Zero Waste Movement Needs a Make Over

I guess I am one of them? "Them" being part of the growing group of people focusing their efforts on waste minimization and sustainable lifestyles. At this point, I suppose I have to call myself part of the Zero Waste Movement. Can you sense my hesitancy there? While I am excited about the trending conversation and glad for greater awareness, I can't help but be reluctant when it comes to "Zero Waste". I recently participated in Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge, then to further my knowledge on waste management became a Master Recycler/Composter. I very much agree with the goals of the Zero Waste Movement, it's the HOW that gives me pause.

When you hear Zero Waste what do you think of? Do you picture the die-hard environmentalist that swears by the no-poo method and doesn't own a car? Or is there an image of a tiny mason jar filled with one year's worth of trash? Whatever you imagine, I'm betting it's extreme. While I can celebrate the people that are 100% in, where is the space in this conversation for the rest of us average folks? The rest of us who recycle, care about the environment and genuinely want to make improvements but going 100% all-in may not be realistic in our lives due to family, time, money, kids, resources, access, etc. As I enter this Zero Waste world it feels exclusive, extremist, unattainable and completely unrealistic in our consumer driven, capitalistic society.

As an average person learning how to reduce my impact, I turned to the Zero Waste Movement bloggers first. But the voices in that space are not resonating with me. I find many of them shaming, filled with ego or judgement towards others. I can't help but notice that the bloggers of this movement are also largely privileged, white, female, seemingly cis, able-bodied adults in their 20s-30s and I grow increasing aware of the voices that are not included in the conversation. Especially as consumerism impacts people of color and low income communities the most. I also can't help but disagree with the over-emphasis on reducing your trash to zero while ignoring other waste outputs like composting and recycling. It's all waste, isn't it? Especially as foreign markets restrict US import of recycled materials, even our recyclables are destined for the trash as local markets get over-saturated with materials. And I struggle with the rampant consumerism tied to these Zero Waste blogs as they try to sell me the perfect reusable mug or "eco-friendly" gadget. I simply cannot support encouraging more consumerism when refuse, borrow, reduce, thrift and reuse trump consumption of new in my book. But most of all, I am tired of being talked at instead of conversed with.

I think it's time to reinvent the movement. Can we instead build a local community that focuses on low impact living? A place to come together, share knowledge, ask questions, find support and encouragement free from pressures to be perfect or extreme. I'd like a space to gather with my neighbor and ask how their composting is going.  I want a community that focuses less on the stuff and things, and more on people. I'd love a place that supports organizations and activists fighting on the front lines for the root causes (ahem, capitalism) of our environmental crisis. I want a place to chat that's free of product endorsement, free from unrealistic expectation, and free from judgement. I need a place that's accessible, that supports rather than shames, one that's achievable by all and anyone can participate in their own way. Where resources and knowledge are shared in all directions, a place that embraces small victories and builds community. I want a community where all voices are heard and participate. A place to help us find the methods of waste reduction that fit in our unique lives and encourages us perform them some, or most of the time, knowing that together all our small efforts add up to big environmental impact.

I have no agenda here. But I do ache for community with people that want to reduce our collective impact on the environment. Little by little, small step by small step.

Waste Tips Part 5

Hey you! As you probably know, our household was accepted to be apart of Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge. We've signed up for 9 months of education, training and challenging our own behaviors. I've been really nerdy and sharing tips via twitter along the way and I thought I would compile there here as well. To be clear, it's important that you know your own local area recycling rules - and it's great to research what facility actually processed your waste streams and ask your questions to them for the straightest answers! Most of there are general & applicable everywhere, but some might be our area specific.

#recyclingtip even if you don't have curbside #recycling for everything, check with your city or county for nearby drop off sites for the things that can't go in your bin

#composttip your backyard compost binis made up of carbon (brown) and nitrogen (green) matter

#composttip if your yard compost is too wet, add more browns. If it's too dry add more greens.

