ABSTRACT
The author argues that the biggest threat facing our current lifestyles is our lack of sustainability. It is not going to be easy reversing the current patterns of overconsumption, but the best place to start is with how we handle our waste. Waste is the evidence that we are doing something wrong. Landfills bury the evidence and incinerators burn the evidence. We cannot run a throwaway society on a finite planet. Both the problem and the solution are in our hands. Everyone makes waste every day, but with the right political leadership we could be part of a concrete strategy that will move our communities towards sustainability. That strategy is the zero waste strategy. The ultimate goal might be utopian but we can move in the right direction with a series of steps that are practical, cost-effective and politically acceptable. The author outlines the ten steps to zero waste but warns that this movement may be co-opted by those who have a special interest in the continued production of waste.
