The Philippines was the first country in the world to celebrate January as Zero Waste Month. The idea was hatched in 2012 after Philippine youth leaders issued a Zero Waste Youth Manifesto calling for, among other things, the celebration of a Zero Waste Month.
In 2014, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III issued Presidential Proclamation No. 760 declaring January as “Zero Waste Month”. The proclamation promotes designing and managing products and processes to systematically eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials. It also aims to conserve and recover all resources, instead of indiscriminately disposing or burning them.
Proclamation No. 760 declares that zero waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
On January 22, 2015, the first Philippine Zero Waste Fair was held at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Organized by EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Mother Earth Foundation, and Health Care Without Harm, the fair served as an excellent opportunity for people to learn more about zero waste initiatives, and to partner with local government units and organizations supporting the zero waste advocacy.
The term zero waste was first used in the 1970s by Paul Palmer, a chemist whose company, Zero Waste Systems, was established to reduce the amount of chemical waste in laboratories across the United States. This means his interest in zero waste was scientific and monetary rather than ecological.
Bea Johnson, a French-American woman living in California, is widely credited with beginning the zero-waste lifestyle movement, starting small with her family of four and sharing the journey on her blog Zero Waste Home. Johnson brought the 5 Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot) of the zero waste movement to prominence. This template of zero waste living gave potential zero wasters around the world an easy to understand and implement rulebook.
Today, with the help of social media, people around the world are embracing a zero waste lifestyle. Zero waste is no longer a theory and is being put into action by people in cities all over the world.
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific is using the strength of the movement to celebrate International Zero Waste Month this January. The alliance was founded in 2000 when it brought together 83 participants from 23 countries to establish GAIA. The movement has grown into an organization that unites hundreds of members in 90 different countries. The alliance has played a leadership role in influencing climate policy, building a world free from plastic, and supporting cities in their transition to zero waste.
It would do well for all of us to take part in the yearly celebration of Zero Waste Month this January. We can start small by following some steps that can help in reducing our solid waste problems. For example, we can make it a habit to follow the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle); we can start segregating our household waste, and avoiding the use of plastic straws and cutleries when eating outside.
Ultimately, our goal is to follow a cleaner, greener alternative to the way we manage our waste. It is not too late for us to make a difference. If we can make this a habit, we can create a zero waste society and help make landfills a thing of the past.