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

The post Do You Have What It Takes For a Zero Waste Week? appeared first on EcoSalon.

VideoThe bin audit: up close and personal with your garbage.

This week, I took the first step in getting down to a size zero waste. According to Rachelle Strauss, the yoda-like maven behind the blog My Zero Waste, in order to reduce your trash you must know your trash. Bring it into your awareness, so to speak.

More odorific than terrific, I came bin to nose with the truth about my trash situation. My ultimate goal over the upcoming months is to reduce – as much as possible –  my family’s waste. Stay tuned to see how it goes and if you’re feeling brave, try your hand at your own audit!

Image: Dead Air

The post The Zero Waste Challenge On: EcoSalon Shelter Editor K. Emily Bond Dives In appeared first on EcoSalon.

Step one to getting zero waste is keeping your rubbish in sight and in mind: bring that junk into your awareness.

Editor’s note: Rachelle Strauss is the author of My Zero Waste, a homegrown blog and informational site about a family of four striving to reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill each week, month and year. In her ongoing series with EcoSalon, she’s challenging readers to do the possible: reduce household trash to one bin a year.

“Away” is simply somewhere else – a landfill site, an incinerator or a ship to China. The trouble is, once we’ve put something in the ubiquitous black bin bag, it’s out of sight, out of mind. We can’t wait to “get rid of it,” to absolve responsibility for it and, in some cases, forget it ever happened.

I’d like to challenge you to start thinking about your rubbish. Start thinking about what you are doing before you dump something in the bin. Start thinking about what you are buying before you get it home. Bring your rubbish in sight, in mind and into your awareness.

Don’t worry; I’m not asking for an overnight change of habits; this is all about taking baby steps, manageable steps, steps so small you won’t even notice – towards a fantastic goal.

This month, then, I’m challenging you to become aware of your bin habits. That’s all.

What do you throw away without thought? What do you haul to the curbside each week? What do you buy on autopilot without considering the alternatives?

To gain this knowledge you need to take a bin audit.

A Good Dirty, Squirmy Rummage

Rubber gloves are handy. Pull them on and have a rummage. Is your stomach turning yet? It should be. Who wants to be reminded of all the garbage we throw away on a day-to-day basis? It’s okay if you’re disgusted, perhaps you should be. This is the awareness.

Get in there. Have a poke, a prod and a ponder. Hold things up in horror. Feel guilty if you need to for all the food waste in there or the broken plastic that that you really didn’t need to buy in the first place.

Micromanage That Junk

Make a list dividing it into categories like food (waste, packaging, leftovers), household (cleaning product containers, DIY remnants, aerosols), personal (toiletry packaging, sanitary protection, medications packaging).

Use whatever system works for you and write it all down.

Now pin it to the fridge where you can be reminded of your wasteful habits.

Can you measure your waste in some way? Either chuck it on the scales or measure by number of bags. Write this down along with your list of rubbish; it will give you something to feel good about when you can see your progress a couple of months down the track.

If you could work out a percentage, what are the top five wasters in your bin? Is it plastic bottles, yogurt cartons, food waste? Write these down too.

The guilt stops here because you’re on the path to positive change. I’ll even hold your hand. In less than a year you’ll be in possession of a size zero waste.

The dirty work is done. Let the real work begin.

Postscript: In 2009, Rachelle Strauss and her family accumulated one lone and solitary trashcan of landfill waste. It was not an overnight transformation, but rather an 18-month process of planning and a gentle change of habits. In Strauss’ ongoing series with EcoSalon, she challenges readers to do the possible: reduce household trash to one bin a year.

Images: Bonnie Natko; Christopher Wolfe; Duncan Blackwood; The Daily Mail, Dru Bloomfield

The post The Zero Waste Trash Challenge: First Stop, A Bin Audit appeared first on EcoSalon.