The ecological effect of human consumption and waste production has raised many concerns today. The need for sustainable living and the earth’s diminishing resources calls for a zero-waste lifestyle. Zero-waste living aims to reduce carbon footprint, foster responsible consumption, and mitigate waste production. While supporters of this lifestyle tout its numerous advantages, opponents suggest that it may only be viable for some. This paper will discuss the advantage and disadvantages of a zero-waste lifestyle and argue that although it leads to environmental conservation, it can pose issues and limitations for global adoption, such as being costly and time-consuming.
The first advantage of a zero-waste lifestyle is that it decreases people’s exposure to chemical hazards and processed foods. Zero-waste lifestyle advocates typically contemplate any product’s environmental and health consequences before buying it. Nowadays, people consume fashion, food, and other resources without contemplating their impacts on their bodies and the environment Cooper (2020). Buying without thinking is the reason for increasingly growing volumes of waste per household. Moreover, thinking before buying as a characteristic of zero-waste living helps people avoid buying the things they do not need, thus reducing waste. Louise (2021) adds that zero-waste living helps maintain healthy lives by cleaning products and consuming natural foods. Therefore, since a zero-waste lifestyle necessitates thinking about the effects of a product before buying it, it ensures that people do not buy goods that are harmful to their health and the environment, such as processed foods and chemicals.
Another advantage of a zero-waste lifestyle is that it helps keep the environment clean and safe, thus making the earth a better place. Fisher (2022) illustrates that zero-waste living aims to eliminate waste from landfills. She adds that eliminating waste from landfills limits social and environmental impacts such as global warming and anxiety. When waste decays in landfills, greenhouse gases are released, which later harm the environment. Therefore, when people avoid depositing waste in landfills, the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released into the air is low. As a result, the environmental impacts lie global warming becomes less severe. Brown (2017) states that a zero-waste lifestyle encourages people to purchase eco-friendly products. Moreover, the efforts associated with zero-waste living, such as compositing and recycling, are viable in mitigating waste. Moreover, other efforts include composting, preserving the soil, and limiting the amount of carbon discharged into the atmosphere. As a result, composting helps mitigate the greenhouse effect. Thus, since zero-waste living prohibits careless discharging of waste to the environment, it helps conserve the environment.
The primary limitation of zero-waste living is that it is time-consuming. Green (2018) claims that people who want to live a waste-free life must make everything from zero, which consumes much time. Other people, communities, and governments that advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle must manufacture eco-friendly deodorants, body lotions, and toothpaste. All these products are tedious to produce compared to those already manufactured. As a result, most people can become unproductive in other areas of their lives, such as a career pursuing a zero-waste lifestyle. Cooper (2020) states that a zero-waste lifestyle cannot be achieved overnight. It is achieved by following various steps, one at a time. For example, breaking the cycle of consuming and disposing of requires time. Moreover, building a zero-waste lifestyle necessitates joining a zero-waste group, which may take a long time before getting one. Anyone who wants to embrace this lifestyle must be willing to sacrifice their time in the quest for a zero-waste community to join. Additionally, it takes time for the group to bond, share their experiences, and brainstorm ideas and strategies to ensure a zero-waste lifestyle after joining or creating a zero-waste group. Consequently, a zero-waste lifestyle is a tedious thing to realize.
The second limitation of a zero-waste lifestyle is that it is costly. Johnson (2019) indicates that the need to buy many eco-friendly products caused by the quest for a zero-waste lifestyle is the main reason this kind of living is relatively expensive. He supports his claim by stating that people who live in distant suburbs find it challenging to get eco-friendly products. As a result, they spend extra money traveling to other places to find these products, which causes their daily expenditures to surge. Additionally, most environmentally friendly products are relatively overpriced, making it difficult for some people to afford them (Johnson, 2019). For example, only some can afford to use specially produced zero-waste products because many consumers need more monetary resources to invest in and purchase these products. Lastly, these specially made eco-friendly products make their users spend large sums of money in investment and purchasing. Brown (2017) also suggests that most zero-waste firms encourage more consumption among consumers instead of focusing on reducing waste as they should. He adds that most zero-waste products are not necessary. In short, unnecessary purchases and the urge to buy more eco-friendly products among zero-waste practitioners causes them to have an expensive lifestyle.
This paper has analyzed the benefits and limitations of a zero-waste, zero-life lifestyle. A zero-waste living offers significant benefits, such as safeguarding people against health threats and promoting environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, this kind of living is accompanied by problems and limitations like being too expensive and time-consuming. While zero-waste living can be infeasible to some people, adopting some of its strategies and practices can lead to a more sustainable lifestyle. Therefore, as individuals, communities, environmental activists, companies, lawmakers, and governments continue to debate ways of tackling environmental disasters, a well-adjusted approach that accounts for both the advantages and disadvantages of zero-waste living is required to make informed judgments and reinforce sustainable living.
Reference List
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Fisher, E. (2022) ‘Reasons why zero waste is important?’, The New York Times, 8 May. Available at: https://core.xjtlu.edu.cn/mod/folder/view.php?id=339753 (Accessed: 19 March 2023).
Green, N. (2018) ‘How to start a zero-waste lifestyle’, Lifestyle and Inspire, pp. 13-15. Available at: https://core.xjtlu.edu.cn/mod/folder/view.php?id=339753 (Accessed: 9 March 2023).
Johnson, M. (2019) ‘How effective is the zero-waste lifestyle?’, Environment and Behavior, 52(4), pp. 33-35. Available at: https://core.xjtlu.edu.cn/mod/folder/view.php?id=339753 (Accessed: 14 March 2023).
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