Zero Waste

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Being "zero waste" means that we adopt steps towards reducing personal waste and minimizing our environmental impact.

Our community places a major focus on the 5 R's: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. We practice this by reducing consumption, choosing reusable goods, recycling, composting, and helping each other improve.

We also recognize excess CO₂, other GHG emissions, and general resource usage as waste.

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Around 26% of toys bought at Christmas are neglected by the end of January, and 40% will be thrown out within the first 3 months of being unwrapped. Combined weight of electronic toys comes to 3.2b kg (environmentjournal.online)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

As someone with kids, I still feel like I "hate Christmas". Not only all the waste, especially packaging, but the "obligation" to buy all your nieces/nephews toys - which has turned into just buying things off their wishlists that the parents picked.

so... why don't i just buy for my kids, and you yours, and we'll see you for dinner?

but then yes - all the waste! Having to "pick something", and then of course grandma buys the most random, lowest quality stuff I have ever seen. I don't even know how she finds them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

And one of my kids Birthday is just a few weeks before, and the other a few weeks after.

The house just explodes with crap between November and January.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

My daughter is in early Jan... this year literally made us call our mortgage broker and start looking for a bigger house.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Parents won't stop buying presents for their grandkids. I've asked and tried. They're too used to the consumerism of the era - have to buy things to show their love.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Friends don't let friends measure in bkg

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

How about in thousands of squirrels?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

The packaging for the toys is probably 26% of the waste! I despise plastic and the insane amount of useless junk my kids get for Christmas.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

For Christmas and her birthday my niece gets a craft box subscription, and a day out with Aunty Charlytune. She gets so many presents from family, friends of family, and friends, it's ridiculous. This Xmas I did get her a little handmade witches chest off Etsy that was filled with little potion bottles and trinkets, it was less than £15 though and I think she'll make a really good witch so really it's a practical gift.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

This year 100% of the gifts were purchased from Facebook Marketplace, including a full lot from a collector that was divided out as an Advent Calendar of actually cool usable stuff. Way cheaper, way more appreciated, helped some people in the community get a few bucks back without creating more waste

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Not an issue if buying used and retiring by donating to the second hand store.