Here's why you should also celebrate Zero Waste Day on March 30 every year!

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Here's why you should also celebrate Zero Waste Day on March 30 every year!
Can you imagine what your neighbourhood would look like if daily waste from all the houses in the area wasn't actually transited away? Picture having to hopscotch over heaps of garbage bags, cardboard boxes and food waste that have been rotting on the streets for so long that you're no longer sure the roads even actually exist anymore.
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We've tried many different methods of dealing with this mess, including wild ideas like blazing it to ashes, throwing it out of sight to the bottom of our oceans, or even digging gargantuan holes to bury our wastes deep underground. We've even proposed taking it to space, so it no longer remains our problem!

However, the tremendous scale of the issue makes these "solutions" exceedingly unsustainable. According to the United Nations, if food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. And the problem is due to explode monumentally, with estimates showing the global municipal solid waste generation could rise from around 2.24 billion to 3.88 billion tons by 2050.

As a result, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to proclaim March 30 as International Day of Zero Waste every year, and 105 countries have adopted it so far. During this time, UN member states, civil society, the private sector, academia, the youth and other stakeholders are invited to raise awareness of all available zero-waste and waste-management initiatives in the hope that we could come together to eliminate the problem entirely.

Cooperation at all levels is crucial in accomplishing this arduous task. For example, resource extraction accounts for half the world's carbon emissions. However, to extradite a move to sustainable extraction processes, consumers can play a pivotal role by changing habits and lowering their dependence on unsustainable products.

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The detriments of the waste sector reverberate through many facets of society and the planet, contributing significantly to pollution, the climate crisis, and even worsening biodiversity and nature loss.

"Every year, around 931 million tons of food is lost or wasted and up to 14 million tons of plastic waste enters aquatic ecosystems," the UN notes in a statement.

In order to make a change, we need to promote circular consumption systems, where the resources at each step of the product's life cycle are reused and recovered. This can significantly minimise damage to our air, land and water. The change can be incorporated on an individual scale by simply using things longer, repairing them when they wear out, or donating them to a recycling shop.

Industries should contribute by making products more durable and costing fewer low-impact materials. Manufacturers could also opt for less resource-intensive production and transportation methods.

"Zero-waste initiatives can foster sound waste management and minimise and prevent waste, helping to address the triple planetary crisis, protect the environment, enhance food security and improve human health and well-being," the UN note outlines.

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If you’re still confused on how you could help individually, there are plenty of resources on the internet to help you take the first step. And if you find something interesting, do discuss it with us on our social media!

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According to the United Nations, if food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. And the problem is due to explode monumentally, with estimates showing the global municipal solid waste generation could rise from around 2.24 billion to 3.88 billion tons by 2050.

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Scientists create car parts from lemons, corn, almonds and pomegranates that are better than traditional parts

Scientists create car parts from lemons, corn, almonds and pomegranates that are better than traditional parts

According to the United Nations, if food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. And the problem is due to explode monumentally, with estimates showing the global municipal solid waste generation could rise from around 2.24 billion to 3.88 billion tons by 2050.