ROCKLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The amount of waste the world is generating is not sustainable, and according to the 2018 World Bank report, the amount of waste we’re generating keeps rising and rising. It’s pointing to a problematic future.
Environmentally conscious businesses, communities, and individuals are making positive changes by reducing the amount of waste their creating. In some cases, reducing it to nothing at all! That mission is called “Zero waste.”
Zero waste is a philosophy in which the goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean.
Zero waste blogger Lauren Singer can fit all her trash from the past four years into a single mason jar.
Singer says, “Everything in the jar is plastic, and it is plastic that isn't currently recyclable.”
Singer avoids making waste by actively composting and recycling, shopping at farmers markets and making her own beauty products and household items.
In Rockland, Claire Weinberg of has lived zero waste for five years.
While she admires Singer's approach, she says a zero-waste lifestyle doesn't have to quite so extreme.
Weinberg says, “My definition is really being conscious about how I consume. When I’m planning on making a purchase, I don't just look at the product but I also look at how it's packaged.”
Weinberg avoids packaging and educates the community about a zero-waste lifestyle at the same time.
“I made these myself and I wanted them to be super cute so I could start having conversations people when I'm checking out and it really worked. people say, oh those are so cute and I say, yes and I also don't have to use a plastic bag.”
She says most people are receptive and curious to learn more about her lifestyle.
“Almost everyone I talk to is open and says, 'I want to use less plastic.' It's very rare that I talk to anyone that says 'I want to keep using all the plastic and throwing it away.'”
Both women are active composters and recyclers. They say non-recyclable plastic is the biggest problem they run into.