Zero Waste Home - Book Notes

When I was immersing myself into the zero waste movement a few years ago, I did that mostly through YouTube videos and blogs. Through that learning I heard so much about this book as a catalyst for the zero waste movement. It was time I read it to see where the modern idea of zero waste started entering the mainstream.

Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life was written by Bea Johnson in 2013. It’s an easy to read book with a conversational tone. It begins by introducing the 5 R’s of Zero Waste and the benefits to people and the planet of living that kind of lifestyle. Each chapter then focuses on an area of your home or life and discusses how to apply zero waste approaches to that area.

I took notes in 2 ways for this book. My normal dot points as I read, and I also recorded a couple of pages of prompts with check boxes as I came across ideas or resources I wanted to explore further.
The book notes below are what I took as my usual notes. It doesn’t include all the categories covered by Johnson, and I’d certainly recommend a full read of the book to get inspired and learn so many ways to start or continue living a zero waste lifestyle.

The book starts with an introduction to the 5 R's and the benefits of the zero waste lifestyle. I'll do a full post on the 5 R's so will list them here in brief only: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot.

Kitchen and grocery shopping

• Manufactured goods are convenient but separate us from the making process
• Certain sense of freedom and smugness not relying on corporations
• Find sustainable balance between being easy and being green. Sustainable in this context is able to be taking actions over the long term
• Reusability is both eliminating disposables and buying durable quality replacements
• Bulk allows you to buy as much or as little as you need
• Buying bulk is an investment in the ideals of waste free, organic, and local
• Only make from scratch what you can’t find in bulk
• Favour recipes that require only a few bulk ingredients and are easy to make
• Have a system for shopping, what items you need, your lists, where to go and in what order
• Put all recipes in one digital place, types of foods like staples, family sizes, etc.
• Rather than having a variety of one type of food, rotate between them, e.g. legumes, grains, nuts, savoury and sweet snacks
• Vamp up your leftovers into new dishes, in France this type of food party is called bluffing
• Keep a water catchment container not only in your kitchen sink but also laundry and shower

Bathroom, toiletries, and wellness

• Perfection, or as close to, seems to be the tone at this point in history
• You will become more sensitive to smells, sounds, tastes, feel, sights of non-zero waste products the further you go into the journey

Bedroom and wardrobe

• Keep the bedroom focused on sleeping, reading, sex, and getting dressed
• A physically small wardrobe space promotes a closet full of things to wear - focused on your style and fit
• Let dust be your decluttering guide
• Set predetermined shopping days throughout the year, e.g. shop for what you need before/at the end of the season, or sale time

Housekeeping and maintenance

• Balance squeaky clean with hygienic
• Designate family members a napkin, towel, washer, etc. to use until washday
• Discriminate against ephemeral crap
• Embrace low maintenance, not just for the house but the yard too

Workspace and junk mail

• Cowork and work from home (much more accepted and available in a post-pandemic world)
• Digital detox, non-stop entertainment robs us of alone time; time we need that’s crucial for independent thinking, appreciation, gratitude, happiness and rest

Kids and school

• Voluntary simplicity has an immediate impact on finances
• Adjust to a new standard of living and balance less work, more family time
• Learn to say no to invitations and over scheduling; balance social time with family and being alone
• Adults benefit just as much as children do through balance of extracurricular activities, boredom, and unstructured play
• Enables a world where nothing is expected, and full control of abilities, limitations and achievements
• Cultivate imagination, evolve at your own pace, find autonomy
• Crafting and reuse can be used as reasons to collect materials, clutter and waste so careful with this

Holidays and gifts

• Simplifying holidays leaves you time to connect with what is meaningful about that time
• Embrace edible decorating

Out and about

• Be proactive as much as possible and prepare to have reusable items with you
• The zero waste lifestyle is full of positivity - money savings, less clutter, better health, satisfaction

Getting involved

• Any change at all benefits the environment, your health, and your finances
• Every time you act on zero waste you spread awareness and inspire others to follow your lead
• Inaction condones and perpetuates waste, action initiates change

The future of zero waste

• It does not deprive one of life's pleasures, it makes room for what truly matters
• So much more than waste reduction - enjoying simple pleasures, eating local and seasonal, healthier lifestyle, enjoying outdoors, community involvement and simplifying life
• Imagine a world where everyone can benefit from this lifestyle
• Our legacy - to have or to be?

I feel like the zero waste movement has morphed over the years, into and with other ideas like low waste, low impact, sustainable living, and simple living. It’s possibly become a familiar term that helps people start on a journey that will shift and change into other areas as they learn and grow.

I’d recommend this book for people interested in a comprehensive deep dive into zero waste, acknowledging there are a lot more flexible and accessible books these days to help people build all levels of sustainability into their lives, not just zero waste. As a catalyst for the modern zero waste movement entering the mainstream, it’s worth a read, and will lead you to many other resources and inspirations.