I just spent 2 days at a Zero Waste Conference. Here’s my takeaways as a complete outsider to the field.

– Zero Waste people have metrics for everything. It is baked in to the field.
– “If you go into waste, you will always have a job” Neil Seldman
– Landfills are the largest human source of methane.
– I’m 80% sure I got this part right: the methane seems to mostly be due to organics decomposing, which could be diverted to better use.
– Highest/best use is a standard concept as well as a waste hierarchy. https://zwia.org/zwh/
– Working on reducing consumption is a political hot topic, but grants and expert assistance are available for reuse, recycle/compost and divert
– Zero Waste and Sustainability don’t always talk to each other, but zero waste see themselves in an environmental and social justice frame
– Very smart people are trying to make it as easy as possible for the rest of us to take care of our planet