#composttip #recyclingtip when you are out in the world and there's a lack of signage on the waste bins, your best bet is to look at the material itself. Does it have bpi stamp? Or plastic #? #knowyourmaterials

#recyclingtip if you find yourself in #NewOrleans with a bunch of free swag and #mardigras beads, there are several places you can donate/#recycle them http://www.ecocajun.com/2015/02/where-can-i-recycle-mardi-gras-beads.html?m=1

#composttip turn your yard pile regularly to speed up decomposition

#composttip #recyclingtip don't rely on other people or signage to tell you which bin, learn it for yourself. #knowyourwaste

#recyclingtip styrofoam is not recyclable

#recyclingtip Did you know that @TerraCycle and @Colgate have teamed up to recycle your oral care products with free mail back? https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/colgate

#recyclingtip plastics numbered 3, 6, 7 cannot be recycled. #3 includes PVC and is one of the more toxic materials, #6 includes styrofoam, and #7 is "other" which can mean just about anything!

#recyclingtip any paper that has come in contact with food or grease is no longer recyclable

#recyclingtip unfortunately, waxed cardboard cannot be recycled or composted and is trash. The cardboard is coated in polyethylene plastic.

#composttip you can be sure a product is compostable when it has the BPI or Cedar Grove logo on it.

#composttip only put paper products that you are sure are bleach-free or chemical-free into compost. Best to keep copy paper to the recycling bin.

#composttip food scraps make up 20% of what's in our landfills, at the landfill they can't break down properly and make methane. Composting food scraps helps them break down naturally.

#recyclingtip you know the three Rs of recycling? Some people think it should be 5 Rs. Refuse. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rot (compost).

#recyclingtip Chip bags usually go in the trash, but @terracycle does have a free mail-back recycling program! https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/haincelestial

#recyclingtip did you know that glass dishes, mirrors and windows are not recyclable. These type of glass are trash because they are often tempered, tinted or treated and require different melting temperatures from recyclable glass (like food containers).

#recycletip do you know how glass is recycled? https://youtu.be/csui3eJfofY

#recyclingtip ever wonder what happens inside your local MRF (material recovery facility) https://youtu.be/teKhkBnTDBc

#recyclingtip did you know MN legislature bans putting phonebooks in the trash? You must recycle them. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=115A.951

#recyclingtip some cities require shredded paper to be put in a clear plastic bag so that the people sorting the material can quickly identify and pull it from the line. Those little bits and pieces don't make it through the sorting machines well

#recyclingtip ever wonder how paper is recycled? https://youtu.be/oftIKZG4_o4

#recyclingtip You do not need to remove the plastic windows on envelopes, the recycling process will take care of that for you

#recyclingtip curious how metal gets recycled? https://youtu.be/kC98XiIkedI

#recyclingtip Nope, you do not need to remove staples from paper documents before recycling, they get removed at the papermill

#recyclingtip if you are hoping to recycle that shredded paper, use the shredders that cut into verticle strips to ensure the paper fibers are long enough for recycle. Criss-cross shredders leave the fibers too small.

#recyclingtip paper towel and bath tissue are not recyclable because the paper fibers are too short to be turned into anything else

#recyclingtip learn more about how plastic is recycled https://youtu.be/MEqEdydZQKI

#composttip careful what you put in your compost. Avoid papers that may contain chemicals, bleach, waxy or plastic coatings

#recyclingtip before recycling comes reuse! @Hennepin county has a really cool reuse directory where you can find where to buy used, rent or where to donate all sorts of items https://www.hennepin.us/choosetoreuse 

Spiraling

Analyze what's in your waste bins sends you down some interesting spirals....

You start by picking through your trash, which leads to questions about which bin and why, which leads to research on waste handling, which leads to more questions, which leads to realizing it's complicated. You notice that each city, county, state talks about "how to recycle" differently and there is no norm and certainly no universal truths to this topic. You learn that municipalities choose how to education their residents without the consideration of what actually happens at the recycling facility, so what you thought you knew may not be what's happening in reality. Which makes your realize there's absolutely no regulation in place for any of this stuff, which leads to more questions. So you  start looking at the manufacturers, but then realize that the products aren't made with their ending in mind and that recycling facilities can't process what manufacturers are putting out into the world. Legislation is changing every day, but as a whole completely lacking. Companies can invent whatever they want with no consideration to what it does to the world or consequence for their action. Which leads to more questions. And down the rabbit hole we go....

