If you’ve been frequenting the internet for at least a decade—and still doing so until today, you may notice a perpetual decline in the topic of zero waste. Go back 8 to 10 years ago and you would have found the worldwide web crawling with images of a mason jar full of trash, recipes for DIY cleaning products and bulk grocery stores that started popping up all over the place. Zero Waste was the bomb! Suddenly everyone started denying plastic bags in stores and sipping drinks from their stainless steel straws. From produce bags to little glass jars, non-plastic items started to become all the rage. Bonus points if you compost at home too. Then, almost out of the blue and without warning, it all started to crack.
As you know, I am also one of the people who practice this zero-waste lifestyle. My friends call me an SJW (social justice warrior), which an avid internet user will acknowledge almost as a slur. Personally, I just keep living my life with as little plastic as possible, so I never noticed when the shift happened, but it definitely did and now the term ‘zero waste’ is used exclusively ironically. If I had to pinpoint a time, it is most likely during the pandemic that the crack started to spread all over the movement. And with good reason. Let’s talk about it!
If you’ve been frequenting the internet for at least a decade—and still doing so until today, you may notice a perpetual decline in the topic of zero waste. Go back 8 to 10 years ago and you would have found the worldwide web crawling with images of a mason jar full of trash, recipes for DIY cleaning products and bulk grocery stores that started popping up all over the place. Zero Waste was the bomb! Suddenly everyone started denying plastic bags in stores and sipping drinks from their stainless steel straws. From produce bags to little glass jars, non-plastic items started to become all the rage. Bonus points if you compost at home too. Then, almost out of the blue and without warning, it all started to crack.
As you know, I am also one of the people who practice this zero-waste lifestyle. My friends call me an SJW (social justice warrior), which an avid internet user will acknowledge almost as a slur. Personally, I just keep living my life with as little plastic as possible, so I never noticed when the shift happened, but it definitely did and now the term ‘zero waste’ is used exclusively ironically. If I had to pinpoint a time, it is most likely during the pandemic that the crack started to spread all over the movement. And with good reason. Let’s talk about it!
Everything Wrong with Zero Waste
1. Zero waste is not inclusive to diverse cultural and economic backgrounds
While the movement’s goals in itself are admirable and worth pursuing, in its practice the zero waste movement has yet to create a model or provided methods that aid people of various cultural and economic backgrounds to get involved in it too. Zero waste primarily guides people to swear off plastics and switch them out for eco-friendlier materials, such as glass, wood or metal. The movement also encourages making one’s own consumable products, such as food and cleaning supplies. Both of these require time as well as money.
Consider low-income people who may need to work for 12+ hours a day just to make ends meet, or parents who may need to care for their children on top of their day jobs, or disabled people who may not have the physical or financial capacity to do so. Do you truly believe that these people do not care for the environment? Or do they simply feel that environmental movements, like zero waste, are not designed to include them?
2. Zero waste puts the accountability on individuals, instead of corporations
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, while it is true that individual choices have an impact on the environment, ultimately change needs to happen at a systemic level in order to effectively save the planet. We, as individuals, can only do so much before local, national and international regulations cancel all our efforts. Unfortunately, the zero waste and anti-plastic movements have inspired people in power to put further blame on consumers, instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.
The zero waste movement took the world by a storm as governments from numerous countries decided to implement the plastic ban, as a greenwashing shortcut to their regulations. However, in Indonesia—as I’m sure in many parts of the world as well, that created more problems. Companies replaced plastic bags with spunbond tote bags—which still uses polypropylene and is actually harder to degrade. Self-satisfied, the government builds more power plants, instead of phasing out fossil fuel. See how that backfires?
1. Zero waste is not inclusive to diverse cultural and economic backgrounds
While the movement’s goals in itself are admirable and worth pursuing, in its practice the zero waste movement has yet to create a model or provided methods that aid people of various cultural and economic backgrounds to get involved in it too. Zero waste primarily guides people to swear off plastics and switch them out for eco-friendlier materials, such as glass, wood or metal. The movement also encourages making one’s own consumable products, such as food and cleaning supplies. Both of these require time as well as money.
Consider low-income people who may need to work for 12+ hours a day just to make ends meet, or parents who may need to care for their children on top of their day jobs, or disabled people who may not have the physical or financial capacity to do so. Do you truly believe that these people do not care for the environment? Or do they simply feel that environmental movements, like zero waste, are not designed to include them?
