Zero Waste: What is Zero Waste?
The official Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) definition of Zero Waste is as follows:
"Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.
Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health."
This is the only peer reviewed, internationally accepted definition of Zero Waste accepted by the worldwide recycling, environmental justice and Zero Waste movements.
Zero Waste:
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maximises recycling
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minimises residual waste
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reduces consumption
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ensures that products are made to be reused, repaired, recycled or composted.
The goal of Zero Waste is to minimise and ultimately eliminate waste.
For Spanish speakers:
Un presentaion intoroductory de Zero Waste New Zealand Trust está disponible en español. Chascar aquí para descargar o para ver en el fondo de esta página (ambos la misma presentación). Esta presentación fue preparada para el Seminario: Hacia el objetivo "Basura Cero" en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires en mayo 2006, y traducida a español por GAIA.
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The End of Waste |
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Getting there! The Road to Zero Waste |
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introducción de Zero Waste Nueva Zelandia |