KELSIE ERSTAD

Zero Waste
How does zero waste affect the world?

Americans create 10.5

million tons of plastic
waste a year but
recycles only 2% of it.

Going zero waste can help the world in many ways. Zero waste is
taking most of the trash out of your life and using reusable products. Zero
Plastic garbage
waste helps the environment in many ways. Trash dropped in the landfills is thrown into the ocean
the cause of most greenhouse gases. Some people don't agree with going kills as many as 1
zero waste because they think it's easier for them to just throw things away. million sea creature
Other people think that it's better to fix the environment and not make the every year.
world worse. I believe people should go zero waste because it helps the
environment, people, and animals in the world. All in all there are many
reasons why people should go zero waste.

Zero waste is a way to reduce the amount of trash that is sent to the
landfills. Zero waste can also be referred to as less or low waste. Zero
waste maximizes recycling and minimizes waste. It makes sure that
products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled (Anthony). Zero Every year, the US
creates around 230
waste’s concept is to reuse and recover products, and packaging, and
million tons of trash
materials without burning or releasing them back into the land, water or air.

1
Why is it so important to go zero waste? Zero waste reduces
our climate impact. The U.S. EPA has estimated roughly 42%
of all greenhouse gas production is caused by the making and
use of goods, including food, products and packaging. Zero
waste is good for the economy. Reducing, reusing and
recycling creates ten times more jobs than disposal of waste
(Mah). In addition, marine animals are dying from all the
trash in the ocean. An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash is
dumped in the oceans every year. Plastic bags and other plastic
garbage in the ocean kill as many as 1 million marine animals
and birds in the Pacific Ocean every year (seastewards). The
release of waste back into the land, water, and air threatens the
environment. It is also harmful to human health as well as animals and marine life.

There are three important ways to go zero waste. The first way is to refuse. For example, don’t
use paper napkins, plastic straws, or plastic bags; instead use a handkerchief and cloth bags. Swap
out plastic straws with glass or metal straws. The second way is to reuse. To reuse, get a stainless
steel water bottle in place of buying pre-bottled water. Also use reusable food wraps instead of
plastic wrap (Johnson). The third way is to recycle. Many things can be recycled such as paper,
plastic, metal, and glass. By having a recycle bin in your home you will be more likely to recycle.
Composting is also a way to recycle. Keeping food scraps and yard waste out of landfills stops the
release of greenhouse gasses (recycling guide).

There are many businesses that are finding ways to go zero waste. Restaurants are replacing
plastic straws with paper straws. Many restaurants have programs in place to distribute leftover food
to nonprofits to help feed hungry people. Sierra Nevada, a beer company, sends their used brewing
ingredients to cattle and dairy farms to be reused as feed. One of Procter and Gamble’s production
facility sends production scraps to a cement company where it is then burned for energy to make
bricks. At another Procter and Gamble facility, scraps are shredded and compressed and made into
wall partitions for offices (Brucker). Patagonia offers customers the option to send in clothing for
repair instead of throwing it away. Lush, a maker of bath and body products, displays their products
without any packaging. This reduces the amount of waste that Lush produces. Many companies are
committed to go zero waste (recyclenation).

There are many important reasons why people should go zero waste. Zero waste is important
because it reduces the greenhouse gasses and improves the environment. Zero waste helps the wild
life especially the marine life by keeping the oceans free of plastic and other waste. Refuse, reuse,
and recycle are just three ways people can go zero waste. In addition, major companies are trying to
reduce and reuse the waste they make. In conclusion, zero waste is a good thing because it helps the
world in many ways.