By Ariyana Griffin
AFRO Staff Writer
agriffin@afro.com
Zero Waste Week, Sept. 4-8, serves as a time to bring awareness to pollution and waste that goes into the environment as well as provide resources for people to do their part in being more sustainable.
According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, zero waste is defined as “the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”
However, over time, the definition has changed to include new solutions and ideas. The definition also may differ from state to state as it depends on the policies that the individual state upholds when it comes to the environment and sustainability.
Below are five tips to utilize this week and beyond to practice zero waste.
Buy in bulk
Purchase food in bulk with the least amount of single use plastic when possible as this reduces the amount of waste from packaging. Also, keep an eye out for recyclable packaging. An example is purchasing a large bag of trail mix and transferring it to reusable containers to take to work instead of buying smaller individual bags of trail mix.
Turn off water while brushing your teeth
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, by “turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to eight (8) gallons of water.” This totals to more than 200 gallons of wasted water a month.
Use What You Have
Before going out and purchasing something new, try to use something you already have. There are also options to trade, thrift or repair, which is a sustainable way to obtain something new.
Use Reusable Items
Reusable bags and water bottles have the potential to keep tons of single use plastic out of landfills and oceans each year. According to Plasticoceans.org, “annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.” They also share that “a plastic bag has an average ‘working life’ of 15 minutes.”
Look into Eco Friendly Swaps
Some simple swaps that can be made without disrupting day-to-day activities is swapping plastic out with bamboo. An example would be a bamboo toothbrush, making the toothbrush compostable once it is time to swap it out. There are also other options such as bamboo cutlery, dish scrubbers, hair brushes and more.
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