I aspire to a zero waste household. We're not there yet, but we are actively working on it. Rather than just trying to reduce my impact, I want to overall be making a positive contribution in regenerating the earth's systems.
In our house there will always be biodegradable waste. We separate this into food for the chickens, 2 worms farms, 3 worm towers, 4 guinea pigs and the compost bin. We use a dry composting toilet which we love and our grey water is processed through a reedbed and returned to the garden. Everything biodegradable is returned to the Earth through one of these systems.
While compostable waste is our main output, we still do create other waste which I aim to reuse first before any 'recycling' takes place. Our absolute waste bin has been getting far less use of late, which am so pleased about. I want it to be far, far less though. It's a big challenge for a family and something I need to keep coming back to regularly and have an ongoing commitment to.
Each week we try to make some lasting changes - shifting the household culture in a way that will stick. Going all out and making sweeping changes seems appealing, but I am worried that sustaining this would be a challenge.
Not only does this way of thinking and living help protect the environment and humanity, I find it is good for my health and happiness, and in many ways connects me with my place, my community, the land, the seasons and the Earth.
Here are a few of the books I have been using as inspiration and guidance. They are so full of practical ideas for making easy shifts to zero waste and simple living.
And in this book Plastic: a toxic love story, Susan Freinkel delves into the history, science and economics around plastic. She says we have produced nearly as much stuff in the last decade as we did in the entire 20th century! A very thought-proviking read...
Here’s just a few online resources I've come across that offer some other information and inspiration:
