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One of my goals for 2018 is to become more eco-friendly. I want to eat more locally and organically, use less plastic, and stop purchasing things I don’t really need. Because of these aspirations, I turned to Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson for inspiration.

In all honestly, I wanted to like this book. I had previously watched one of Johnson’s talks and felt inspired by her life. She, her husband, and two sons produce just one Mason jar of trash a year. They’ve committed to the shared economy and second-hand markets, buy in bulk, refuse one-use things, and live a more simple life. Johnson’s talk is helpful, her book was not.

The main disappointment for me was that the book didn’t go beyond her experience. It seemed redundant after having read through her blog and listen to her eco-talks. There wasn’t a lot of new information, and at times I felt she was writing just to meet a page quota. For instance, at the end of every chapter, Johnson includes an ABC wrap-up of steps readers can take to move towards zero waste. These lists reiterate the same information for multiple letters. Here’s an example : “Elect officials concerned about waste issues; Praise good practices and products; Sign petitions that support Zero Waste initiatives.” These steps are essentially the same: become involved in the movement and use your voice to influence others.

Now that we’ve gotten through my main problem with the book, I’d like to take a few minutes to discuss other things I liked and did not like.

Liked:

The author is clearly passionate about zero waste and has no trouble relaying that passion to her audience.

Johnson demonstrates that small changes do add up over time. One-use disposables (i.e. plastic bags and cutlery) clog up our landfill and are completely unnecessary; with a bit of preparation, anyone can cut these out of their life.

She spent a lot of time writing about composting, which was helpful. I never knew that food can’t properly break down in a landfill.

Disliked:

Johnson never went beyond the individual. It seems that if we could all get on board, we could stop using plastic. But aren’t corporations also responsible for part of the waste. If corporations don’t change their practices, then how much will using reusable bags really help?

The author’s suggestions may not be attainable for all. She’s clearly well-off and lives in a “European-style” community in California. She has access to bulk bins and can walk or bike most places. But what about people who live in food deserts, or in rural areas where public transportation does not exist? How can those who do not have access to zero waste options participate in the movement?

She suggests giving out raisins for Halloween. Seriously, I know she’s French, but that’s unforgivable. All laughing aside, I also had a problem with her section on birth control. She claims that using the pill and condoms is wasteful because of the packaging. She also writes that surgeries like vasectomies and hysterectomies are wasteful because of the one-time use items associated with hospitals (i.e. gloves, packaging for instruments, etc.) I’m not going to start a lecture on whether or not people should use birth control, but isn’t it irresponsible to create another human who will create tons of trash in his/her lifetime, just to avoid throwing away your birth control packaging?

If you’re interested in zero waste, check out some of the blogs or YouTube videos of zero wasters. This movement seems to be such an individual experience, I’m not sure a book could ever be written to cover all the aspects of it.

Publication Info

Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. Bea Johnson. Scribner, 2013.

ISBN: 1451697686

304 pages