The Struggle is Real

Our Hennepin County Zero Waste Challenge is coming to a close this month. Come May, it will be up to Rob and I to keep up our own motivation. To keep teaching one another. Challenging ourselves. Without that external motivator. We've learned a lot but the journey doesn't stop here.

As I learn more, read more, consider more, this process has me seeking community to further the dialogue. I've turned to articles, authors and blogs that tell the #zerowaste story. There is quite a large community who share the goal of sustainability.

My struggle?

I have lots.

I struggle with wanting to share and talk about this process, without sounding preachy, demeaning, judgey or exclusive.

I struggle with tone and modes of communication around this subject. Are some vehicles better than others? And the fear of talking "at" people and not with people.

I struggle with the term #zerowaste and am decidedly moving towards #lowwastelifestyle to describe my own journey. Zero waste is not realistic or achievable in this day and age. We live in a capitalistic, consumer driver society. We have waste. Our outputs are waste. And yes, recycling and composting, still count as waste.

I struggle with the whole movement being based around a term (#zerowaste) that is not realistic, thereby introducing the conversation as unachievable, exclusive and not possible for the average person.

I struggle with the image of the #trashjar, where the waste of an entire year can fit into one mason jar. I call BS. There are all kinds of things that people make exception and don't put in those jars (ahem, condoms, or what happens when it's the year that you need to get a new mattress?).

I struggle with the lack of diversity within the #zerowaste community and am aware of the voices I am not hearing in the conversation.

I struggle with the fact that this lifestyle can feel privileged. That as you start reading and learning, voices tell you to the buy the perfect this or you need the expensive that. These voices are wrong. You do not need to own anything fancy or specific to be successful (and remember, success is how you define it for yourself).

I struggle with all of the #zerowaste #sustainableliving #ethicalliving bloggers whose articles highlight product after product, brand after brand. Their product endorsement seem counter-intuitive to the ideology, as they encourage more and more consumption. While the brands they endorse might be recyclable packaging, or fair trade clothing, they are still encouraging consumption.

I struggle with how I can push this movement into a more attainable, inclusive approach. How can I illustrate that it's not about perfection or doing everything right? How do I say it's more about questioning your habits, changing your perspective and making an effort in a way that makes sense with your life??

I struggle as I talk to my friends about our journey and I hear all of the barriers we make up for ourselves. That it is too big, and time consuming, and too do-gooding, and perfectionist, and too extremist. In reality, what we are learning is it is very small. It is not big at all. We make small steps, one after another, nothing fancy, not crazy. Small steps that become habit and then another small step. Just little, incremental change. Change that you hardly notice from one day to the next. Sometimes we fail or we forget, but we remember to try again or we find another way. Somehow the impact of all those small efforts add up to a bigger change than any of the individual actions.

I struggle to show that everyone's journey towards sustainability looks different. We are all at different steps and on different paths towards our own success AND THAT'S OK. You do not need to follow my steps, but we might be able to help each other build a staircase.

I struggle with how to emphasize that when it comes to our environment, it is not all or nothing. It's the effort in between that counts. Reducing in one area in life, or one item in the cupboard, is measurable change to our mother earth. And if you can't give up this one thing because time, money, life, etc gets in the way, then maybe there is another spot in your life where there is room for reduction. It looks different for everyone.

I struggle with finding my voice in all of this.

I struggle with running out of #recyclingtips too :)

Waste Tips Part 4

Hey you! As you probably know, our household was accepted to be apart of Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge. We've signed up for 9 months of education, training and challenging our own behaviors. I've been really nerdy and sharing tips via twitter along the way and I thought I would compile there here as well. To be clear, it's important that you know your own local area recycling rules - and it's great to research what facility actually processed your waste streams and ask your questions to them for the straightest answers! Most of there are general & applicable everywhere, but some might be our area specific.

