5 types of waste you can avoid without making any sacrifice - ZERO WASTE CHALLENGE

Did you know that waste is one of the main causes of the deterioration of our environment? Did you know that waste is also the main unnecessary expenses of our monthly budgets?

Yes, any type of waste is a source of pollution for the environment since the trash produced by waste is thrown in public landfills.

The accumulation of trash produces pollutants and toxic substances which penetrate directly into the soil and negatively affect the quality of soil and water resources. Likewise, the decomposition and combustion of trash produce gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, which are emitted onto the atmosphere and deteriorate the quality of air.

Besides, wasting has a high cost on our financial well-being. Our appetite for consumption makes us spend money where it is not necessary.

So we must all take action to avoid waste. 

It's simple, we don't need too much sacrifice, all we need is to adapt our consumption to our needs and not to our desires.

This article proposes practical tips to reduce the 5 most common types of waste in our daily lives.

FOOD WASTE

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO), about 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year around the globe.

Think of all the steps required to get food in your dish. Farming, processing, packaging, transport, marketing, purchasing, cooking, and finally dishing. Whenever food is wasted, all resources used in each of these stages are also wasted. 

Hence by throwing away food, you are wasting all the resources used along the food supply chain.  

So minimize food waste to contribute to the preservation of the resources used to produce food, limit pollution, and make significant financial savings.

To avoid throwing away food you must:

• Plan your meals because planning makes you aware of exactly what you need to prepare your food.
• Take your leftovers at work for your lunch to avoid wasting your precious lunchtime or money in fast food restaurants.

CLOTHING WASTE

Research reports that about 80 billion new pieces of clothing are produced every year. The production of these garments generates 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon on the planet, making the textile industry the second most polluting industry in the world, after petroleum. 

Reducing clothing waste thus helps reduce the negative impact that textile consumption has on society and the environment. it also helps us save you money.

To avoid clothing waste, you can:

• Resell clothes that are in good condition either on a specialized site or via a consignment store.
• You can swap clothes with friends and family. Moreover, it is a fun and cheap way of getting a new wardrobe and at the same time getting rid of clothes you never wear.
• Explore and donate unwanted clothes to a charity shop in your local area.
• If have a passion for sewing, repair your clothing or upgrade your clothing

WATER WASTE 

Water waste is one of the major issues in the world because people ignore the importance of this resource especially those who are in countries where water is easily accessible.

Planetoscope reports that water consumption on the planet reaches 4 billion m3, or 1.3 million liters of water every second. Considering the current population growth rate, this consumption is greater than the capability of our worldwide water reserve. 

People should, therefore, be cautious and pay more attention to their actions in order to avoid water shortage for our future generations and also contribute to reducing the unequal distribution of water.

The image below presents some practical tips to avoid wasting water

Besides, reducing water waste also help us to reduce our expenses on monthly water bills.

ELECTRICITY WASTE

Major technologies used to generate electricity are still based on fossil fuels that emit carbons and produce greenhouse gases. These gases are harmful to health as they pollute the environment and are responsible for global warming. In addition, the price of electricity per kWh continues to rise by at least 4% on average each year.

We can't control the production of electricity nor its price, but we can control the way we consume electricity by monitoring and minimizing our electricity consumption. 

Avoiding electricity waste help us reduce our electricity bills and mitigate the impact of electricity production on society and the environment

Some practical guides include:

• Replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with compacted fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. LED bulbs use 80% less electricity and last almost 25 times longer.

Source: LED Facts

• Use solar systems and solar powered appliances
• Turn off all computers, screens, TV, and lights when not using them. This can help you save 15-20% on your monthly bill.
• Don't leave your phone plugged in overnight, one or two hours is usually enough to charge.
• Set your refrigerator to the optimum temperature. 
• Turn off your oven about 10 minutes before finishing your cooking. The interior heat of the oven will continue to cook your meal.
• Use your dishwasher when it is full and switch your dryer to the air drying mode (option depending on the model).

MATERIAL WASTE 

Unlike other wastes, material waste is not always visible. Yet according to Wikipedia, 7-10 billion tons of material waste is produced per year. This waste ends up in a landfill and is one of the primary sources of human disease. 

In addition, there are people who don’t like to just throw away things. that's great! But keeping things for ourselves is to deprive others of their use as waste is also defined by the loss of their utility.

Avoiding material waste and the accumulation of unnecessary objects is essential not only to reduce pollution of the planet but also to help people with limited resources.

To reduce material waste, you must:

• Limit your consumption by avoiding buying new things every time
• Reuse certain objects instead of throwing them away
• Repair broken material instead of replacing them
• Recycle unusable objects or materials

Waste is a source of pollution, degradation of environmental and human health. it is also the main driver of financial loss.

When we reduce waste, we improve air quality, water quality, soil quality, and human health.

Achieving a Zero Waste Objective is an effective way to limit unnecessary purchases and get real economic peace.

It does not require too much sacrifice, it only requires adapting our consumption to our needs.

Your turn...

Have you ever taken initiatives to reduce your daily waste? 

Share your tips with us in comment!

 We look forward to reading from you!