WHY ZERO WASTE NOW?
Almost all materials we use to manufacture products start with natural resources. Far too many of our production systems still cause negative impacts, including: mining, forestry and agricultural practices that create ecological damage and pollution, use too much energy and cause social dislocation; manufacturing processes that require virgin rather than recycled resources; distribution systems that increase waste and pollution; and disposal systems that waste the potential for continued use in discarded materials. Far too many of the refined products that flow through our economies end up concentrated in landfills, burned in incinerators, or wasted in other ways. Our worldwide manufacturing, distribution, and disposal systems have evolved with support from laws and practices over more than 150 years that encouraged the rapid conversion of natural resources into finished products. To some, the land appeared so vast it could absorb any amount of pollution while giving up its wealth endl
