The prestigious recognition stands as a testament to GTLF's commitment to zero waste practices and sustainable operations, a commitment that resulted in the company securing a TRUE award-winning waste diversion rate. 

Winning entry suggests replacing the plastic and aluminum often used in medication packaging with paperboard.

Indian designers are fashioning jackets and quilts from cutting waste and yardage rags, meeting zero waste goals that are key today

A new tool to improve the measurement of waste management performance has been presented by a recent study. The researchers applied it to three high consuming cities aspiring to ???zero waste???, finding San Francisco to be closer to achieving zero waste than Stockholm and Adelaide, due to its emphasis on reusing solid waste.

A new tool to improve the measurement of waste management performance has been presented by a recent study. The researchers applied it to three high consuming cities aspiring to ‘zero waste’, finding San Francisco to be closer to achieving zero waste than Stockholm and Adelaide, due to its emphasis on reusing solid waste.

A new tool to improve the measurement of waste management performance has been presented by a recent study. The researchers applied it to three high consuming cities aspiring to ‘zero waste’, finding San Francisco to be closer to achieving zero waste than Stockholm and Adelaide, due to its emphasis on reusing solid waste.

Came across an interesting article by Tei Carpenter, ‘Waste Not, Want More: Zeroing In on Designing Waste’ in the Avery Review 33 (September 2018). It describes a transition to a zero waste scenario for New York in 2030.

This is the Sankey diagram for the waste situation today (that is… 2018). An incredible 12,838 tonnes per year. Of which 75% would theoretically be recyclable. Instead, 80% end up as refuse, while only 20% are “diverted”.
[See image gallery at www.sankey-diagrams.com]
There is also a second Sankey diagram that shows how the city would handle its waste in 2030 with a zero waste strategy. Read the article at Avery Review or download as PDF.

Charlotte and Nick Baker managed to feed 135 guests on rejected food that was delivered one day before the wedding.

A group called Para Kore has been working since 2009 to spread the message of waste reduction and diversion.

Looking beyond traditional recyclables and the "blue bin", here are some of the organizations and companies seeking to redefine what we consider trash with alternative recycling initiatives and methods of reuse.

Finally, a true Zero Waste store has arrived in Canada! Méga Vrac features more than 700 products, making it a perfect place for waste-averse shoppers to stock their pantries.

Too much DIY, not enough realism. Let's just do our best.

We've already seen how pay-as-you-throw trash metering can cut landfill waste in half, and we've witnessed whole cities make composting mandatory. So there's little doubt that much, much

We visit the writer behind the Zero Waste blog TrashIsForTossers.com.

It turns out that some parents are less than thrilled.

Some areas have more resources than others, so do your best to work with what you have.

Adopting a waste-conscious and anti-consumerist lifestyle is not something that happens overnight. Sometimes it's nice to hear about other people who are just starting out, like this young family from southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Achieving 100% zero waste isn't always feasible, but the path toward zero waste comes with its own rewards.

The Post-Landfill Action Network, launched at the University of New Hampshire, challenges campuses across the continent to start tackling waste seriously.

These clever, all-natural wraps cut down on plastic use and make food last longer, too.

It may feel like the whole world is regressing toward single-use plastics, but the waste-free movement is far from dead.

Realizing that recycling isn't working, the chain will be eliminating single-use cups and coffee bags.

Businesses are saying no to shoppers who want to use their own cups and containers.

When zero waste lifestyle bloggers debate their go-to beauty products, these are the ones that keep coming up.

These single-use tablets are a smart way to reduce plastic waste, whether at home or while travelling.

Forget about Tony Stark or the Bionic Man, the real cyborg action starts with microscopic swamp creatures

When restaurateurs lunch together the conversation always, ultimately, comes down to food and the discussion of food wastage is never far off. At a shoot for mid-day recently, chefs Kelvin Cheung (Bastian), Karishma Dalal (Bombay Salad Co) and Pooja Dhingra (Le 15 Cafe) lamented the lack of composting facilities in the city. They say they have been trying hard to find an eco-friendly solution for their waste, much of which ends up being handed to the local civic body and ends up in a landfill. They have considered joining forces and starting their own composting facility, but it's early days.

