Six Weeks to Zero Waste: A simple plan for life

by Kate Arnell

We are in the midst of a worldwide waste epidemic, where the average person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks. The figure looks even worse at national level with the UK producing more than 100 million tonnes of waste every year. We all know the importance of reducing our environmental footprint, but the prospect of going green can seem daunting. Six Weeks to Zero Waste is both an accessible and aspirational programme to eliminate waste - and it goes beyond plastic. In this book, TV presenter turned eco blogger, Kate Arnell, will help you on your path to rubbish-free living, with the principles of the 5 Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot). From cutting down on food waste and decluttering, to making homemade health and beauty products, you'll soon be on your way to a zero-waste lifestyle.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sustainability, Environment, Unfinished

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2020

Reviews

[Susan Bewley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will be honest; as someone who tries to be as green as possible, I was pretty excited to start digging into Six Weeks to Zero Waste: A Simple Plan for Life. In all honesty, I have very missed feelings about this book. While some of the advice is great (using reusable containers, making your beauty products, etc.), other bits were a bit extreme for my liking. For example, most American grocery stores and even locally owned stores don’t have the ability for you to get fresh olive oil in your reusable bottles or allow you to package foods as you like from the meat or deli counter. Other advice is a bit wrong (cleaning your inbox will not save on power) or unpractical for those who live in the United States (using a damp sheet at night rather than air conditioning during the summer). While this advice may be great for those who live in the UK, some of it isn’t possible for an American audience.

That being said, the book does have a lot of great recipes for cleaning and making your beauty products. Just know you will have to do conversions since everything in the book is in metrics. Though I don’t consider this the strong waste cutting, green living book I own, I do consider it a good start for anyone wanting to cut their waste.

[Frederique · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this is a good book for starters but if you already know a bit about trying to reduce your impact on the environment and the waste you produce, this book doesn't add any extras. The ideas of bringing your own boxes but buy lot of meat and dairy, or refuse a paper napkin on a flight but go on holiday by plane more than 2 times a year seemed to me a bit weird and 'penny wise, pound foulish' on the impact of the environment. However it does has good tips for beginners and the tip about writing to the manufacturers is good as well.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una excelente guía para reducir tus residuos, sin necesidad de volverte un hippie de la montaña

[Aimee Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living sustainably is exhausting I just wanna be part of a rainforest tribe and eat fruit straight from the trees.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good starting point, lots of good tips and the layout and style of the book is really aesthetically pleasing, I like that the author gives a lot of space to food waste because that is a huge problem, although no tips on how to avoid it, just on how to deal with it when it happens.
I wish the author had emphasised more about the most eco-friendly items being the ones you already own, I definitely got the vibe that from this book that I should bin a lot of non-eco things to replace with eco-alternatives which is not zero waste at all.
Also some of the suggestions were a bit mad, more than once the author suggests opening your own zero-waste store....all well and good but 99% of the readers will not be in a position to do that, really doesnt help expand the zero waste community outside of those who are well off, although the author is occasionally aware of price constraints on some things.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good next step for me in my quest to reduce the amount of waste I produce. As someone who changes relatively slowly, I really appreciate Arnell's step-by-step guide matched with clear, simple, positive reasons for making the changes she suggests. Much of the information and values was a review for me from other zero-waste books I've read, but the practical implementation of the values in sequence and over time is good for me at a time when I don't feel as though I have the capacity to make a list of changes myself. The fact that she has made a list to follow does wonders for my need for structure and a plan.

I also appreciate her overall attitude of kindness, empathy, and flexibility.

Would recommend.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus of this book lies solely in giving tips and I think this is a major strong point. Alot of this definitely wasn't new information but there were definitely a lot more takeaways than I expected, especially when it comes to cutting waste around cleaning products and how to write an email/letter to conpanies asking for change. This was the perfect book to help me get back into the low waste mindset which covid has made so difficult to maintain.

[Lillian Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could have one wish come true it would be that everyone I know (and then everyone on earth) read this book, (and simultaneously read “A life on our planet” by David Attenborough.) Six Weeks to Zero waste is just a step by step guide on how to become zero or low waste. If you are interested in this but don’t know where to start, Kate Arnell breaks it down into easy steps for you. (Also, reading David Attenborough’s book will help inform you about WHY this is so important!)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for the zero waste neophyte, and a nice pat on the back for those of us already on the journey. The title is a bit misleading though - depending on where you live, your current lifestyle, and the availability of zero waste resources... six weeks might be a bit of a stretch.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque la autora lo ha escrito desde la realidad que vive en Reino Unido, donde hay mucha más cultura en torno al reciclaje y sobre todo a la compra y venta de segunda mano, me ha servido para apuntarme algunas buenas ideas para vivir respetando más mi entorno.

[Rita Malcata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading, some tips and some recipes. I won't start with everything

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very simple but practical book...feels good when you already have some zero waste habbits and look for something else to try.

[Shayla Stark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how relaxed the author came across with hints and tips and the constant reminders about not being “perfect”

[Maddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het was een aangenaam boek om te lezen. Naar mijn mening te oppervlakkig. Er had nog wat meer verdieping en uitleg in de verschillende thema’s mogen zijn.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for beginners.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pet section was great as it's rarely touched on in other zero waste books especially about waste disposal

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some great recipes towards the end of the book.

[Heleen De Zeeuw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek moedigt me aan om afvalvrijer te gaan leven. Het heeft me in ieder geval al aangespoord tot kleine stapjes in de goede richting (zoals: koffie bij tankstation in mijn eigen beker).

[Femke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuke tips maar wel echt voor als je nog niet echt bezig bent met duurzaamheid.

[Unidentified Sprout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have already been practicing some lifestyle changes that were mentioned even before I picked up this book. Resonated with the author on her views. Great motivation for me.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these tips are truly bizarre (sorry, but I'm not washing my face with honey or sleeping with a wet sheet instead of AC) and others are impractical/unavailable for most Americans (such as much of the grocery section), but there are a few good tips. What I really appreciate is how judgement free and lacking in pretension it is. She acknowledges that you won't be able to use every tip, but that it's ok to try your best. That's a refreshing change from most zero-waste writers.

[Sarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een heel goed boek voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in zero/low waste leven.

Dit boek maakt het overzichtelijk en laat je in kleine stappen zien dat iedereen zijn/haar steentje kan bijdragen hoe klein ook.

Meer lezen over dit boek? Lees dan gauw hier verder!

[Lizzy Aumonier · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great resource that i'm sure i'll refer to!

[Yaz O'Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic for beginners and those further into their zero waste journey. Helpful without being "pushy" and with loads of great tips and tricks. Engaging throughout, I loved it.

[Hannah Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starter ideas for those wanting to reduce their impact on the environment.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and very informative! Not a comprehensive zero-waste blueprint, but it offers some very helpful tips to help drastically reduce your waste.