Loading
  • GET INVOLVED
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • Play our recycling sorting game!
  • ABOUT US

    • Our Mission
      • Our Mission, Vision & Theory of Change
      • Our History
      • Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR)

    • Our Work
      • Social Enterprise
      • Annual Reports
      • Media Center

    • Our People
      • Board of Directors
      • Career Opportunities
      • Volunteer with Us
      • High Five Giving Club

    • Our Policies
      • Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Mandate
      • Privacy Policy
  • LEARN ABOUT ZERO WASTE

    • Zero Waste 101
      • What Is Zero Waste?
      • What Is Producer Responsibility?
      • Resource Library

    • Zero Waste and Climate
      • Zero Waste Is a Climate Change Solution
      • Why Zero Waste Is Often Left Out of Climate Action Plans

    • Zero Waste Benefits People
      • Zero Waste & Social Justice
      • Jobs & Economic Benefits of Zero Waste

    • Zero Waste Benefits the Planet
      • Pollution & Public Health
      • Zero Waste & Resource Conservation
  • SERVICES & FACILITIES

    • Eco-Cycle Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM)
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
      • CHaRM Fees
      • What We Accept at the Eco-Cycle CHaRM

    • Boulder County Recycling Center
      • Recycling at the BCRC Video
      • General Recycling FAQs for Boulder County
      • What to Recycle in Your Curbside Bin

    • Zero Waste Facilities in Boulder County
      • Tour de Thrift Map
      • Hazardous Materials Management Facility

    • Zero Waste Hauling & Consulting
      • Zero Waste Hauling
      • Zero Waste Consulting
      • Zero Waste Event Services
      • Zero Waste, Zero Emissions
  • OUR PROGRAMS

    • Reducing Plastics
      • The Global Plastics Crisis
      • Eliminating Problematic Plastics
        • The Most Problematic and Unnecessary Plastics
      • Better Recycling Starts with Better Product Design
      • Producer Responsibility to Reduce Plastics
      • Campaigns & Policies to Reduce Plastics
      • The Problem with Microplastics

    • Composting and Carbon Farming
      • Building a Circular Compost System
      • What Is Carbon Farming?
      • Carbon Farming in Boulder County
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
      • What Is Biochar?
      • State & National Efforts

    • Zero Waste Colorado
      • The State of Recycling & Composting in Colorado
      • Slashing Landfill Methane Emissions in Colorado
      • Statewide Legislative Campaigns
      • Community Legislative Campaigns
      • The Zero Waste Denver Campaign
      • Implementing the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act
        • Guide to Sustainable Serviceware for Restaurants
        • 2024 PPRA Guide for Municipalities
        • 2024 PPRA Guide for Businesses

    • Creating a Model Zero Waste Community in Boulder County
      • Zero Waste Policies
      • Zero Waste Programs
        • School Programs
        • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
        • Event Services
  • ECO-LIVING

    • Refuse and Reduce
      • Why Reduce?
      • Reducing Waste Starts at Home
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Reduce Your Plastic Use
      • How to Reduce Food Waste

    • Reuse, Repair, and Share
      • Reusables as a Solution to Single-Use Disposables
      • Repair Resources
      • Reuse and Share Portal
      • Tour de Thrift
      • Zero Waste Holiday Guide

    • Recycling 101
      • Why Recycle?
      • Recycling Myths
      • The Truth About Plastics Recycling
      • Household Hazardous Waste

    • Composting 101
      • Why Compost?
      • How to Compost in Your Backyard
      • Curbside Composting
      • Composting with Worms
      • Winter Composting
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
  • GUIDES & RESOURCES

    • Guides for Boulder County
      • Recycling Guide
      • Composting Guide
        • Changing Compost Guidelines
        • FAQs About New Compost Guidelines
        • Clean Compost Campaign Toolkit
      • Reuse Guide
      • Repair Guide
      • Hazardous Waste Guide

    • Research and Reports
      • State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado 2024 Report
      • Composting in Denver Report
      • AMBR Chemical Recycling Report
      • Microplastics in Compost Report
      • More Reports

    • Resource Library
      • Guidelines
      • Videos
      • Toolkits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Presentations

    • Popular Tools
      • Recycling Sorting Game
      • The Eco-Cycle Guide
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Zero Waste Schools Activity Guide
      • PPRA Toolkit
      • Clean Compost Campaign Toolkit
      • Guide to Sustainable Serviceware for Restaurants
      • State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado Report, 2024

Pollution & Public Health

Zero Waste invests in healthy people, healthy communities, and a healthy planet.​

Pollution & Public Health

Zero Waste invests in healthy people, healthy communities, and a healthy planet.​

Pollution & Public Health

Zero Waste invests in healthy people, healthy communities, and a healthy planet.​

LEARN ABOUT ZERO WASTE

  • What Is Zero Waste?
  • Zero Waste Is a Climate Change Solution
  • Why Zero Waste Is Often Left Out of Climate Action Plans
  • Jobs & Economic Benefits of Zero Waste
  • Zero Waste & Social Justice
  • What Is Producer Responsibility?
  • Zero Waste & Resource Conservation

Zero Waste Is Essential for Human and Global Health

Pollution isn’t just an environmental problem. Toxic chemicals affect the health of humans, as well as every other species on Earth, each and every day. Every one of us, even newborn babies, carries toxic chemicals in our bodies emitted from dirty manufacturing plants and polluting landfills and incinerators.

