I try to live zero waste.
DZER-o ri-FYU-ti — the 'z' in zero is voiced, like in English 'zero'; stress the first syllable.
Use this when describing a zero-waste lifestyle choice. It is increasingly common in Italian progressive urban communities and is a conversation starter about sustainable consumption. It can also be asked as a question to someone who seems particularly careful about waste.
Zero rifiuti (zero waste) is the Italian name for the international movement that aims to reduce waste to the absolute minimum through refusing, reducing, reusing, and composting. It goes beyond recycling to prevention. Italian zero-waste bloggers and influencers have significant online followings.
Produco pochissima spazzatura: un vasetto al mese.
I produce very little rubbish: one jar per month.
Classic zero-waste benchmark; Bea Johnson (Zero Waste Home) popularised the one-jar claim.
Rifiuto imballaggi non necessari quando faccio la spesa.
I refuse unnecessary packaging when I do my shopping.
Rifiutare (to refuse) is the first R in the zero-waste hierarchy.
Preferisco i contenitori riutilizzabili a quelli usa e getta.
I prefer reusable containers to single-use ones.
Usa e getta (use and throw) is the Italian term for disposable/single-use.
Rossano Ercolini, an Italian teacher from Capannori (Tuscany), won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2013 for his zero-waste activism. He helped transform his municipality into a zero-waste pioneer and co-founded Zero Waste Europe, now an international network. Italy remains one of the movement's intellectual centres.