ero-waste, people are slowly coming round to it. Waste not want not, the concept is both ancient and pioneering. I get this all the time: what do you mean you're zero-waste; what do you do with your garbage? By me saying I'm zero-waste, I am actually saying there is no such thing as garbage. Let me pause while you pick your jaw off the floor.

he first thing people ask me when I tell them we've gone to a zero waste household is what does that mean. The immediate follow-up is, does that include recycling? Well we'd definitely have some serious trouble if it didn't.