Zero Waste strategies help to slash the amount of toxins emitted into our air and water through strategies like Producer Responsibility policies, green purchasing programs, and expanded recycling. The result is fewer toxins in our air, water, soil, and bodies, so that we may all lead healthier lives.

Zero Waste Demands Safer Products

Product redesign is a fundamental principle of Zero Waste. Products and packaging should be designed to be reused, recycled, and composted—and they should be designed to minimize or eliminate the use of toxic materials, as well. Producer Responsibility policies and green purchasing programs motivate manufacturers to adopt these design ethics.

Zero Waste also embraces the Precautionary Principle, which means a chemical should be proven safe before being put into use, rather than removed from use once it’s proven harmful.

Zero Waste promotes safer products that protect our health through:

  • Purchasing policies that prioritize nontoxic products and packaging.
  • Bans and fees on products that are known to cause health problems, such as polystyrene packaging.
  • Policies like REACH that phase out the use of heavy metals in electronics and other products.
  • Reducing the use of disposable plastics when possible, particularly those using chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA).

Zero Waste Reduces Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans

Imagine five grocery bags filled with plastic on every foot of coastline around the globe. That’s how much plastic trash ends up in our oceans every year, a staggering 8 million metric tons. Scientists are only beginning to understand how this plastic affects both our marine life and our human food supply. Not only does plastic pollution kill birds and mammals, but it also increases the amounts of toxic substances like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and pesticides ingested first by fish and later by people.

In the next 10 years, the problem will double unless we figure out a different way. Zero Waste strategies are a key part of the solution, including minimizing the use of disposable plastics, requiring manufacturers to design products and packaging that can be easily recycled, and investing in more facilities and programs to recycle plastics.

Zero Waste Saves Energy and Protects Human and Ecosystem Health

Burning fossil fuels to create energy causes climate change and pollutes our air and water. When we use less fossil fuel–generated energy, we create less pollution. Recycling is one of the easiest and simplest ways to save energy and reduce air and water pollution. For example, recycled paper reduces energy use by 31% and reduces wastewater by 53%.

When we reduce air and water pollution, we reduce human health risks from respiratory disease and cancer, and we improve ecosystem health as well by reducing acid rain and the excessive nutrient buildup in our waterways (eutrophication). Getting to 75% recycling in the US by 2030 would reduce:

  • Toxic emissions by 25%
  • Respiratory emissions by 45%
  • Eutrophication emissions by 60%
  • Carcinogenic emissions by 70%
  • Acidification emissions by 80%
  • Ecosystem toxic emissions by 90%

Zero Waste Avoids Health Impacts from Polluting Landfills and Incinerators

Pollution doesn’t just come from how we manufacture products. Landfills and incinerators spew toxic chemicals into our air and water, too.

Even the EPA admits that all landfills will eventually leak toxic leachate, or “garbage juice,” that carries heavy metals, organic and inorganic pollutants, and other toxins. Leachate can contaminate groundwater and a community’s water supply, posing serious health threats to the local population, as well as burdening communities with a massive clean-up bill for decades to come.

Landfills also emit hazardous air pollutants such as mercury, benzene, toluene, and chloroform. Long-term exposure can impact the health of nearby residents.

Incinerators spew toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, respiratory problems, and disrupt the endocrine system. These are some of the most dangerous substances on the planet—they are persistent (meaning they don’t break down in the environment), bioaccumulative (meaning they build up in bodies), and toxic.

Compared to coal-fired power plants, trash incinerators release 28 times as many dioxins, 2.5 times as much carbon dioxide (CO2), 2 times as much carbon monoxide, 3 times as many nitrogen oxides, 6–14 times as much mercury, nearly 6 times as much lead, and 70% more sulfur dioxide to produce the same amount of energy.

We can prevent these impacts by eliminating the very concept of trash, and investing in resource recovery facilities instead of landfills and incinerators.

Zero Waste Supports Environmental Justice

Trash incinerators, oil refineries, power plants, chemical manufacturing facilities, landfills, and other polluting industrial facilities are disproportionately located in BIPOC and low-income neighborhoods. The result? Higher levels of disease and a lower quality of life in these communities.

Zero Waste means environmental justice for these communities by reducing manufacturing emissions, substituting safer products, and avoiding disposal emissions. Discover how Zero Waste supports social justice for people around the world.

