Treading a Zero Waste Path
Reuse models, single-use plastics bans, extended producer responsibility, and bottle deposit schemes are among zero waste practices gaining traction. But even as these concepts catch on, only the most progressive and determined communities have made meaningful headway.
Zero waste policies and programs are slowly but steadily emerging across the world. Their adopters see them as a way to shift from a linear economy that thrives on mining, manufacturing, and disposing materials to a circular approach to keep products and packaging in distribution and slow the tide of waste.
Reuse models, single-use plastics bans, extended producer responsibility, and bottle deposit schemes are among zero waste practices gaining traction.
But even as these concepts catch on, only the most progressive and determined communities have made meaningful headway.
These programs are broad and comprehensive, demanding a series of time- and labor-intensive steps to get them off the ground, says Gary Liss, vice president of Zero Waste USA. The organization supports cities, joint power authorities, nonprofits, and others in developing or strengthening reuse, recycling, and compost programs.