Towards Zero Waste: How to live a circular life

by Feidhlim Harty

Is recycling really the answer to household waste? How do we eliminate microplastics from our wastewater? How do we avoid consumer goods that are designed to break? How do we stop the oceans being trashed? Towards Zero Waste offers practical tools for change in your own kitchen, on your weekly shop and around your home, as well as in the wider world. Féidhlim Harty explores how and why we need to go zero waste, firstly looking at where waste currently goes, and revealing the hidden world of food and product miles and embodied energy. He shares how to reduce waste room by room, at events, parties, during our travels, and at work. Having minimised waste for over two decades, Féidhlim and his family share their clever ideas to eliminate junk, buy wisely, free yourself from useless packaging, reduce not only your eco footprint but your household bills, compost all biodegradables, and reuse, repair and reroute. They share five simple steps to zero waste and inspire us to be active and push for change.

There is a hunger now within society to address the root causes of plastic waste, right back to the point of oil and gas extraction. People want no part in adding to plastics in the oceans or spreading microplastics into our water, soils and food. Nor do they want to be subjected to the cynical betrayal of consumer built-in obsolescence. Patience with government policy and corporate greenwashing is wearing thin. Towards Zero Waste offers clear guidance for anyone wanting to actively be part of the solutions and not the problems.

157 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2020

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, for the ableist rhetoric about avoiding taking medications that end up in our environments through our waste, by taking better care of our bodies…

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Towards Zero Waste... an exploration of buying less, using less, composting, reusing, and recycling as a last effort. Research and policies are cited throughout, providing a larger perspective on the global crisis we're currently experiencing. Well written, thought provoking, and helpful suggestions are offered for humans of all abilities and incomes. Items were discussed multiple times to stress importance.

[Rylee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the tips in this book are good, but I think this book really falls short in a lot of places. The book does little to discuss how the climate crisis will impact us in the future. It does go into a little bit of detail about why creating waste that is sent to the landfill is bad, but that section definitely could use some more specific numbers and fewer generalizations. Some of these tips are new and helpful, but a lot of them are so outlandish that few people are willing to implement it (installing compost toilets in my home? Building an outhouse for a wedding? No thanks.). If this were my first book I had read on the topic of the climate crisis, I would be intimated and overwhelmed. Do not recommend this book to others.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reduce items
Research alternatives
Refuse items
Reflect
Reuse
Return packaging
Repair
Reroute
Recoup energy
Recycle
Request change
Remember

[Daniel LeTexier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as helpful as I'd hoped

[Reet Dhaul · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book definitely had some good tips about reducing waste, but nothing that we haven’t heard before. A lot of the tips, however, were questionable and unrealistic…..Do not recommend.