Related Pages

The Global Plastics Crisis

Zero Waste & Social Justice

Zero Waste & Resource Conservation

Responsive Menu
  • ABOUT US
    ▼
    • Our Mission
      ▼
      • Our Vision & Theory of Change
      • Our History
      • AMBR
    • Our Work
      ▼
      • Social Enterprise
      • Annual Reports
      • Media Center
    • Our People
      ▼
      • Board of Directors
      • Career Opportunities
      • Volunteer with Us
    • Our Policies
      ▼
      • JEDI Mandate
      • Privacy Policy
  • LEARN ABOUT ZERO WASTE
    ▼
    • Zero Waste 101
      ▼
      • What Is Zero Waste?
      • What Is Producer Responsibility?
      • Resource Library
    • Zero Waste and Climate
      ▼
      • A Climate Change Solution
      • Left Out of Climate Action Plans
    • Zero Waste Benefits People
      ▼
      • Zero Waste & Social Justice
      • Jobs & Economic Benefits
    • Zero Waste Benefits the Planet
      ▼
      • Pollution & Public Health
      • Resource Conservation
  • SERVICES AND FACILITIES
    ▼
    • Eco-Cycle CHaRM Facility
      ▼
      • Microbe Brew
      • CHaRM Fees
      • What We Accept
    • Boulder County Recycling Center
    • Other Zero Waste Facilities
    • Zero Waste Hauling & Consulting
      ▼
      • Zero Waste, Zero Emissions
  • OUR PROGRAMS
    ▼
    • Reducing Plastics
      ▼
      • The Global Plastics Crisis
      • Eliminating Problematic Plastics
        ▼
        • Harmful Plastics
      • Better Product Design
      • Plastics Producer Responsibility
      • Campaigns & Policies
      • The Problem with Microplastics
    • Composting & Carbon Farming
      ▼
      • A Circular Compost System
      • What Is Carbon Farming?
      • Carbon Farming in BoCo
      • Microbe Brew Compost Tea
      • What Is Biochar?
      • State & National Efforts
    • Zero Waste Colorado
      ▼
      • State of Recycling & Composting
      • Slashing Landfill Methane Emissions in Colorado
      • Statewide Campaigns
      • Community Campaigns
      • Zero Waste Denver Campaign
      • Implementing the PPRA
        ▼
        • Sustainable Serviceware
        • 2024 Muni Guide
        • 2024 Business Guide
    • Boulder County Zero Waste Model
      ▼
      • Zero Waste Policies
      • Zero Waste Programs
        ▼
        • Schools Programs Overview
        • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
        • Event Services
  • ECO-LIVING
    ▼
    • Refuse & Reduce
      ▼
      • Why Reduce?
      • Reducing Waste Starts at Home
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • Reduce Your Plastic Use
      • How to Reduce Food Waste
    • Reuse, Repair & Share
      ▼
      • Reusables as a Solution
      • Repair Resources
      • Reuse and Share Portal
      • Tour de Thrift
      • Zero Waste Holiday Guide
    • Recycling 101
      ▼
      • Why Recycle?
      • The Truth About Plastics Recycling
      • Recycling Myths
      • Household Hazardous Waste
    • Composting 101
      ▼
      • Why Compost?
      • Backyard Composting
      • Curbside Composting
      • Composting with Worms
      • Microbe Brew
      • Winter Composting
  • GUIDES & RESOURCES
    ▼
    • Guides for Boulder County
      ▼
      • Recycling Guide
      • Composting Guide
        ▼
        • Changing Compost Guidelines
        • Compost Guidelines FAQs
        • Clean Compost Toolkit
      • Reuse Guide
      • Repair Guide
      • Hazardous Waste Guide
    • Research and Reports
      ▼
      • 2024 SoRC Report
      • Composting in Denver Report
      • Chemical Recycling Report
      • Microplastics in Compost
      • More Reports
    • Resource Library
      ▼
      • Guidelines
      • Videos
      • Toolkits
      • Fact Sheets
    • Popular Tools
      ▼
      • Recycling Sorting Game
      • How to Stop Junk Mail
      • ZW Schools Activity Guide
      • PPRA Toolkit
      • Green Cleaning Guide
      • Clean Compost Toolkit
      • Sustainable Serviceware
      • SORC Report, 2024
  • GET INVOLVED
    ▼
    • Volunteer with Us
    • Eco-Leader Volunteer Network
    • Eco-Leader Events Calendar
    • Subscribe
  • CONTACT US
  • DONATE
    ▼
    • High Five Giving Club
  • FOLLOW US

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

A-Z RECYCLING GUIDE


  • PLAY OUR RECYCLING SORTING GAME
  • RESOURCE LIBRARY
  • MEDIA CENTER
  • CONTACT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 19006
Boulder, CO 80308

Office & CHaRM Address:
6400 Arapahoe Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303

Recycle Hotline:
303.444.6634