October 21 to 27 is Waste Reduction Week in Canada, part of Circular Economy Month. This week and month offer an opportunity to learn and take steps to shift away from the Take-Make-Waste mindset that’s so prevalent in our society.

About Circular Economy Month

Circular Economy Month is a public awareness campaign powered by the Circular Innovation Council, a national not-for-profit organization. The campaign aims to educate and empower Canadians to support an economy that delivers on the key values of protecting the planet and empowering people.

The first Circular Economy Month took place in 2022, but Waste Reduction Week has been around since the mid1980s.

Since the industrial revolution, most of the world operates in a linear economy. We extract resources from the earth, use them to make goods, and then discard them when we’re done with them with little thought to the impact on the Earth. That’s what Take-Make-Waste means.

On the other hand, a circular economy makes products that use fewer materials, last longer, and produce less waste. Products are designed to last longer and be more useful. Reusing and repairing items is encouraged, and better systems are set up to collect and recycle materials and turn them into useful new products. Instead of Take-Make-Waste, think Reuse-Share-Repair-Recycle-Replenish.

Visit the Circular Innovation Council’s website to learn more about the circular economy.

We need a collective mindset shift

It’s hard to argue against the value of the circular economy, but it won’t happen without a collective mindset shift on the part of individuals, corporations and governments.

Individuals

I’m often dismayed when I walk around our neighbourhood on garbage day. The number of trash bags I see at the curb is alarming. Single-family homes throwing out 6 or more bags boggles my mind. What do people do to generate so much waste?

Our household of three adults rarely fills a single trash bag every two weeks. And it hasn’t been that difficult to get there. We’ve been faithful recyclers for many years, and we adopted the green bin for food waste as soon as our municipality introduced the program.

But the biggest mindset shift we’ve made is being more mindful about what we buy. We buy less, repurpose as much as we can, and pass items we no longer need on to others. It all adds up!

Corporations

But sadly, individuals can’t do it alone. Most of the blame for the state of the planet falls squarely on greedy corporations.

They start by designing products that aren’t meant to last—it’s called planned obsolescence. Then they manufacture those products using cheap labour. They put those cheaply-made products in wasteful packaging. And they use aggressive marketing to get you to buy things you really don’t need. To top it off, they use greenwashing tactics to make you think they’re environmentally conscious.

Corporations have a lot to answer for, so it falls back to individuals to fight back by doing our homework and supporting businesses that are serious about reducing their impact on the planet.

Governments

If individuals or corporations won’t do the right thing voluntarily, governments will need to incentivize the right behaviours through legislation. Government policies can perpetuate the linear economy or support the shift to the circular economy.

Many European countries are years ahead of North America when it comes to sustainability. The European Union has a Circular Economy Action Plan outlining 54 actions that have been, or will be, delivered. The Canadian government has taken some steps toward supporting a circular economy, but we have a long way to go.

Some ways governments can help include: banning single-use items, enacting right to repair legislation, shifting the cost of recycling to corporations, ensuring the protection of green space, and investing in public transportation services.

And individuals can put pressure on governments by demanding change and voting for candidates who support environmental initiatives.

Helping you take action this Circular Economy Month

If you’re serious about reducing waste and lessening your impact on the Earth, here’s a roundup of some of my favourite posts to help you get started.

• Helpful Waste Reduction Week tips for your household is a roundup of 11 tips to reduce waste in your home.
• Do you know the 5 Rs of waste reduction? expands on the traditional 3 Rs of Reduce Reuse Recycle.
• Mindful shopping tips – Save money and simplify life is a fresh look at how we shop.
• What I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge recaps my findings after a 6-week challenge where I bought only essentials.
• October 2021 zero waste challenge is over! How did I do? recapped how I did when I took the challenge to fit all waste for a month in a mason jar.
• 12 practical ways you can cut food waste offers tips on how to reduce the impact of the food we eat.
• 6 ways to turn your junk into treasure suggests alternatives to landfill for items you no longer need.
• Inside the wonderful world of waste management recaps the learnings from a tour of our local landfill and recycling centre.

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

Each of us has the power to make a difference in shifting our mindset to be more mindful and less wasteful. Instead of waiting for governments or corporations to solve the problem, resolve to take some small steps in your own life to reduce your impact.

What changes will you make to support the shift to a circular economy? Drop me a comment below to let me know.