Zero Waste Catches on Worldwide

“Clean and green. That’s the catch crime. The world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city. 90 percent of the development’s power from the sun.” (CNN)

This desert city of Abu Dhabi is not the only one pushing to a new extent for ‘going green.’ It’s a recycling strategy called "zero waste," and it’s been catching on in the UK, Japan, and now, its efforts are springing up in the US. Although most agree on its positive intentions, others are asking whether the new strategy is realistic.

So, what does zero waste mean? It means that every single piece of waste should be recycled or composted. It means not even buying products that aren’t biodegradable. On a small scale, individual companies and towns have begun the transition. Utah’s KSL-TV 5 and BBC cite what they see as realistic examples in both a grocery store and an entire town.

“The goal here at Harmon’s is huge, to recycle or reuse 100 percent of its solid waste. The company says it’s the right thing to do. A lofty goal, yes, but attainable. Harmon’s has 13 stores and the ultimate goal is to have all of them participating.”

The BBC reports that in an 18-month plan, a city in the UK wanted “at least 95% of [its] residents to be recycling both "dry" items and food waste.” An additional advantage for the city is more employment as they staff plan promotion.

The New York Times points out some speed bumps and unintended consequences...

“...the zero-waste philosophy is now propelled by sobering realities, like the growing difficulty of securing permits for new landfills and an awareness that organic decay in landfills releases methane that helps warm the earth’s atmosphere.”

The Guardian and the Telegraph point to two more downfalls: the impracticality for individuals, and the cost.

“Householders could be forced to have as many as six bins and sift through every piece of rubbish under Government plans to increase the amount of recycling.”

The Guardian states that spendings on the UK’s waste disposal is set to go up by £1bn in the next few years, and the “Local Government Association fears the increasing costs of landfill tax and tougher rules on waste could hit other frontline services.”

CNN’s Reynolds Wolf and the Vancouver Sun take the opposite view, pointing out cases where going or zero-waste actually made money.

“In Catawba County, North Carolina , where they’ve been producing electricity from their landfill since 1999. That trash is creating methane, methane that is being pulled up by this well, and methane equals power." 

"Demo 'green' factories, restaurants and stores have debuted across Canada in the past couple of years, including a green Wal-mart. Wal-mart Canada’s VP of corporate affairs says: “When you reduce waste, you’re taking inefficiencies out of the system, which ultimately means you can lower prices.”

MSNBC shows a small and elderly town in Japan that is striving to become the country’s first zero waste city. The secret, gusto.
 
“There’s no trash collection here. Each of the villages 2000 residents sort their own into 34 categories at the local zero waste center. It’s the enthusiasm of the villagers that is making this project such a success. Now they hope they can be a model for the rest of Japan.”

Do you think the strategy is cost effective enough to be worth it in the long run? Is it doable on the larger scale? Leave us your comments.