#recyclingtip the goal should be to recycle all of your waste that is recyclable, it should never be to 'recycle more'. Refusing excess packaging is number 1 priority.

#composttip the goal should be to compost all of your waste that is compostable, it should never be to 'compost more'. Reducing food waste is number 1 priority.

#recyclingtip for plastic films, if you can easily stretch it over your thumb, it can be recycled alongside plastic bags. Clean and dry bread bags, plastic wrap, shipping air pillows, TP packaging - can all go with your plastic shopping bags

#recyclingtip most curbside recycling do not accept plastic bags, but they are technically recyclable. Use the link below to find a drop off location near you. Most are grocery stores. www.plasticfilmrecycling.org

#recyclingtip tiny bits and pieces are difficult to recycle because they fall through the sorting machines. Small items, like lids, can be put inside a larger vessel of the same material to help them travel to the right spot.

#recyclingtip plastics have a low market value and take a lot of resources to renew. Try reducing your plastic consumption. Reach for glass, metal or paper to recycle instead.

#recyclingtip #composttip think about your disposable food container choice... will it be soiled by greasy, wet food thats hard to rinse? = compostable is the way to go. Will it be dry or easy to rinse clean? = recyclable material is a better option.

#recyclingtip did you know that frozen food boxes are trash and cannot be recycled? The cardboard is coated in plastic due to temp and moisture conditions.

#recyclingtip labels on glass or metal containers do not need to be removed. They get burned off in the melting process.

#recyclingtip the average person generates 4.4 lbs of waste per day, how much of yours can you recycle?

#composttip if you have a #compost pile or need to find one, check out @ShareWaste. It's community composting https://sharewaste.com/ 

#recyclingtip only 1/3 of phone books are recycled, 2/3 end up in the landfill. While technically recyclable, consider opting out instead https://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/ 

#composttip you can #compost inside with a worm bin! No smell and less space. It's a great option for apartment living

#recyclingtip next time you make a run to your local material drop off site, see if friends or neighbors have anything you can bring along. Might as well make a carload and encourage others to dispose properly.

#composttip did you know roughly 2/3 of household waste could be composted?? Composting is a great first step to reducing trash

#recyclingtip the chasing arrows and number on plastics does not actually indicate recyclability. The number identify the type of plastic.

#recyclingtip not sure where to recycle that thing? Use earth911 to find your closest drop off site https://search.earth911.com/ 

#composttip if you can't have a compost pile or if there isn't municipal compost collection in your city, talk to your friends and neighbors - maybe they have a pile you can contribute to

#recyclingtip not sure if that paper or cardboard is recycable? Do the water drop test - if the fibers absorb the drop of water it is recyclable. If it runs off it is likely coated in plastic = trash.

#composttip in the compost vs recycle debate of which is better, remember compostable uses energy to create a single use product

#recyclingtip typically plastics #1, 2, 4, 5 are recyclable.

#composttip if your yard compost pile smells, add more browns

#composttip for your yard pile. Browns = dry leaves, torn up paper, straw, twigs, dryer lint, woodchips. Greens = grass clippings, kitchen scraps, coffee grinds.

#recyclingtip 95% of e-waste is recyclable. Don't throw it in the garbage!

Waste Tips Part 3

Hey you! As you probably know, our household was accepted to be apart of Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge. We've signed up for 9 months of education, training and challenging our own behaviors. I've been really nerdy and sharing tips via twitter along the way and I thought I would compile there here as well. To be clear, it's important that you know your own local area recycling rules - and it's great to research what facility actually processed your waste streams and ask your questions to them for the straightest answers! Most of there are general & applicable everywhere, but some might be our area specific.

