Zero Waste is a holistic approach to managing materials in a closed loop system or circular economy, where there is no such thing as waste. Discards are either designed out completely or fed back into the production cycle as raw materials.
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.*
In summary, this means:
* This peer-reviewed internationally accepted definition is provided by the Zero Waste International Alliance
The non-profit organization Eco-Cycle has created an informative video that provides an in-depth look at the concept of Zero Waste.
Zero Waste System
Zero Waste is about designing products and packaging to minimize waste, creating incentives to encourage clean and sustainable products and enterprises, fostering both producer and consumer responsibility, investing in resource recovery facilities, strengthening local economies, and building community collaboration.
The Zero Waste system includes four central concepts:
Zero Waste Links
More detailed information about Zero Waste is available at the following organizations: