Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste
Condition: New
Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$2
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
Only 4 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Wednesday, Oct 14
Description
Bea Johnson is “the mother of the zero waste lifestyle movement.” —CNN The book that started the waste-free living movement, Zero Waste Living—relates Bea Johnson’s inspirational personal story and provides practical tools and tips to help readers diminish their footprint and simplify their lives. In Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson shares the story of how she simplified her life by reducing her waste. Today, Bea, her husband, Scott, and their two young sons produce just one quart of garbage a year, and their overall quality of life has changed for the better: they now have more time together, they’ve cut their annual spending by a remarkable forty percent, and they are healthier than they’ve ever been. This book shares essential how-to advice, secrets, and insights based on Bea’s experience. She demystifies the process of going Zero Waste with hundreds of easy tips for sustainable living that even the busiest people can integrate: from making your own mustard, to packing kids’ lunches without plastic, to canceling your junk mail, to enjoying the holidays without the guilt associated with overconsumption. Zero Waste Home is a stylish and relatable step-by-step guide that will give you the practical tools to help you improve your health, save money and time, and achieve a brighter future for your family—and the planet. Read more
Publisher : Scribner
Publication date : April 9, 2013
Edition : 45550th
Language : English
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1451697686
ISBN-13 : 81
Item Weight : 1.12 pounds
Dimensions : 7.38 x 0.6 x 9.13 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #369,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #22 in Waste Management #72 in Green Housecleaning #514 in Home Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Wednesday, Oct 14
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- Zip Pay in 4
- Financing through Apple Pay
- Financing through Google Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Paperback
I'm a 26 year old single mother of a four year old. I live in VA. I work full time and go to school. I am enjoying reading the reviews people are posting either posting a wealth of excuses or poking holes in every single thing that isn't eco friendly: "LOOK THEY HAVE VINYL FLOORING!!!" There is always going to be someone critiquing what they themselves aren't even doing. Heck our entire nation does it during American Idol. Read it with an open mind and don't try to do everything at once. I started reading her blog in 2011. Yes, I still bought the book (e-reader version) because instead of like a blog where the entries are written when inspiration strikes this book is more organized and does offer more info. When I tried this stuff I did not hold myself to all of her standards and I knew that these ideas would never take over in my home. When I got rid of all my excess in 2011 I made 2,500$ by selling it off on Amazon and got a notable tax deduction for all the donations. I also felt like I could breath. When I bought flour sack clothes I did with the intention of saving "some money" but I "knew" we'd always need paper towels. The joke was on me since it just struck me a few months back that the last paper towels I bought was in 2011. That was not a conscious change it just happened because we haven't needed them. Any time someone uses them they demand to know where I got them from because they really do work that well. Our utilities have not increased at all due to washing and drying them. Our utilities actually decreased because I had our city come pick up our second garbage can that we no longer needed. I'm using a double edged razor for shaving and now instead of spending 17$ for 5 cartridge heads I spent .37$ on a razor blade that lasts me quite some time before needing to be replaced. The first time I used it was awkward but after that it was smooth sailing. People look at it like its a rudimentary and I'm constantly asked "How don't you cut yourself!?" or told "Well that'd be fine for the legs but elsewhere would be a disaster!" Um it has a guard and no it works just fine EVERYwhere and its the first razor I've ever owned that hasn't left we with razor bumps in the sensitive areas. I'm saving a great deal of money here. A friend of mine just bought one and for the past week I've been getting texts almost every morning when he shaves "OMG WHY DID THEY EVER INVENT DISPOSABLES!!" We used reusable bags for produce and canvas sacks for ALL shopping not just groceries. We get compliments on them. Sometimes I'll get the .05 cent credit for all the produce bags because the cashier is enthused about them. I started buying the glass bottles of milk for my daughter when I tasted it I stood there stunned because I honestly had never tasted milk that good. It's not about living like a hippie. I know I don't live like one. It's not all about hugging trees either. I think it's about taking responsibility for our actions. We tell our kids to clean their rooms and yet when they say it's done we still check the closets and under the bed to make sure they didn't stuff anything there. How do we call ourselves adults when we're stuffing just on a larger scale. Seriously, read with an open mind and try things. The money you save using the tips exceeds the price of the book--- immensely.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2013 by BlondeRunner
Format: Paperback
I think this is a brilliant book! I never feel like Bea is preaching or suggesting that everyone follow her lifestyle to the letter, but that she is just sharing all the techniques she has discovered over many years of exploration. How you implement her ideas is up to you. After listening to the audiobook of "The Story of Stuff" I was looking for practical ideas to cut back on my disposables, and Zero Waste Home is full of ideas and recipes. As a visual artist, I appreciate Bea's focus on creativity as well. Thanks to some articles on her blog I was inspired to give away all the supplies I haven't used in years, and it has indeed freed me up and supercharged my creative spirit. I look forward to experimenting with her watercolor recipes and brainstorming other ways to save on waste! No artist wants to feel like they are just creating more "stuff" to be shuffled around this already full world. And for people who feel embarrassed to bring a pillowcase (which is just a large bag) to the store or compost their tampons, perhaps you could take a second and think about other cultures besides America where people do things differently and are totally fine and healthy? Many countries use cloth bags to carry food. Bodily fluids are natural and we don't have to be scared of them.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013 by Tabitha Cook
Format: Kindle
Zero Waste Home is an extreme approach toward reducing your waste and simplifying your life. How extreme? Imagine a family of four generating only a quart of garbage — every year. Obviously, getting to this level of waste reduction takes us far beyond simple decluttering, and as the subtitle implies, the Zero Waste Home approach places its primary emphasis on the intake side of your stuff. Although Johnson notes early on that the book “will encourage you to declutter,” her eyes are clearly on bigger prizes: “a better environment” and “a better you” [Kindle location 170]. The path for doing this is by “understanding the effect of our purchasing power on the environment and acting accordingly” [192]. In this context, decluttering is about not just getting rid of stuff, but learning how to refrain from collecting stuff in the first place. While Zero Waste Home does not have a method for decluttering, Johnson did have a motto which she and her family applied when they downsized to a much smaller house: “What we did not truly use, need, and love had to go” [85]. Using this motto, the author’s family reportedly got rid of 80 percent of their belongings within two years. Zero Waste Home certainly delivers on its promise to “take you beyond the typical eco-friendly alternatives covered well in other publications” [179]. For starters, the book takes the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra one step further at each end, by adding refusing (what we do not need) as the best option and rotting (composting) as the option of final resort. But getting to Zero Waste in today’s society is another matter altogether; indeed, Johnson describes Zero Waste as “an idealistic goal, a carrot to get as close as possible” [188] and notes that “this is not a book about achieving absolute Zero Waste,” [187] which is not possible because of current manufacturing practices in place. The author should know: as first she tried to do things that even she found to be too extreme — churning her own butter, making her own lip balm, even foraging for moss to use instead of toilet paper [152], before she backed off in order to find some balance. Even so, her family’s resulting “balance” is quite extreme for most people: using kitchen towels for sandwich bags instead of plastic ones [711], using cloth bags to buy all your produce and bulk items [862-66], or taking your bread home from a bakery in a pillowcase [873], to name just a few. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to such extremes to derive value from the book. In fact, this book generated the largest number of useful tips (almost 20 of them, to be exact) of any of the books I read on decluttering. Perhaps this is because at this point I am as interested in reducing my intake of stuff as I am of getting rid of it. Although the book is chock full of tips for reducing clutter (the word (de)clutter and its variants appear over 60 times in the book’s narrative), a lot of the book’s tips are about avoiding the creation of additional clutter by refusing to accept stuff, for instance by thinking twice before letting anything new into your house [306] or considering the life cycle and choosing only products you can reuse or recycle [316]. Again, most people would find such tips to be onerous as a unremitting regime, but they can also be handy tools to have in one’s decluttering toolbox. Happily, Zero Waste Home also includes useful sections to help with systematically reducing the clutter in various areas of your house and life, for instance getting rid of kitchen gadgets and specialty items that are not worth the space [612-636], having a carefully selected small “capsule wardrobe” [1840] which emphasizes style and quality over fashion and quantity, and tackling the formidable nests that are bathroom cabinets [1288]. Perhaps Zero Waste Home’s most useful contribution to the decluttering process is a series of questions to ask during the downsizing process [e.g., 641]: – Is it in working condition? Is it outdated or expired? – Do I use it regularly? – Is it a duplicate? – Does it put my family’s health in danger? – Do I keep it out of guilt? – Do I keep it because society tells me that I need one (“everyone has one”)? – Does it truly save time, as promised? – Could something else achieve the same task? – Is it worth my precious time dusting and cleaning? – Could I use this space for something else? – Is it reusable? I like that this list of questions is a menu rather than a checklist; the questions are varied enough so that I can pick and choose which ones are appropriate to ask for a given item rather than feeling like I’m supposed to ask each question of every item (which is a non-starter for me). This makes the list another set of handy tools to use in the decluttering process, particularly for dealing with difficult or sticky decisions about individual objects. These takeaways are important because at times, the book’s single-minded focus on getting as close to Zero Waste as possible seems more fanatic than sensible. Even though Johnson says early in the book that “how much waste one generates is not important” and that “everyone can adopt the changes that are possible in their life” [191], Zero Waste Home also spends a fair amount of time prescribing correct behavior. For instance, “shopping should always start” with buying used items, preferably at thrift stores, garage sales, or online sites such as Amazon and Craiglist [380]. Such prescriptions at times lead to rather unhelpful assertions; for example, saying that “stuff takes us away from our roots, from the outdoors” [552] is only part of the story, and disposables [711] are not pure evil but in fact can save time and offer convenience, which is a different kind of freedom from making our own stuff. Zero Waste Home‘s emphasis on avoiding packaging at all costs sometimes leads to rather absurd concessions, as when Johnson advises readers to refill a beer jug at a local brewery but notes that this method requires being ready to drink a gallon of beer at once before the beer loses its carbonation; her solution to “have some friends over” [925] is a pretty weak and unreliable one. In the end, Zero Waste Home amply demonstrates its premise (whether intentionally or not) that Zero Waste is an “idealistic goal” which requires going to extremes that most people won’t accept, including me. Even so, you can find value in this book without having to embrace its extremes, especially its many useful resources on decluttering both as a process of getting rid of things and as a process of refusing to take them in. Even adopting just a few of the book’s suggestions will help you move the needle toward building a healthier relationship with your stuff.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2015 by Ideaphoriana
Format: Kindle
This was a very good book but unfortunately not practical for me. I live in a rural area without all the package free bulk shopping stores available. I can’t get meat and bread put in a mason jar because my local grocery store already packaged it in traditional plastic. I hope she will write another book that is achievable for people without access to bulk stores. The book did teach me how to make some items I hadn’t thought of like condiments. It also encouraged me to switch from disposable paper towers to reusable cloths. Refusing to take receipts from the cashier doesn’t get rid of that waste. In my experience they just toss them in the store’s trash can. Just because I refuse doesn’t always create less waste. Overall a good book for reducing plastic consumption and simplifying your life.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2026 by Shannon
Format: Paperback
Couldn’t put it down, read it cover to cover and can’t wait to get started. While some may consider this extreme, I don’t. You can take what you want and leave the rest or just adopt each phase slowly and naturally into your life. I love her tips and take on a zero waste home. It really is up to us if we want to see a change in this world, the consumer! I have decided to start in my kitchen and spread from there as it fits naturally into our life. I clean out and declutter my home before each kids birthday, at Christmas and in the summer yet we still always have so much stuff. I am constantly telling my kids and husband how all these things that we have are a waste of my time to constantly worry about organizing, cleaning, putting away and repeat, repeat, repeat... forever. I dream of a simpler life and will use Bea’s book as a means to help me get there. I would love to teach other woman too! I firmly believe that God did not intend for us to have so much stuff. And I have said for years the mail system is a huge problem and contributes to those you have organizational and hoarding issues. We waste so much of our lives just taking care of our stuff! It’s so crazy.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2018 by Danica Premirelli
Format: Kindle
