Trash is our dirty habit. From the giant island of plastic in the Pacific to overflowing landfills, humans have left no part of the world untouched. And the U.S. is a top contributor to the global trash problem with the average American generating 4.4 pounds of garbage each day.
Members of a growing anti-waste campaign say with a little work it does not have to be that way. The zero waste movement has inspired a legion of followers who brag that they can fit an entire year’s worth of garbage into a tiny jar — and insist you can too with a little work.
It’s an idea that Bea Johnson, a native of France, has popularized in a book, speeches and on her website Zero Waste Home. Johnson says there are 5 ‘Rs’ to use as a guideline for achieving a zero waste home: “Refuse” what you do not need, “reduce,” “reuse” or “recycle” what you can’t refuse, and “rot,” or compost, organic products.
Johnson, who lives in Mill Valley, Calif. with her husband and two sons, gave TIME a tour of her zero waste home along with advice for anyone interested in cutting back.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- Sabrina Carpenter Has Waited Her Whole Life for This
- What Lies Ahead for the Middle East
- Why It's So Hard to Quit Vaping
- Jeremy Strong on Taking a Risk With a New Film About Trump
- Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election
- The 10 Races That Will Determine Control of the Senate
- Column: How My Shame Became My Strength
Contact us at letters@time.com