According to the EPA, the average American throws out 4.4 pounds of trash a day. The Zero Waste movement ends to aim that by changing the entire system so that no waste goes to landfills.
Zero Waste includes the concept of recycling, but goes beyond it, encouraging a wholesale change in the lifecycle of most products. It includes citizens who aim for a Zero Waste lifestyle, retailers and manufactures who are rethinking how they make and package products, and municipalities rethinking their waste management systems.
Guests
Cindy Isenhour, professor of anthropology, University of Maine
Sara Nichols, Sustainable Maine director, Natural Resources Council of Maine
Claire Weinberg, owner, Dulse & Rugosa; author, “Zero Waste Journey” blog
Laura Marston (by phone), owner, Go Go Refill in South Portland
Resources
- U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree's letter about zero waste
- The waste hierarchy
- Proposal Would Shift Rising Recycling Costs From Maine Communities To Companies, Manufacturers
- How Communities Have Defined Zero Waste
- How South Korea Is Composting Its Way To Sustainability
- What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
- LD 2104: An Act To Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging