Zero waste: What does it take to become a 'tiny trash' household? | The Stream

Scorning the convenience of cheap clothes, packaged foods and plasticware, more people are embracing the zero-waste movement.

Through composting, recycling and shopping with one's own containers and bags, adherents aim to reduce landfill and ocean waste in the coming decades.

Taken to the extreme, some households manage to reduce a whole year's worth of rubbish into one small jar.

Though it is gaining global momentum, the movement has plenty of critics. Zero-waste adherents are often accused of being "elitist."

Some also question whether minimalist lifestyles can help the environment, amid a world economy that revolves around consumption.

But activists do appear to be making some structural strides. In recent years, large companies have announced plans to reduce single-use packaging in their offerings. Many countries have also begun taking eco-friendly steps such as phasing out plastic bags.

Still, waste continues to pile up. The World Economic Forum for example warns that there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the world's oceans by 2050.

In this episode we ask, what does it take to become a zero-waste household?

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