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| Image source: https://zerowastehome.com/about/book/ |
Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson. Scribner: New York, 2013. Review by Eve C., MCR-in-training.
When you’re ready to take your waste
reduction efforts to the next level, Zero
Waste Home, Bea Johnson’s guide to no-waste living, will provide hundreds
of pages of ideas.
As newbie MCRs-in-training, we began the
program with a variety of levels of proficiency about minimizing the garbage
that leaves our homes. Through the program, we learned the ins and outs of
recycling, composting, waste collection, and reusing in Edmonton. We are now
reaching out to friends, family, and neighbours to spread the word.
Although we are prepared to provide helpful
information to those just starting on their waste reduction journey, what about
those who have mastered the basics? If you or someone you meet through your MCR
volunteering wants to make a major shift in their life in order to eliminate
waste, the approach taken by Bea Johnson may provide inspiration.
Johnson’s approach calls for a
fundamental rethinking of how we view waste in our lives. Instead of the
well-known Reduce-Reuse-Recycle mantra, Johnson helpfully urges much more
proactivity with these 5 Rs:
Refuse what you do not need.
Reduce what you do need.
Reuse by using reusables.
Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
Rot (compost) the rest.
Her emphasis on Refuse struck me as a powerful technique
for cutting down on the waste entering my home. I am planning to start rejecting swag at conferences,
stores, and events; I always get home and wondered why I accepted a bag full of
junk that I now have to get rid of.
I also distilled several tips that seem
practical and relevant to my life:
●
Using
coloured pencils instead of highlighters (the pencil shavings will break down).
●
Using
French glass canning jars for storing leftovers in your fridge (the jars are
quite affordable and attractive, and they display what is in your fridge so
that you are less likely to forget about it).
●
Put
stickers on your waste containers (garbage, recycling, reuse, compost) to make
it easy for you and guests to put things in the right places.
●
Write the
tare (weight) on your reusable containers when taking them to the store for
bulk refills. Although Johnson uses glass jars for all her groceries, which is
beyond what I would ever be interested in doing, I would like to try Bulk Barn’s program which
allows you to bring your own jars.
● Downsize things you do not use as much, such as sporting goods and tools. Instead, consider using the Edmonton Tool Library, rentals, or sharing purchases among a group of friends, etc.
Although I enjoyed this book, I would
caution that it is best viewed as a collection of tips, from which each reader
will inevitably find a few really good ideas to incorporate into their own
life, rather than a cohesive vision of a new way to live for all but the most
inspired. Johnson’s privileged standard of living, and her California location,
may not necessarily translate to the average person.
The book also made me reflect on the
Changing Waste Behaviours section of our MCR training, particularly the
Benefits and Barriers section. She focuses a lot on cooking from scratch, with
fresh local ingredients, using food products for bathing and makeup rather than
conventional toiletry items, and removing items with certain chemicals from her
home. This book seems likely to appeal to someone with a passion for DIY and an
interest in avoiding chemicals in their daily life. The book seems very
well-positioned to appeal to that demographic. It would be a helpful resource
if your audience was motivated by these concerns.
The converse is that this book would not be
well received by anyone who is approaching waste reduction from a more
pragmatic and skeptical perspective. Many of her suggestions are not accurate,
such as claiming that aluminum cookware will harm your health and should be
replaced.[1]
Some of Johnson’s other tips seem unsafe -
including making DIY eyeliner, using glass bottles in the shower, and using
cheese as earplugs. Ideas like making all your soap from scratch, making your
own paper, and growing your own loofahs seem to require an investment of time
(and raw materials) that exceed the potential environmental benefits. Finally,
tips such as refusing gifts from friends if they come in packaging, and trying
to give out unpackaged Halloween candy, are more likely to alienate those
around you than to motivate people to follow your example.
Nonetheless, even if Johnson’s trial and
error attempts to arrive at zero waste are sometimes unsuccessful, her approach
and passion for the topic is commendable. If you stick with the book, you will
come away with some helpful ideas and a new eye for examining the waste you
produce.
Postscript:
Smart Waste Home in Edmonton
Most of us will likely never aim for or
achieve a Zero Waste Home. However, the MCR program has set us up to create and
help others with a Smart Waste Home –where all waste is correctly diverted into
the most efficient and least environmentally harmful stream.
The Wastewise App is my favourite tool for being
smart about waste. It reminds me about our collection day every week, and helps
me be certain when someone asks me a question about sorting waste. It also
takes away the decision fatigue of constantly making judgment calls about what
goes where, which may lead some to give up entirely.
Overall, the practical and locally-targeted
resources from the MCR program are an excellent foundation for recognizing that
- for most of us - some waste is here to stay. We can use simple techniques to
deal with it as effectively as possible.
Borrow Zero
Waste Home from the Edmonton Public Library.
Tara P. is an environmental microbiologist and a gardener, and am currently looking for ways to give back to my community. I like both learning and sharing my knowledge with others. Tara became an MCR in 2018. 
