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Zero Waste Month: Back to Basics

Zero Waste Month: Back to Basics

Ready to supercharge your zero waste journey? Transform your October into a Zero Waste SPRINT! Don't forget to sign up for the social media challenge and get started by heading over to zerowastemonth.org. We've got some amazing resources for you to get inspired, take action and share your creative solutions with the world on social media. 

#ZeroWasteMonth #ZeroWasteActions


Zero Waste Month: Back to Basics

Remember when we used to wash and reuse jars, patch jeans instead of tossing them, and eat real food off real plates? That was not a zero waste trend. That was just life. The 2025 Zero Waste Month theme, Back to Basics, is all about restoring the simple, beneficial habits that once kept our homes, our bodies, and the planet clean and cared for.

Your great-grandma was ahead of her time. Our great-grandparents never used the term zero waste, but they lived it every day by saving leftovers in reusable or biodegradable containers and drying their laundry in the sun. Products were not wrapped in layers of plastic or packaged in single-use, disposable containers. Food was fresh, not pre-processed or shelf-stable for years. Embracing zero waste today means recognizing the unnecessary waste hidden in our daily conveniences and rediscovering smarter, cleaner ways to live.

Going back does not mean going backward! It means recovering the everyday practices that once kept our air cleaner, our water safer, and our communities healthier. Zero waste is also a mindset grounded in respect for each other and for the natural world. Many traditional and Indigenous cultures still practice less wasteful and more harmonious ways of living, where people see themselves as part of a larger, interconnected ecosystem in which all beings and resources are valued. This view stands in stark contrast to most modern economies that treat nature as something to exploit and discard, leaving many of us fully disconnected from the origins and consequences of what we consume and discard.

So, please join us for Zero Waste Month and go Back to Basics. Before plastic wrap and fast fashion, we reused, repaired, and repurposed as second nature. Milk came in glass bottles, food scraps were fed to animals or composted, and clothes were patched instead of thrown away. These were not trends, they were common sense habits rooted in conserving resources, saving money, and showing care for our community and our environment. Reviving traditional practices is not about going back. It is about moving forward with intention toward a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable world.

Use less. Waste less. Care more. #ZeroWasteMonth


Join us for the Zero Waste Month Interview Series and go Back to Basics!  Hear from Rebecca Prince-Ruiz OAM, the Founder of Plastic Free July, Thomasina Joseph, the Community Engagement Coordinator for Clean Green Neighborhood Alliance, and Stacy Savage, Founder & CEO, Zero Waste Strategies.

Zoom Registration Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/-XveF9EoSWmpqzf7X86CoA

YouTube Live Link: https://youtube.com/live/HJeSdpT7hEw?feature=share 
 

Thank you to our generous sponsors:

  • Klean Kanteen
  • Go2Zero
  • Zero Waste USA
  • ZWIA - Zero Waste International Alliance
    ZWIA - Zero Waste International Alliance
  • Bay Area Bin Support
  • Zero Waste Sonoma
  • R3 Consulting
    R3 Consulting
  • GreenEducation.US
    GreenEducation.US
  • SCS Engineers
    SCS Engineers
  • Rainbow Grocery
    Rainbow Grocery
  • San Francisco Department of the Environment
    San Francisco Department of the Environment
  • ChangeX
    ChangeX
A black man and a white man in safety vests talk and sort waste at bins in front of a Zero Waste Station in front of a large crowd at a festival type event

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