Rise | We've Done the Research
Can a Home be Zero Waste?
How 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
Landfills Will Contaminate Our Groundwater
Legislation was passed in the 1980s and 1990s to try to control leaching from landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency has stated that all landfills will eventually leach potential toxins and pollution into the environment. Groundwater contamination is a concern of communities across the country and one reason why it is becoming increasingly difficult for municipal authorities to find locations for new landfills.
Is It Possible to Get Rid of Garbage?
For a home renovation project, especially a kitchen renovation, it's best to plan to help reach a zero-waste home's lofty goal. Rise spoke with zero-waste expert and blogger Kathryn Kellogg, founder of goingzerowaste.com, and she recommends starting with your very own waste audit.
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.
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.