Cheung, Dalal and Dhingra might find kindred spirits in other city restaurateurs who face a similar challenge. While some compost a small percentage of the garbage they generate daily, others try and reuse, some control output by cooking on a need-per-order basis, but the greater amount gets binned.

Bombay Salad Co, Bandra West
Waste generated every week: 700 kg
Waste disposed organically every week: Approx 50 kg Karishma Dalal (in pic), who runs Bandra's hip Bombay Salad Co, is waiting for someone to come up with a novel idea that could use all the organic waste her restaurant generates. "As we are a salad bar, most of our waste is made up of peels, stalks and leaves. Around 15 per cent is just cabbage!" As a restaurateur, it would be a huge economical undertaking for Dalal to send her garbage to a large composting facility, which Mumbai doesn't seem to have . "I have kept an eye out and nobody collects it on a large scale. The ones who do, in the suburbs, want me to arrange transportation."
What she is doing right: Distributing garbage to locals who compost at home
Solution: Dalal is trying to do her bit. Every week, she gives around five kg to Bandra residents who compost at home, and around 20 kg every three days to a friend from Pune who uses it in his nursery. "And, BMC comes twice a day for the rest."

Pod Supply, Andheri West (Meal prep service)
Waste generated every week: Approx 30 kg
Waste disposed organically every week: None
Chef Harsh Dixit says they follow waste management procedures including segregation as they only prep an order according to required quantities. He also says that they have never tried composting. "I have worked in three major cities - Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi - before Pod Supply, but I have never experienced restaurants composting their waste. I do believe with the changing food scene in the country; chefs and restaurant owners being more aware about practices like these, it will soon be adopted too."
What they are doing right: Achieve minimal waste by using ingredients to the maximum
Solution: "For example, we use the vegetable peels/fish bones to make stock which we use to cook rice, make soups and base for curries. Off cuts of meats and seafood are used for the kitchen staff meals. But we do land up with a lot of egg yolks as we use more of whites."

Ministry of Salad, Breach Candy
Waste generated every week: Approx 4 to 5 kg
Waste disposed organically every week: Approx 4 to 5 kg
Head Chef Akanksha Saigal says the main challenge she faces is that one day's waste is never the same as the next. It depends on the quantity of order versus what is consumed. "Luckily for us, our estimates are usually close to the benchmark," she says. She does say that in ideal conditions, they would like to compost this waste themselves or via an agency, however, as per regulations, they would need a license to do it. "At our end, we try to keep the waste down and only hope that the BMC makes good use of it."
What they are doing right: Reducing waste generated by ordering only what's necessary The restaurant works on an aggressive inventory system with the core team defining approximate sales per day. "This experience has made us almost intuitive, and we know how much to order for a particular day. Ordering right is the key here." Saigal also insists on using ingredients across dishes to ensure less wastage.

Lord of the Drinks, Andheri West
Waste generated every week: Approx 700 kg
Waste composted every week: None
At the Andheri hotspot, a majority of its waste comes from leafy greens and other vegetables since not all parts of every vegetable can be consumed. "Therefore, waste from meat is lesser," says JJ, Corporate Chef. The restaurant has tried composting, but it's not cost effective. "We use the segregation method. Due to lack of space for storing waste in Mumbai, a part of it usually gets disposed in garbage vans. I think the answer could be to install composting machines. However, these may not be cost effective for every establishment," he says.
What they are doing right: Segregating dry and wet garbage and using the former for manure, inhouse
Solution: The food waste is usually segregated between dry and wet. "Composting of dry garbage is easy at the restaurant level as most of it gets reused while gardening and makes for good manure," says JJ. But most of the wet garbage is binned. "There is hardly any government support in composting of such garbage."

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