Individuals, groups and organisations are all striving to achieve zero waste production in the backlash against the disposable society.

Drinks cans being recycled. The UK currently recycles 27% of household waste.

　　Zero waste movement

　　Pioneered in New Zealand ten years ago, Zero Waste is a radical but simple approach to litter. It means that nothing gets thrown away in the dustbin – we only use things we can reuse, recycle or compost. As well as reducing the damage that we do to our environment, it could also help save money.

　　Last year 6.2 million tonnes of food waste were sent to landfills in Britain. Landfill is the worst environmental option for waste produced in the UK as the methane it produces is a potent greenhouse gas – 21 times more potent than CO2.

　　Making bin men redundant

　　Retired teacher, Betsy Reid, from Suffolk is a zero waste campaigner. She has not had the bin men round for 5 weeks as there is rarely ever anything for them to collect.

　　What she can't reuse or recycle is rotted down into fertile compost for her flourishing garden. In the house she shares with husband, Colin, nothing is thrown away that could be used again.

　　Waxed inner liners from cereal packets are used to wrap sandwiches, an outgrown jumper became a dog bed, and she always cuts the tops off toothpaste tubes to get out every last squeeze.

　　"When I see a plastic mushroom container I nearly weep," says Mrs Reid. "What could I use it for? I could use it for lots of things - like plant trays - but I have got enough. Plastic does break down but it doesn't turn back into anything useful for hundreds, possibly thousands of years."

　　Green Party supports this approach

　　The Green Party is, unsurprisingly, a keen advocate of zero waste but it's an approach starting to gain ground among local authorities, as the UK seeks ways to dramatically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

　　Zero Waste Week 2007

　　In 2001, Bath & North East Somerset Council became the first local authority in the UK to adopt a Zero Waste pledge. Its long-term vision is to eliminate waste altogether, rather than simply manage it.

　　During Zero Waste Week 2006 the council managed to reduce the amount of waste by 75%.

　　Sarah Raban, Waste Campaigns Officer for Bath & North East Somerset Council, explained that if you make enough changes, it is possible to produce absolutely no waste – but the aim of this challenge is to see how close you can get.

　　A local recycling website

　　Grassroots organisations are flourishing on the back of this recycling drive. Individuals and groups are increasingly taking advantage of local recycling website freecycle. The network was set up in the US in 2003 to promote waste reduction and is now very popular in the UK.

　　Freecycle groups match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. Their goal is to keep usable items out of landfills. Items available for recycling in the UK are as diverse as grand pianos and four-poster beds.

　　2012 zero waste games

　　The London 2012 Olympic Games will also be implementing a policy to minimise waste at source, maximise recycling and use waste materials as energy sources.

　　Throughout the games, waste will be treated as a resource to be recovered and diverted into recycling, compost or clean energy production.

　　The objective will be to divert all waste away from landfill during the Games. Every venue will also feature an education campaign as well as recycling facilities.

　　By then, people in the UK may be a lot further down the road to achieving zero waste production.

　　Related links:  The Green Party http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news　　    freecycle  http://www.freecycle.org/

　　(Source: British Consulate-General in Chongqing)