What is the zero waste philosophy?
This movement is based on reducing waste production and is closely related to the threat of excessive pollution of the planet. Excessive consumerism contributes to the creation of heaps of garbage, and plastic that takes thousands of years to decompose poses a threat to oceans and seas. To reduce waste production, however, it is not enough to stop at just minimizing the use of products, but to completely change your life philosophy.
When guided by it, five rules should be followed:
- Refuse - don't buy things you don't need.
- Limit - do everything to buy less and less.
- Reuse - for example, paper bags can be used several times and then use the leftovers.
- Recycle - one of the advantages of paper is that it can be easily recycled several times.
- Create compost - it is possible mainly in the case of waste of plant origin.
How to implement the zero waste philosophy?
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You should not stockpile food, especially food that spoils quickly. Products that stay fresh longer should be kept in appropriate conditions to prevent them from spoiling. Paper bags in which you can store loose products will be helpful here. - Not only food is important, but also the packaging for carrying it. It is worth replacing foil packaging, which takes hundreds of years to decompose, with paper bags , which are recyclable and can be used many times.
- The topic of recycling should be close to consumers' minds. At the same time, you should choose products that can be reprocessed and those that come from re-production.
These types of materials are marked with three green arrows. It is worth looking for them during everyday shopping.
Most often, clean, uncoated paper is recycled.
The first step to recycling
How should, for example, a paper bag be recycled?
The first step is waste selection. Currently, every citizen is obliged to return waste, preferably sorted. However, it is worth learning the principles of good waste selection. In Poland, we have four types of colors corresponding to waste categories:
- 1. BROWN is responsible for biodegradable waste, such as sawdust, branches, cut grass and food leftovers.
- 2. YELLOW includes metal materials, but also plastics or mixed materials.
- 3. GREEN is intended for glass waste.
- 4. BLUE is garbage made of cardboard or paper.
Thanks to a skillful selection process, waste management companies can direct waste to appropriate sorting. Then they are subjected to crushing, crushing and cleaning processes. In the case of paper materials, such activities result in the production of cellulose pulp, which is free of impurities and ready for bleaching.
Why is paper a good material for recycling?
It is worth knowing that although recycling is a new concept, the reuse of paper itself has a long history in the history of mankind. As early as the 11th century, Japan had a policy of reusing paper packaging. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the first recycling center was established. As you can see, paper processing has a long history and it is worth taking this into consideration when making consumer choices and choosing paper bags .
However, not all paper can be recycled. Keep in mind that:
- the paper must be clean (greased or dirty packaging cannot be reused),
- paper bags cannot be wet ,
- paper packaging cannot also be coated with foil, such as a milk carton ,
- packaging used for construction materials is also not subject to recycling ,
Apart from these exceptions, paper is very easily recycled. This supports the zero waste philosophy and reduces the consumption of natural resources.
Finally, it is worth knowing that paper can be recycled several times, which definitely helps reduce production.