a Zero Waste Society

Showing a picture from (now defunct) Garbagescout at the Worldchanging book launch, Alex Steffen said something like: "Garbage is simply useful stuff in the wrong place". It is true- In Toronto we have no beer bottle garbage, because there is a ten cent deposit on them. In the UK, the Institute for Public Policy Research is calling for Britain to become a zero waste society. It says taxes should be applied to disposable products such as razors and cameras, encouraging people to buy more lasting products. They say consumers should learn to repair and reuse items rather than throwing them out, as well as recycling more. The think-tank report wants manufacturers to be compelled to design durable products that can be reused rather than throwaway plastic that will need regular, and profitable, replacement. 'We have become an increasingly throwaway society, reliant on cheap, disposable and hard to recycle goods,' said Nick Pearce, the think-tank's director. 'Business needs to take greater responsibility for the whole life of a product.' ::Guardian