The goal of living zero-waste is to drastically reduce the amount of trash one produces to almost nothing.  In 2013, the average American produced 4.4 pounds of trash per day (Environmental Protection Agency).  In a society where many items are used and quickly discarded, zero-waste is an appealing form of environmental activism as it dramatically reduces the amount of trash going into the landfill for even one person.  Based on the average, going zero-waste living can reduce 1,606 pounds of waste from the landfill for one person per year.  Zero-waste, and reducing the amount of trash one produces is a tangible and concrete way for the individual to help the environment on a daily basis.  Going zero-waste, and even reducing waste, can take on many forms, but requires some planning and know-how to achieve. In a world of convenience going zero waste takes forethought and intention, but the payoff is the knowledge that you are helping the environment by not contributing to our planet’s growing collection of trash. The following is a guidebook for going zero waste in Durham, NC. It will look into tips and tricks for going zero-waste, where to shop, how to divert items from the landfill, and how to live in Durham and not produce trash. It will explore the costs and time requirements of zero-waste living and ways to reduce waste and save money. This guidebook will explore what it takes in the average day to day life to reduce waste in your life and aid the environment.

 

Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, March 29). Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/