Amy Korst

The informational parts of the book -- what happens to trash, what can and can’t be recycled, cleaning product recipes, the A-Z recycling guide – are really interesting and well worth reading if you’re looking to learn about trash and reduce waste in your life. I like that Korst breaks her waste reduction strategies down into categories of easy, moderate, and advanced, and I like the topical organization of the book. You can pretty much skim the bulk of the content if you just read the show more last page of each chapter.

On the other hand, the repetitive philosophical meanderings and the sometimes (I hate to say it) ridiculous suggestions made me feel at points like I was reading a book written by a Portlandia character. Actually, I think that takes me to my real problem with this book: it’s too much a journal, too personal, not enough a how-to manual. Korst’s story is inspiring, but not everything here is relatable or applicable to a person who wants to live a normal life that includes cream cheese (which I do), or, say, to a person who does not want to wear resoled Birkenstocks (which are made of dead animals, hello) until the end of time, or to alienate their families, friends, coworkers, etc. Can you imagine giving someone a gift wrapped in newspaper with a note on the upcycled grocery bag gift tag requesting that the recipient please recycle? Or using "Think about the environment before printing this e-mail" as your standard work signature? I really can’t. If I've learned anything from fifteen years of vegetarianism/pescetarianism, it's that you keep your crusades to yourself unless asked about them, because no one likes to feel like they're being judged. But I digress. I suppose I was just looking for something a little more positive, a little more beginner-friendly, and a lot more informational than personal.

All the same, I learned a lot from this book, and I imagine most people would. But get this one from the library and save a tree. show less

Despite having been immersed in waste-reduction for some time now I was pleasantly surprised to learn so much from this book. There were some great practical solutions: ideas for composting in apartments, information about take-back programs for hard to recycle items like #5 plastic, and plenty of disposable alternative ideas (similar to what I picked up from No Impact Man and Plastic Free).

But what I liked best about the book was its tone: upbeat and excited. Korst constantly reinforces the show more key ideas that you can do this, every little bit really does help, and it's OK to make compromises. That was really reassuring. I am already ahead of the curve when it comes to the three Rs, but I feel tremendous pressure to do more – and at the same time tremendous social anxiety about doing things like bringing reusable containers to restaurants (although, oddly, I have no qualms about pressing my reusable bags on checkers and my "sippy cup" on baristas).

Another point I appreciated: constant reiteration of the all-too-little-known fact that almost nothing decomposes in a landfill. Your compostables will not compost. Your degradable bag will not degrade. Decades-old newspapers can still be read when unearthed.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to reduce (or eliminate) their waste. It's not the only one out there (the field is growing and I have a lot of reading to do!) but it is accurate, informative, and supportive. Anyone can make a change for the better with this book in hand. show less

Quite extreme for my taste but some good information, especially for people not already recycling & composting. The requirement to put nothing in the garbage sometimes led to some pretty silly suggestions. The cleaning product recipes look useful.

I had an advance reader copy & hope several things were caught at that stage since there were some contradictions and questionable details.

Zero Waste Lifestyle is an excellent guide to reducing your garbage output to virtually nil. While not many will be able to go the whole route, there are excellent suggestions for whatever level of recycling (and other methods of decreasing consumption) that you are comfortable with. An inspiring book, and it will probably save you money.