Why is Zero-Waste Important?

Plastic pollution is a real issue. In fact, the effects of single-use plastic on the environment are not only unsightly but can also be devastating to wildlife and ecosystems.  Single-use plastic is typically used once, but it needs hundreds of years to break down in landfills. And about 86 per cent of plastic waste ends up in a landfill. The remaining five per cent of the plastic is burned to create energy, which causes serious emission problems or enters the environment as litter.

Every year, countless animals are killed by plastic.  Animals with stomachs full of plastic have no urge to eat, and they die of starvation.  Currently, marine litter is 60 to 80 percent plastic, which ultimately means that many sea creatures are, at one point or another, swallowing this seawater soup instilled with toxic chemicals from plastic decomposition.

When disposable plastics degrade in the environment, they emit several greenhouse gases. When plastic is exposed to sunlight, it produces methane and ethylene, which have a detrimental effect. It has been determined that greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle account for 3.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  The plastics release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which has a negative impact on the animal and plant habitat. Once released, the gas emissions can be toxic and have adverse effects on the environment and human health.

Although we’re far from a complete solution to this issue, making some small changes can actually make a huge difference.  This is why I make products like shampoo and conditioner bars, it eliminates the single-use plastics that come from bottled hair products.  It is also why I only use recyclable packaging in general.  The less plastic we can all use, the more we can help the environment.