The Zero Waste philosophy. What’s the reason you decided to go zero waste? Writing it down solidifies your resolve,... 2. focus on eliminating single use items first:. The Zero Waste Home A guide to minimizing your waste generation America is the king of trash. The Beginners Guide to Zero Waste Living 1. write down your ‘why’:. Zero Waste is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Zero Waste Nerd is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Zero-waste living means aiming to reduce landfill-bound trash to the bare minimum—a worthy goal considering that a plastic bag could take up to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill. The concept of Zero Waste revolves around minimizing the waste you produce, or even eliminating it altogether. Estimates suggest that Americans produce around 4.5 pounds of waste per day, and while the US represents only 4% of the global population, they are responsible for around 12% of the global municipal solid waste (MSW) figure. When you look through your trash, you’ll probably find discards that could be recycled, reused or repurposed.