Living "zero-waste" usually entails reducing the size of your trash can to the size of a mason jar, with the goal of never taking out the trash or recycling bins again. The zero-waste movement has become increasingly popular in recent years, but how effective is this trend? In this post, I explain the pros and cons of the zero-waste lifestyle.
Wasted products = wasted energy
Put simply, the zero-waste movement is popular because waste is awful! Every product we buy requires energy to make, and most energy used in the United States comes from fossil fuels. When we burn fossil fuels for energy, they release greenhouse gases into our environment. These greenhouse gases are the reason our climate is changing.
Living waste-free, we won't throw away products after a single-use, which means we will waste fewer greenhouse gases and help mitigate climate change. Although this is just one of two pros, this point is v important because climate change is currently causing species extinction, more frequent severe storms, more intense heat waves and a host of other narsty problems.
Waste creates pollution
The zero-waste movement is also good because it has the potential to reduce pollution significantly. Every product we throw away has to go somewhere, and most of the time, that "somewhere" is a landfill. Our waste then sits in the landfill and breaks down very (very very) gradually.
As our waste breaks down, it can leech harmful chemicals into soils and drinking waters, poison insects and animals, release greenhouse gases, add microplastics to the air we breathe, or take up valuable space, depending on what type of waste it is. Like energy reduction, pollution reduction is a huge pro in favor of the zero waste movement.
Zero-waste takes time and energy
Living a strict zero waste lifestyle requires intense research, forethought, and planning. You could waste hours of mental energy beating yourself up about using a plastic fork. And you could spend days of preparation and traveling to grocery stores to figure out how to get all the nutrients you need without creating any waste.
This time and energy could be devoted to more beneficial activities, like calling your representatives, riding your bike to work or reading about how you can be an ally to minority groups. Although waste is a big problem, it is not a big enough problem to devote your entire life to it while ignoring all the other issues in our world.
Zero-waste is expensive
The zero-waste lifestyle is uber expensive. One reason for this is that living waste-free usually entails buying lots of fresh produce and unprocessed foods because these foods are generally less packaged than others. For many people (especially those who live in food deserts), fresh produce is super hard to find in their area, so they would need to travel out of their way to buy produce. This traveling costs money, which many people can't afford regularly.
Living zero-waste also requires buying more expensive, high-quality products. Granted, many of these products, like glass containers, reusable water bottles, or silicone bags, could save money in the long run. However, a lot of people don't have enough money to make the initial investments needed to buy these products. This puts the zero-waste lifestyle out of reach for an entire class of people.
Zero-waste can create more waste
As I mentioned above, some people who go zero-waste spend a lot of money investing in zero-waste products. Although some of these products can genuinely make a positive impact (like stainless steel water bottles), others may or may not be better for our Earth than the products they're meant to replace. Some poorly-made zero-waste items may even break after their second or third use.
Many companies that make zero-waste products are not earnestly trying to reduce waste. Instead, they are tricking consumers into buying unnecessary things that will soon end up as waste themselves. With a million companies trying to get their mitts on the eco-conscious ball, these cheap zero-waste products will likely become more and more common in the future. Increasing the amount of these products on the market will lead to more wasted greenhouse gases and more pollution in our world.
Zero-waste places burden on consumers
The zero-waste movement places responsibility on consumers to change their habits to save the world. Although consumer changes can help reduce greenhouse gases and pollution, government actions, such as stricter regulations on industries or increased investment in public transit or renewable energies, are much more effective. Focusing solely on the zero waste movement can distract from the real systemic and pollical issues at stake by placing all the blame on consumers and none on fossil fuel industries and our government.
