According to the National Geographic worldwide we have produced 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic in which only a mere 9% has been recycled. With a majority of this plastic being single use.

We witness this in our everyday lives such as the unnecessary packaging of food products in supermarkets, plastic toothbrushes and other necessities that we take for granted and throw away without a thought. With scientists stating that in the next decade or so left until global warming causes irreversible effects a zero-waste lifestyle may become one of the only solutions to help us slow down the process. So, what exactly is a Zero waste lifestyle? Zero waste is an upcoming lifestyle soaring in popularity due to social media publicity which is in turn helping us combat climate change worldwide. The fundamental idea of Zero waste is that it’s a movement which aims to reduce what we consume and throw away in order to have a sustainable lifestyle. This way of living ensures that less indecomposable products like plastic are wasting away in landfills or in the ocean. If landfills are not increasing in size at a fast rate due to factors like zero waste, it means that dangerous gases like Carbon monoxide are not being released into our atmosphere. Pollutants in the air are contributing to the warming of the earth which has dire consequences such as coral bleaching in our oceans, rising temperatures, ice caps melting all of which destroy animal habitats and our homes.

The zero-waste lifestyle cannot occur overnight but if little by little each one of us begins to become more conscious of our purchasing decisions by being well-informed and more socially aware we can make a difference. There are numerous videos uploaded on YouTube on how to achieve a successful zero waste lifestyle. Even basic knowledge such as not buying products online or buying organically sourced produce opposed to food being imported from foreign countries helps because both activities needs transportation which causes the burning of fuels like coal or petrol which produces greenhouse gases that increases in global warming. There are also easier methods of a zero-waste lifestyle that can be incorporated in our daily lives like Eco friendly products such as toothbrushes made from bamboo or metal straws instead of plastic are affordable ways of preventing the use of plastic. All in all regardless if you go the full way of an zero waste lifestyle or simply using less plastic are moral choices we can make every day which can help us collectively make a change.