The Zero Waste International Alliance defines zero waste as “the Conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials without burning them and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”

Version 8.0 — Last updated May 19, 2022

How do we make the best use of our solid waste as a resource? Here is the Zero Waste International Alliance’s answer:

Recycling and composting alone can reduce our need for landfill space as much as burning it!

As you can see, after the steps of rethinking/redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, material recovery and residuals management, there is still a small amount of waste that must be landfilled. But if we follow steps to minimize our solid waste, and reuse materials instead of using your natural resouces, it will be quite small.

Learn more from the Zero Waste International Alliance website