What is the zero waste rule?

From this idea, the Zero Waste movement was born, based on the rule of the five R’s: refuse, reuse, reduce, recycle and ‘rot’ (compost). According to the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), the goal is to achieve ‘the conservation of all resources through the responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of all products, packaging and materials, without burning them and without discharging them into the soil, water or air, so that they do not threaten the environment or human health’. The model is summed up in these concepts: Reject what you do not need. Reduce what you need. Reuse all types of materials, packaging and wrapping (with the recommendation to consume second-hand products). Recycle everything that cannot be discarded or reduced. ‘Rot‘, a word that defines the action of decomposing or composting organic matter to obtain a natural fertiliser.