland have started using zero-waste practices. These restaurants reduce food and waste from daily operations by using whole ingredients, composting waste on-site, and turning leftover food scraps into new menu items.