2. Zero waste puts the accountability on individuals, instead of corporations
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, while it is true that individual choices have an impact on the environment, ultimately change needs to happen at a systemic level in order to effectively save the planet. We, as individuals, can only do so much before local, national and international regulations cancel all our efforts. Unfortunately, the zero waste and anti-plastic movements have inspired people in power to put further blame on consumers, instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.
The zero waste movement took the world by a storm as governments from numerous countries decided to implement the plastic ban, as a greenwashing shortcut to their regulations. However, in Indonesia—as I’m sure in many parts of the world as well, that created more problems. Companies replaced plastic bags with spunbond tote bags—which still uses polypropylene and is actually harder to degrade. Self-satisfied, the government builds more power plants, instead of phasing out fossil fuel. See how that backfires?
3. Zero Waste has people believing it’s the end-all-be-all of environmental movement
Who knows if this is what the founder of the movement intended, but zero waste has been marketed by participants, influencers and media as the one environmental movement to solve climate change. Actually, zero waste plays very little role in doing so. Essentially, all it ever aims to do is reduce the plastic waste pollution that has plagued our land and sea. It does virtually nothing for the rising number of GHG emission or biodiversity loss. If the movement offers a solution, it is only for one problem among the many our environment faces.
In fact, the movement has caused new environmental problems due to its rising trends. People flock to buy themselves tote bags and metal straws, without realising the impact of their actions on the planet. All for the sake of being ‘more eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable.’ But isn’t this just another face of consumerism?
3. Zero Waste has people believing it’s the end-all-be-all of environmental movement
Who knows if this is what the founder of the movement intended, but zero waste has been marketed by participants, influencers and media as the one environmental movement to solve climate change. Actually, zero waste plays very little role in doing so. Essentially, all it ever aims to do is reduce the plastic waste pollution that has plagued our land and sea. It does virtually nothing for the rising number of GHG emission or biodiversity loss. If the movement offers a solution, it is only for one problem among the many our environment faces.
In fact, the movement has caused new environmental problems due to its rising trends. People flock to buy themselves tote bags and metal straws, without realising the impact of their actions on the planet. All for the sake of being ‘more eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable.’ But isn’t this just another face of consumerism?
How Can We Do Better?
• Evaluate our entire consumption mindset, not just for certain materials
Zero Waste puts so much weight on our plastic consumption and disposal, but that is actually like tackling a weed problem by only clearing out one patch of our yard. While it is true that the production of plastic produces a lot of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and the material takes forever to degrade—if at all—the problem lies not on the material itself, but more on our consumption (and disposal) behaviour.
So, instead of trying to solve our problem by simply replacing one material with another—let’s face it: if we replace all the plastic we use with wood or metal, it’ll be just as bad—we need to take a look at our shopping habits and review its impact on the environment. Do we shop often? Do we buy unnecessary things? What do we do to our belongings once we don’t use them anymore? Do we dispose of them correctly? What can we do instead of buying something new?
• Evaluate our entire consumption mindset, not just for certain materials
Zero Waste puts so much weight on our plastic consumption and disposal, but that is actually like tackling a weed problem by only clearing out one patch of our yard. While it is true that the production of plastic produces a lot of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and the material takes forever to degrade—if at all—the problem lies not on the material itself, but more on our consumption (and disposal) behaviour.
So, instead of trying to solve our problem by simply replacing one material with another—let’s face it: if we replace all the plastic we use with wood or metal, it’ll be just as bad—we need to take a look at our shopping habits and review its impact on the environment. Do we shop often? Do we buy unnecessary things? What do we do to our belongings once we don’t use them anymore? Do we dispose of them correctly? What can we do instead of buying something new?
• Bring grassroots back to communities
While I’m not sure if it’s the intention, the Zero Waste movement—even from the name itself—comes off as a competitive act. Everyone is trying to one up each other, showing off the lack of garbage they produce that year or shaming others for forgetting their tumbler at home. However, in reality, there is no way we can live on our own—humans are social creatures, after all—especially when we want to make positive change on the world.
Normalise borrowing sugar and eggs from our neighbours. Make collective online purchases with friends to save on shipping and cut down carbon footprints. Start collective compost drives or DIY cleaning supplies. Host swap parties at work or uni or among your friend groups—it can be for clothing or household goods. Such practices will generally take the loads off us, especially when we need extra care—like when we have a newborn baby or just lost a loved one.
