We often talk about zero waste / no waste and circular economy on our blog and social media, but what does it mean exactly? Why is it an important topic?
We will explain all of this to you and will also share our best tips to comfortably move along with the transformation to a circular economy:
- Don't waste food
- Avoid plastic packaging
- Consume less
- Give things away
What is a zero waste / no waste lifestyle?
A zero waste lifestyle focuses on reusing and recycling of products. The least amount of things will be thrown away and the goal is to produce no waste at all. In a previous blog post, we already talked about this lifestyle and shared a couple of tips on how to adopt it.
This perfectly aligns with a circular economy, The Netherlands’ goal for 2050. A circular economy focuses on a chain where no raw materials leave or enter the production process. During the collection, production, and consumption of products, all of the raw materials will be reused. As previously mentioned, the Netherlands wants to fully adopt a circular economy in 2050. In 2030, the goal is to decrease the amount of primary raw materials by 50%.
A couple of examples of how the Netherlands is working towards being circular in 2050, are the deposit on plastic bottles, the ban of plastic straws, deposit on cans by December 31 2022, et cetera.
Why is it an important issue?
At the moment, we are living in a true ‘throwaway society’. This has somewhat improved since the ban on plastic bags and the introduction of a deposit on plastic bottles, but still a lot of products are packaged in unnecessary plastic. Besides that, a lot of plastic gets used in the production of clothing items.
The problem with plastic is that it does not perish, it merely breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that end up everywhere, even inside of animals. Waste is also burdensome to the environment, it pollutes the soil, the water, and the air. It also costs a lot of energy to process.
By adopting a No Waste lifestyle, and thus adopting a mindset focusing on circular economy, we will eventually fully avoid harmful emissions. The production and consumption of products will also no longer negatively impact the environment.
How can you achieve a No Waste lifestyle?
By adopting a Zero waste lifestyle early-on, the transition to a circular economy will be even easier. There are a lot of obvious tips on how to live No Waste. Some examples are bringing a reusable bag when you’re going grocery shopping, or choosing for bars or soap rather than soap in plastic bottles. Keep an eye out on our social media for more tips like these!
Besides those tips, there are also some others that might not be as obvious.
1. Don’t waste food
Food waste is also a big issue and can be avoided. The production, packaging, and transportation of food products costs a lot of energy and is very polluting. Want to know more about this? Check out our previous blog post.
2. Avoid plastic packaging
A lot of fruits and vegetables get packaged in redundant plastic packaging in supermarkets. By opting for fresh produce on a farmer’s market more often, you avoid a lot of plastic. On the market, you can often choose the quantity you need. If you take a reusable produce bag to package it in, you can say no to the plastic bags.
Besides that, a lot of other products also get packaged in plastic. For example, pasta in the supermarket. By choosing the alternative packaged in cardboard packaging, you can avoid the ones in plastic packaging! When possible, it is better to choose cardboard, metal, or glass packaging.
3. Consume less
From overconsuming to consuming less. This is also comparable to minimalism, a topic we discuss in this blog post. You can also find tips in that post on how to live more minimally.
4. Give things away
Instead of throwing away items you do not use anymore, you can check if they are still usable to someone else. For example, you can give away clothing items to friends or family and your old tableware will make your niece -who is moving into student housing- very happy. You don’t know anyone to give these usable items to? You can use our service and we will make sure your items get a second life.
Do you have more tips on how to live a No Waste lifestyle? Let us know!
