If you are on a sustainable lifestyle journey, then you probably bumped into the term “zero waste” several times.

Just like an ethical and sustainable lifestyle, zero-waste living is also getting the buzz. However, not everyone is keen on what it truly means.

Just as the term suggests, zero waste essentially means living with minimal to zero waste. Although it touches every aspect of life, it mainly pertains to product usage.

To help you better understand the term zero waste, here are the five Rs of it.

• Refuse– Reuse what is unnecessary such as single-use plastic, coffee cups, plastic razors, etc.
• Reduce– You can reduce the things you need by minimizing clothes shopping occasions, reducing laundry times, and resist your desire to buy the newest models of tech gadgets.
• Reuse– Do this by repurposing or purchasing used items from a garage sale or a charity auction.
• Recycle- Try as much as possible to recycle the things the previous R’s could not eliminate.
• Rot or decompose what is left.

While the 5Rs are important, you should note that leading a zero-waste lifestyle is not only limited to them. Everyone can develop and practice their unique ways of living a waste-free life. The act of minimizing waste alone is a huge step towards making our environment greener and cleaner.