I am a huge fan of this book and the lifestyle it promotes - it really has changed the way I view and approach trash, shopping, and the "stuff" in my life in general. I was always aware of being "environmentally friendly" but didn't really know how to focus that interest and energy and thought I was doing enough by recycling and buying "green" products. But there's really much more than that, that you can change immediately to have a much greater positive impact on the environment. And it will have trickle down effects on your wellbeing, health, and finances! I think her message is really effective on the following points: 1) shopping is voting. your dollars going to an unsustainable process are part of the problem 2) the biggest impact you can have is by eliminating all disposables. Immediately! You won't even miss them. 3) you taking your glass container to the deli counter will help make it easier for the next person who tries it, or will inspire someone who sees you do this. Just by living the lifestyle you have the power to enact change around you. 4) there really is an alternative to everything. Silk floss, bringing your own container to the restaurant for leftovers, active discards and refusing to allow junk mail into your home, etc. So many aha! moments where a blindingly simple solution or alternative to a pesky reoccurring trash item, one you might not have ever even thought twice about, exists. I think all the people who say Bea isn't doing "enough" are crazy! She has single handedly changed her entire lifestyle and is now spreading the word to thousands of people through her excellent book and is truly starting a Zero Waste movement. I think it is a "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" kind of thing. No one is perfect, but Bea is pretty darn close! This book is full of approachable tactics to reduce waste in all areas of your life. Think of what positive change we could enact if everyone on the planet tried just one or two!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2014 by jcu721
Format: Paperback
I learned so much reading this book (the biggest thing was that plastic bottles can only be recycled one time, but glass and aluminum can be recycled endlessly). Not many people will go to the lengths of the author to be "zero waste" but we can all try to reduce our trash by doing very simple things (not buying bottled water, choosing items that have less wasteful packaging, not using plastic bags at stores, etc). I have adopted many of the principles in the book and they were quite easy. My near-time goal isn't to be zero waste - but 50-75% less should be easy to do and it really just requires being informed and making some new choices. For example, I no longer buy meat in plastic packages, but I do ask for it to be wrapped in paper at the butcher counter. This required me to go to a store that actually has a butcher counter but it was easy to find. This isn't zero waste, but in my opinion it's better than meat in a styrofoam container wrapped in plastic wrap. I especially like her reliance on second-hand items - as she points out, this isn't only zero waste, it's very economical as well.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017 by Amy
Format: Paperback
Almost everything in the book was and is on the blog, so for me it was a "re-read" that cost $15 and a lot of paper. I do commend this family for their continued effort to reduce waste & they have a done a great job doing so, yet philosophically, I do not find their total lifestyle to be particularly eco friendly or real. Regarding food, the recommendation is to reduce waste by buying bulk food. First of all, unless you are in California or a major city, your bulk bin options are probably few and far between, we'd have to eat nuts and candy if I depended upon them. In addition, many of the bulk foods are white flour based breads, pasta, cookies, etc. If it's between packaging and eating valueless food, I will choose packaging. Whole foods are just better for your heath, even if they come in a paper bag. In addition, Bea speaks of coming to America and being obsessed with materialism, now changed to zero waste non consumerism. They don't make garbage... yet her home -which is stunning- is a showcase of top end appliances, remodeling, furniture, etc. Somehow I cannot believe that she found sub zero drawer refrigeration at a yard sale....so somewhere along the way someone has done some very high end shopping in the zero waste home. There are also things that disturb me, like references to gas being better than wood... a fossil fuel, really? Are those vinyl floors? And carpet? And plastic molded furniture? What about eco friendly reclaimed flooring? Refurbished appliances? Furniture made from old barn boards, etc. I think people would learn more real information if they visited an eco village and you'll learn a lot more about saving the planet by living closer to it. And growing your own food. And using reclaimed building products. Etc. Again, there are some useful ideas (reuse your grocery bags) but I think many of us in the "eco" world are already doing this, as well as using Earth friendly cleaners, etc. It's a good experiment and there are many things to learn, but I don't think this is the answer to our ecological problems.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013 by Paula