Zero Waste Week 2019
We’re half way through this year’s Zero Waste Week which runs from the 2nd to 6th September. Did you know Zero Waste Week is in it’s 12th year!
Rachelle Strauss has promoted the zero-waste message for over ten years and after reading one of my Blogs on “How to Reduce Plastic” Rachelle asked if I would like to be an Ambassador Blogger for this year’s Zero Waste Week.
I didn’t hesitate, and I’m pleased to say I’m now one of this year’s Ambassador’s and I’m loving to help spread the message.
Why Should We Care About Waste and What Happens to It?
As Rachelle says, “There’s no such place as ‘AWAY”
What happens when you throw something away? Away isn’t some magical place; it’s landfill, an incinerator, the bottom of the ocean, litter or the stomach of an animal. It’s always somewhere else…
Be part of the solution and join millions of people around the world by reducing waste through reuse, recycling and repurposing material for a longer life.
What is Zero Waste Week?
Zero Waste Week is a grassroots campaign raising awareness of the environmental impact of waste and empowering participants to reduce waste.
Launched in 2008, the campaign is conducted almost exclusively online via this website, e-newsletters and social media.
Whilst Zero Waste Week formally runs for one week in September, regular newsletters and fresh blog content is sent out throughout the year. The friendly online community share practical experiences and suggestions about waste avoidance via social media to keep the discussion and learning process going. You can join the active Facebook Group called Zero waste Heroes
Zero Waste Week 2019 Theme
This year’s focus is on climate change, and the impact waste has on the climate, which is hugely relevant and topical!
Participants are encouraged to take a waste audit to see what plastic they are wasting and then each day there will be a specific theme to help you make changes.
Each day we’re focusing on one particular aspect of waste and discussing how it ties in with climate change. The climate change topic has been chosen as it’s dominated the headlines since the beginning of the year.
There will be general hints and tips on reducing waste, plus a small daily challenge for people to take part in.
The final challenge on Friday will be to put all knowledge together from the week to have a totally waste-free day! Are you up for the challenge ?
What I'm doing to support zero waste week in my ambassador role
Weeks Leading up to Zero Waste Week
In the weeks leading up to Zero Waste Week I have been spreading the message on social media and encouraging people to sign up for the Zero Waste Challenge.
I also ran a Zero Waste Stall at our local town Fayre in their Green Zone. And, I had a small quiz for them to guess how long different items of plastic take to break down in the Oceans.
Day 1 Zero Waste Week - 2nd September
Day 1 was all about trying to get people to rethink ‘rubbish’ as a resource and start disposing of it properly. And, to get them to think about the link between rubbish and climate change.
The Daily challenge encourages participants to consider some of the stories that have been in the news about climate change throughout the year. Especially around the link between landfill waste and climate change.
day 2 zero waste week - 3rd September
The topic for Day 2 of Zero Waste Week was food waste. The statistics for food waste in the UK are staggering.
- The average UK household throws away 22% of their weekly food shop which adds up to £700 per year!
- Every day in the UK we throw away
- 24 million slices of bread
- 6 million potatoes
- 4 million bananas
The day 2 challenge was to focus on one of these four things to help reduce food waste
- Only buy food you need, check what you already have before shopping.
- Find recipes that will help you make the most of leftovers – two of my favourites are bubble and squeak and banana bread !
- Shop locally and seasonally to reduce air miles and unnecessary packaging.
- For your unavoidable food waste, look at ways of composting or use a local authority kerbside collection.
If you are looking for tips on what you can do then check out my Blog post Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste
day 3 zero waste week - 4th September
Day 3’s topic is looking at the link between fast fashion and climate change.
The fashion industry is reported to be the second most polluting industry after oil. Today the average consumer buys 400% more clothing than they did 20 years ago.
In the UK, 300,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in household waste bins every year.
Today’s challenge is to look at how you can reduce waste in your wardrobe. Rather than fast fashion why not focus on slow fashion. Do you have a favourite item in your wardrobe that you wear time and time again?
There are lots of other ways you can reduce waste in your wardrobe:
- Take part in Oxfam’s Second Hand September
- Mend something instead of throwing it away
- Host a clothes swap
- Pledge not to buy anything new for 3 months
There are still two more days of Zero Waste Week to go so if you want to find out about days 4 and 5 then pop over to my Instagram account Thoroughly Modern Grandma
And, if you take part in any of the challenges I’d love to hear how you found them.
