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Zero-waste is a philosophy that aims to redesign resource use systems and processes with the intention of reducing waste (to landfill) to zero. The concept of zero-waste extends the idea of recycling into a circular system where as much waste as possible is reused, similar to the way it is in nature.
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Zero Waste
The zero-waste strategy is to turn the outputs from every resource-use into the input for another use, or in other words outputs here become inputs elsewhere.
Perhaps a better way of putting it is ‘zero waste to landfill’. A person, home, business or organisation will always produce waste but that waste can be a resource for someone else.
Beyond recycling
Despite the similarities, zero waste is not just another form of recycling; it involves changing things at the production level. For example a computer can be designed so that it can be easily dismantled and it’s parts reused in new computers or the materials recycled.
Zero waste depends on the redesign of industrial, commercial and consumer goods. Recycling contents itself with attempts to deal with wastes as delivered, after goods have become garbage. Zero waste does not accept the unthinking creation of garbage, followed by a scramble to capture mere materials.
Many consumer goods have been designed for a limited lifespan and are not designed to be disassembled and recycled. The key is to reinvent the unsustainable designs of today.
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