#composttip start composting - 20% of what ends up in our landfill is food waste, composting in your home is a huge first step to reducing waste

#composttip if you don't have curbside compost pick-up or can't have a compost pile at home, see if your county has any organic drop off locations

#recyclingtip have you heard of @TerraCycle? They will take difficult to recycle materials and recycle them for you

#recyclingtip for plastic film, if it crinkles and is hard to rip it's trash (cereal bags) but if it's soft and rips easily (bread bags), it can be recycled with your plastic bags. Must be clean and dry.

#recyclingtip and #composttip greasy pizza boxes are compostable, but if the box lid is clean you can tear it off and put that half in recycling

#recyclingtip the @EPA is a great resource for recycling tips

#recyclingtip think about the packaging your gifts are coming in, can you avoid it or recycle it?

#composttip #recyclingtip many plastic plates, cups and silverware are not recyclable due to size or type of plastic. Next time you host a party consider buying BPI certified compostable or thrift a set of cheap set of dishes to be your new party set

#composttip meal planning is a great way to reduce wasted food. Plan for your leftovers to be a part of tomorrow nights dinner. Transform them into a new side. Or freeze them.

#recyclingtip create an extra bin for recycling that needs special handling or can't go curbside, like batteries and lightbulbs. Fill it up and drop all of it at your local recycling drop-off facility in one swoop

#recyclingtip gift buying online, while convenient, creates a lot more packaging waste. Consider shopping locally to reduce your recycling stream this season

#recyclingtip consider getting the big tub of yogurt and other foods, rather than individual serving cups. Less waste and less expensive. You pay for packaging = you pay for waste

#composttip leave the oily fats and animal products to the commercial compost facilities and keep them out of your home compost piles, yard piles don't get hot enough to break down and you'll just attract critters to your yard

#recyclingtip did you know that @BestBuy accepts many electronics for recycling

#recyclingtip make sure you put your recycling items in the bin loose. Typically plastic bags should not go in your curbside bin.

#composttip composting at home is important because when food waste goes to a landfill it creates methane

#recyclingtip Did you know you can reuse that shipping box from @amazon, fill it up with clothing donations and send it for free? Reuse before recycle. https://givebackbox.com/amazon 

#recyclingtip that cardboard box your gift came in is recyclable. The tissue and wrapping paper is garbage. Save bows and bags for reuse.

#recyclingtip it's best to ask recycling questions directly to your local Material Recovery Facility (MRF). They will know the exact answer. Can you follow yours on twitter?

#recyclingtip cardboard has one of the highest market values of recycled materials, be sure to #recycle your cardboard

Waste Tips Part 2

Hey you! As you probably know, our household was accepted to be apart of Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge. We've signed up for 9 months of education, training and challenging our own behaviors. I've been really nerdy and sharing tips via twitter along the way and I thought I would compile there here as well. To be clear, it's important that you know your own local area recycling rules - and it's great to research what facility actually processed your waste streams and ask your questions to them for the straightest answers! Most of there are general & applicable everywhere, but some might be our area specific.

#recyclingtip before purchasing packaged goods, consider which waste stream it will end up in - is there a better option?

#compostingtips there's a thing called Blender Composting, yeah, look it up!

#recyclingtip glass is a closed-loop material that can be recycled into the same material over and over again without loss of quality, more efficient and more sustainable

#recyclingtip Did you know that frozen food boxes are not recyclable? To hold up to cold & moisture, the cardboard is treated with plastic making them trash

#recyclingtip plastic is an open-loop material that degrades or requires more material each time it's recycled, or they are down-cycled into different material each time, less efficient and less sustainable

#composttip don't trust marketing terms like "biodegradable", look for BPI logo instead to ensure packaging is accepted by commercial facilities

#recyclingtip aluminum is a closed-loop recyclable material and can be recycled over and over again, and cans made from recycled aluminum use 95% less energy

#recyclingtip do your research, know what your county can and can't accept

#recyclingtip rinse your food containers of food debris before recycling them, just a swish. An all out scrub is not necessary

#recycletip Hennepin County recycling drop-off facilities accept torn/stained/damaged textiles. There is a place to recycle your old drawers!