The basis of living a zero waste lifestyle is following the 5R’s of zero waste. We all know the 3R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle. Zero waste adds two more, refuse and rot. Some people add rethink, repurpose, rent and repair to get 7, 8 and even 9R’s. As zero waste is about rethinking how we live and the other three are just versions of reuse, for me, 5R’s is enough.

The 5R’s of zero waste are attributed to the zero waste guru Bea Johnson. Her family of 4 have been living by these zero waste guidelines for years and produce less than a mason jar of waste annually. Conclusion – it works!

For zero waste living apply the 5R’s of zero waste in the following order:
Refuse – anything you don’t need.
Reduce – what you do need.
Reuse – no more single-use products.
Recycle – only that which you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse.
Rot – compost.

This is a complex topic which requires a lot of information. Below is a basic overview.

Refuse

This is the hardest part for me. Growing up, I was taught to “never look a gift horse in the mouth”, so saying no is difficult.

It means refusing flyers in the street, goodie bags at conferences, junk mail and business mail (request an email instead). It also includes freebies, and even gifts.

Some things are easier to refuse than others. In our next post we’ll give you tips on how to achieve this without losing friends.

Reduce

This comes under two categories; buy less and reduce what you already own.

Advertising and society norms encourage us to buy more, more, more. We work long hours to be able to afford this. Buying less means breaking out of this mould and changing your mindset.

It means less waste and more money to spend on activities we enjoy.

Apply it across the board in your household. Reduce food shopping, packaging, clothes, household items, appliances and resource use.

Reuse

Bye, bye disposable! Hello reusable!

Our throwaway culture has a high environmental price. Costs include excessive resource use, increased waste to landfill and damage to oceans and nature from improper disposal of waste.

Most of us understand that plastic disposable dishware is a big no-no, but disposables don’t end there. They are anything with a single use. Examples include plastic shopping bags, paper towels, environmentally friendly disposable dishware and food packaging.

Recycle

This is your last resort. While, until now, we were encouraged to recycle more, zero waste is about recycling less.

There are many issues associated with recycling. These include energy and water use, transportation to and from recycling facilities and the low percentage of items recycled. With plastic and paper, there is the additional issue of loss of quality.

For this reason, I won’t include a dedicated recycling post, but here are several guidelines you can apply.

Know your local recycling practices.
What goes in which recycling bin and what cannot be recycled. Non-recyclables placed in recycling can lead to “contamination” of the stream and recyclables going to landfill.
If you have “orange recycling bins” in your area you can check on Tamir’s website what can go in the bin. For items not on their lists you can check with them directly.

If you’re not sure where the recycling bins are in your area or you want to know if there are specialized bins (e.g. bins for electronics) you can check with the environmental department at your local council, or check on their website.

With the right information, you can make more informed purchasing decisions.

Choose products with paper, glass or metal packaging over plastic. Glass and metal can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality. Non-glossy paper can go in your composter as “brown material”.

Plastic is more problematic. Not all plastic can be recycled. Look for a symbol on the packaging which shows the plastic type. Remember, even recyclable plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times meaning it is only a few steps away from landfill.

In short, if you can avoid recycling, do so!

Rot

Don’t fool yourself into believing that because it turns into compost in a compost bin, it will do so in landfill. Composting requires air. Landfill waste is compressed to a point where no air is available, meaning the organic matter decomposes anaerobically producing methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is 25 times more potent that CO2. Sending food scraps to landfill is a big environmental issue.

When shopping, choose items packaged in compostable cardboard over packaging which will go to recycling. Cardboard and paper are great for your composter and you will be closer to your goal of recycling less.

So if you can, put a compost bin at home. If you don’t have outside space there are a selection of composters today which you can keep in your kitchen (They’re compact and stink free).

If that’s not possible then in many places there are composters available to the general public (such as community gardens). If you haven’t seen one near your home yet, check with your local council (For example there is a map of composters in Tel Aviv available on the municipality’s website). You can also ask in your local Whatsapp group, or in relevant Facebook groups (e.g. קומפוסט להמונים)  – someone is sure to know where the nearest compost bins are. You could even consider convincing your workplace to install a composter for employee use.

And hey presto! Just like that you’ve reduced your waste by one third.

Applying the 5R’s of zero waste helps us live a zero waste lifestyle, but remember going zero waste (or low waste) is a journey. Begin with small steps, apply the 5R’s where you can. Once that is part of your routine, check if you can include them elsewhere. Don’t let zero waste be overwhelming. Better to start small and build up slowly, than go zero waste overnight and give up because it’s too much.

Lots of small changes will make a big difference.