• Bring grassroots back to communities
While I’m not sure if it’s the intention, the Zero Waste movement—even from the name itself—comes off as a competitive act. Everyone is trying to one up each other, showing off the lack of garbage they produce that year or shaming others for forgetting their tumbler at home. However, in reality, there is no way we can live on our own—humans are social creatures, after all—especially when we want to make positive change on the world.
Normalise borrowing sugar and eggs from our neighbours. Make collective online purchases with friends to save on shipping and cut down carbon footprints. Start collective compost drives or DIY cleaning supplies. Host swap parties at work or uni or among your friend groups—it can be for clothing or household goods. Such practices will generally take the loads off us, especially when we need extra care—like when we have a newborn baby or just lost a loved one.
• Demand systemic change from the government
As I have mentioned above: Ultimately, the biggest contributors to the climate crisis are big oil companies, capitalist corporations and the government. While going Zero Waste may help cut down on plastic waste, at the end of the day, it is the regulations from the government that will help to really reverse climate change and cool down the earth’s temperature. We need to urge them to make positive changes for a lasting impact on the planet. Write an email to your favourite brands and ask them to phase out their plastic packagings. March to city hall or the parliament building and demand your government to switch to renewable energy. Advocate for indigenous people’s rights to their land and food sovereignty on social media. Boycott products that cause more harm than good to the environment. Think of it this way: swearing off plastic on your daily life is the bandage, but systemic change will stop the earth’s haemorrhaging.• Demand systemic change from the government
As I have mentioned above: Ultimately, the biggest contributors to the climate crisis are big oil companies, capitalist corporations and the government. While going Zero Waste may help cut down on plastic waste, at the end of the day, it is the regulations from the government that will help to really reverse climate change and cool down the earth’s temperature. We need to urge them to make positive changes for a lasting impact on the planet. Write an email to your favourite brands and ask them to phase out their plastic packagings. March to city hall or the parliament building and demand your government to switch to renewable energy. Advocate for indigenous people’s rights to their land and food sovereignty on social media. Boycott products that cause more harm than good to the environment. Think of it this way: swearing off plastic on your daily life is the bandage, but systemic change will stop the earth’s haemorrhaging.So What Now?
Personally, I will keep doing what I’ve done so far—and, hopefully, more. Zero Waste, for me, is not a fleeting trend nor an all-in-one solution for our planet’s environmental issues. It is quite possibly only a springboard. As you may know, I started going Zero Waste almost 6 years ago and have since grappled with the realisation that ‘zero waste’ as a goal is quite impossible in our current world. A lot needs to change on a systemic level—a higher level than what I can do on my own—before I can actually stop producing waste altogether. That is when the whole Zero Waste movement started to unravel for me.
That being said, the movement has a lot of good points that we should not dismiss. Keeping our consumption and emission in check, for instance, is a good starting point. But we should expand from that. Look not only on the plastic we no longer use or the mason jar of garbage we keep, but also at the energy that we use for our daily activities—at home, on our commute, at work, etc. Look also at the food we eat or the clothes we wear—and how we care for them. There are so many things we can do for our planet and the survival of mankind. It is unfair and silly to choose only one. Why not try to do them all? Imperfectly, slowly, but surely.
Thank you for reading along thus far, let us affect change together!
Personally, I will keep doing what I’ve done so far—and, hopefully, more. Zero Waste, for me, is not a fleeting trend nor an all-in-one solution for our planet’s environmental issues. It is quite possibly only a springboard. As you may know, I started going Zero Waste almost 6 years ago and have since grappled with the realisation that ‘zero waste’ as a goal is quite impossible in our current world. A lot needs to change on a systemic level—a higher level than what I can do on my own—before I can actually stop producing waste altogether. That is when the whole Zero Waste movement started to unravel for me.
That being said, the movement has a lot of good points that we should not dismiss. Keeping our consumption and emission in check, for instance, is a good starting point. But we should expand from that. Look not only on the plastic we no longer use or the mason jar of garbage we keep, but also at the energy that we use for our daily activities—at home, on our commute, at work, etc. Look also at the food we eat or the clothes we wear—and how we care for them. There are so many things we can do for our planet and the survival of mankind. It is unfair and silly to choose only one. Why not try to do them all? Imperfectly, slowly, but surely.
Thank you for reading along thus far, let us affect change together!