What is invisible waste?

You've probably already heard the phrase "the best waste is the one you don't produce". It's totally true, but you still have to think about all the waste: the visible waste (the packaging and the objects that we throw in the bin) and the invisible waste! But by the way, what is invisible waste?

At every stage of an object's life cycle, waste is generated: from the extraction of raw materials, through its production, transport, use, recycling and end of life. This is what is known as the hidden waste or the "ecological backpack" of objects. For example, as the Lyon branch of Zero Waste FranceFor example, if you throw away a 50 gram toothbrush, you are actually throwing away 1.5 kg of resources. For a computer, the figure rises to 1.5 tonnes!

According to ADEME, each year, a French person generates on average 590 kg of waste. But for this consumption, it was necessary to extract 30 tonnes of resources on average for a European! It is urgent to fight against this depletion of the planet's resources.

In addition, some of the plastic waste and packaging that we throw away in the bin becomes invisible pollution again. How do they do this? It breaks down into tiny fragments of less than 5 millimetres and is found in the oceans as microplastics. There are an estimated 24 400 billion of them in the oceans according to a study released in 2021. This has implications for biodiversity with wildlife ingesting them as well as health risks.

So to reduce your share of visible and invisible waste, you can use the 5R (Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Recycle, Return to the Earth) and the BISOU by asking yourself the following questions before you buy an object:

• Do I have any BNeed?
• Immediately?
• Do I already have an object !emblable?
• What is its Origine?
• Will it be me Utile?

Finally, don't hesitate to check out the blog post on the first steps to go zero waste.

And if you are interested in this subject, you can also take a look at the concept of the climate shadow used by the collective "Pour un réveil écologique". This concept, detailed in an article in NovethicThe Carbon Footprint, goes beyond the carbon footprint and measures the environmental impact of individual and collective choices by taking into account consumption as well as choices made in terms of commitment to the environment and the profession.