2020 Zero Waste Challenge Blog Posts
2020 Zero Waste Challenge
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2020 Zero Waste (ZW) Challenge
Wherever you are on your Zero Waste Journey why not make 2020 the year you take it that bit further.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Each month I will post suggestions for making small changes to help you reduce your waste.⠀⠀⠀⠀
Quick Recap - What is Zero Waste?
What is Zero Waste trying to achieve?
The simple answer: The aim is to send nothing to a landfill. Refuse what you don’t want, Reduce what you need, Reuse as much as you can, send as little as possible to be Recycled, and Rot (compost) whatever you can’t.
The less simple answer: It’s really about redefining the system. We currently live in a linear economy where we take resources from the earth and then dump them in a giant hole in the ground. The goal of zero waste is to move to a circular economy where we write rubbish out of existence. The circular economy mimics nature in that there is no rubbish in nature.
Instead of discarding resources, we should be aiming to create a system where all resources can be resumed fully back into the system.
Zero Waste sounds like something that’s unachievable and in it’s truest sense it probably is; but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t all try.
The goal should be Zero Waste and every little thing we do to help achieve that is a step in the right direction. You can do as much or as little towards the Zero Waste Goal that works for you. It doesn’t have to be a radical change in your lifestyle, but obviously the more you change the more it will help to make a difference.
Getting Started - Waste Audit
Before you start the challenge it’s good to know what you need to change. Do you actually know what you are sending to Landfill? or Recycling?
Complete a Waste Audit at the start of the month so that you can track your progress.
You can find out how to carry out a Waste Audit and download a check sheet here : ZW Waste Audit
Let's Start The Challenge
If you would like to print out the whole Years Challenges and tick them off as you go along just click on the image below for a printable version
January - Cleaning
Remember, achieving Zero Waste isn’t just about reducing the amount you of waste you send to Landfill. It’s about reducing the resources we consume so you should try to reduce the amount of packaging that you send to Recycling as well.
Challenge 1 – count up how many different bottles of household cleaning products you have in the house. This includes bleach, washing up liquid, polish, window cleaner etc
Now look through the recipes for Natural Cleaning solutions and see how many products you could replace with your own DIY cleaner.
Challenge 2 – count up how many different synthetic sponges, dish brushes and microfibre cloths etc you have in your home.
Now look to see what natural fibre products you could swap them with. For instance you can swap a plastic dish brush for a coconut dish brush, a microfibre cloth with a cotton cloth.