Can a Home be Zero Waste?
Last Updated: Apr 11, 2025How do we interact with the waste streams that flow through and out of our homes? For many of us, it's "out of sight and out of mind." Every week we take our garbage bin to the curb without really contemplating where that waste goes or how it affects our environment. It just gets "thrown away." While we may recycle aluminum cans or take our grocery bags shopping to avoid one-use plastic bags, we often find our garbage bins fill themselves up weekly.
Table of Contents
- Why Should We Care About Household Waste?
- Is It Possible to Get Rid of Garbage?
- Minimize Construction Waste
- Space Planning for Minimizing On-Going Waste
- Filter Your Water
- Bottom line
Why Should We Care About Household Waste?
Waste Hangs Around
The glass bottle you throw into the garbage might take upwards of one million years to decompose in landfills. Those daily disposable diapers that are a staple of families with small babies could take up to 450 years to decompose. Your soda can might be in the ground for 200 years before eventually disappearing back into the earth. Archaeological sites of past civilizations are full of beautiful pieces of pottery and earthenware. In contrast, future societies will marvel at the sheer amount of non-biodegradable trash our culture created.
Waste Contributes to Climate Change
Another problem with the garbage that leaves our homes is that it contributes to global warming while slowly decomposing. According to the EPA, landfill gas is around 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses. It is considered to be about 30 times stronger than CO2 in accelerating global climate change. The garbage that flows through our homes, then, is leading to excessive methane gas being released in landfills, to the tune of 130 million metric tons each year.
I encourage people to keep a clipboard by their trash can and write down each item that ends up in the trash. Then, at the end of the week, look at the tally of items. It's a great visual that will help you prioritize where you can have the biggest impact.
For a home renovation project, here are the top three biggest impact items.
Minimize Construction Waste
When most homeowners think of waste, the first thing that comes to mind is the garbage can sitting in our kitchen. While household sources of trash certainly contribute to the filling up of landfills around the country, construction and demolition (C&D) debris lead to over 500 million tons of waste each year. That is more than double the trash from municipal solid waste sources. Are you building a new home or considering a home renovation? If so, the most critical step in reducing the amount of waste your household creates is limiting construction and demolition debris that ends up in the landfill.
Fortunately, almost 90% of all construction waste can be recycled. When planning a home renovation project, it is essential to locate nearby construction and demolition debris recycling centers. You can search for construction and demolition recycling centers in your region here.
Also, please talk with your home renovator or contractor to inform them of your concern about construction waste. By carefully planning your renovation project, you and your contractor can order a precise amount of material. This forethought will enable you to reduce the amount of waste generated.
Consider incorporating salvaged or recycled materials into your renovation project. Salvaged wood furniture and construction materials offer a vintage and rustic look to a home while limiting the demand for new construction materials.
Space Planning for Minimizing On-Going Waste
Much of the waste generated through general home operations can be reduced by thinking about space planning in areas relevant to three main areas: single-use items, packaging waste, and organic waste.
Living a zero-waste lifestyle isn't about recycling more; it's about recycling less.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
