We Want You to take the zero waste challenge.
For the past few months you’ve been working admirably through your waste in order to get your trash can to a svelte sized zero. Next month over 600 people are waiting to celebrate with you, taking part in a Zero Waste Week. The week takes place from September 3-9 and is in its fifth year.
Just for you I’ve kept the theme light this year and not at all overwhelming, dubbing it “One more thing.” I’m asking: “What one more thing could you recycle during Zero Waste Week to make an even bigger difference?”
The idea behind the week is to gather support, momentum and fun as we work together towards a common goal. By choosing something simple it makes the week inclusive. No matter where you are on your zero waste journey, there is always one more thing you can do.
Ideally we wouldn’t even focus on recycling; we’d look at getting to the root of the issue which is our love of consumerism. Most of us buy blindly, not really thinking about what will happen to the product or the packaging once we’ve finished using it. Worse still we buy stuff we don’t even want or need; but more on that another time.
If you’re recycling like a pro already then you can still take part in Zero Waste Week. Some participants are setting up wormeries or compost heaps. Others are decluttering their closets and taking things to charity shops. Other people are going to refuse to buy things in non-recyclable packaging.
My personal goal is eliminating food waste. Recently I’ve started to let things languish in the back of the refrigerator. Only this week I had to toss some ham that was hidden behind other things, black currants that were sporting blue furry jackets and pizza that I left in the oven instead of putting into the fridge. Who wants to waste pizza?
So have a think about that procrastination job you’ve been meaning to get around to – perhaps you’ve promised yourself you’ll find a local tetra pak recycling area or check out your local farmer’s market. Maybe you haven’t organized your reusable bags yet or have a pile of stuff to take to the textiles bank.
Whatever your goal for Zero Waste Week there’s no excuse – you’re going to get all the support you need. Come and sign up to our event on Facebook, share the twitter hashtag #zerowaste or if social media isn’t your thing come and tell us what you’re up to on the Zero Waste website.
The Facebook event is where most activity is taking place and people from all over the world are sharing wonderful advice and having great discussions – we’ve been talking about reusing cable ties (apparently you can carefully remove them for reuse; who knew!) along with ideas for reducing food waste and 101 uses for old glass jars.
What are you waiting for? Your challenge awaits and I know you’re ready.
Image: The Daily Green/Mark Langan