Positive Impacts of Zero Waste

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that roughly 42% of all greenhouse emissions are caused by the production and use of goods including food, products, and packaging. By following Zero Waste ideals, such as reducing, reusing, and recycling, individuals can reduce their carbon footprint and reduce their contribution to climate change.

The Zero Waste lifestyle combats the unsustainable consumer culture by promoting a circular economy and a refusal of buying excess material goods. Through a circular economy, the amount of resources extracted to produce products is reduced as consumers are reusing their products instead of discarding them after a single use. By reducing and reusing, fewer products are made and disposed of. Additionally, properly recycled items are reused to make new goods, further conserving resources.

In eliminating waste production and recycling, there's a decreased accumulation of waste in landfills which decreases the need to use incinerators to burn waste. A decreased use of incinerators reduces the amount of air pollution from waste disposal as less waste is being burned.

About 8 million metric tons of plastic trash accumulate in our oceans every year and consequently harm marine life. To help rid oceans of the micro plastics and microfibers that are harming and polluting marine life and ecosystems, there needs to be a decreased disposal of single-use plastics. By following a Zero Waste lifestyle and refraining from purchasing single-use plastics, individuals make a contribution to the reduction of plastics polluting oceans.

With rising popularity of the Zero Waste movement and lifestyle, people sharing the same concerns regarding waste production come together to resolve pressing issues and reduce waste production. With community projects such as composting at community gardens, redistributing goods to those in need, food donations to shelters, recycling of clothing, and local trash cleanups, communities have implemented Zero Waste practices to better their community and environment.