What is Zero Waste
REFUSE - REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE - ROT
Τι σημαίνει Zero Waste
“Zero waste is a goal that is ethical, economic, efficient and a vision to direct people to change their lifestyles and daily habits and emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all materials that are discarded are designed to become resources for someone else (sustainability).
Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically reduce and eliminate the volume as well as toxicity of waste and materials, conserving and reusing all resources without burning or burying them.
Make a change now…
There are things we can all change immediately:
- Reusable shopping bags instead of disposable bags
- Water bottle , instead of bottled water and water filter if necessary
- Our own thermos for coffee, instead of a disposable cup at takeaways.
- Metal, glass or bamboo straw instead of plastic straw
- Bamboo toothbrush, instead of plastic toothbrush
- Natural loofah instead of plastic sponge
- Soap, instead of cream soap and bubble bath
- More whole foods instead of packaged foods
- Buy in our own containers as much bulk food as possible, such as pulses, cereals, nuts, rice, herbs, spices
ΤΑ 5 R ΤΟΥ ZERO WASTE
REFUSE
We refuse the extra promotional gifts, the promotional leaflets of any kind, the free pens, key chains, lighters, etc. small things that are offered to us in our everyday life as promotional activities, mainly, either of companies, shops, services, etc. Most of the time these items end up directly in the rubbish, while others, such as pens and key rings, are already in our homes – and in abundance.
REDUCE
What could be more logical and feasible than to reduce our consumption? We live in a consumer society with ready access to all kinds of goods and we have turned shopping into a hobby or even a… cure (shopping thepary!).
In the age of fast fashion, online shopping, overpriced imported products and plastic, the average lifespan of the items we buy is less than a year, while the average western woman has over 50 toiletries. By reducing our consumption, i.e. by making only well thought-out and targeted purchases, we can significantly help to reduce the volume of items that sooner or later end up in landfill.
REUSE
The average household in the western world has too much stuff! A good idea is to reuse our items, either by giving them a new lease of life or by making something completely new out of them. Of course, all utilitarian objects that are reusable play an important role in reducing waste production.
Just a few examples of reusable items are fabric shopping bags, reusable water bottles, metal washable straws, women’s period cup.
RECYCLE
It should go without saying, but it doesn’t – everything that is recycled goes exclusively into the respective recycling bins and is not rubbish! Plastic, glass, paper are recycled and in most areas we can find bins for these materials. Thus we give the opportunity to valuable materials to start a new life cycle.
ROT
Composting is the natural recycling of organic materials, where organic residues such as fruit and vegetable peelings become soil again (humus, soil conditioner). 35% of household waste can be composted and there are now household composters that we can even have on the balcony.
In a few weeks, the organic matter is turned into soil that we can use in pots and flower beds, or even offer to those who do urban vegetable gardens (and beyond). Many municipalities in our country have started composting programs, either with brown bins for all residents, or offering home composting bins for those residents who express interest.
