This is part of an occasional series on zero-waste initiatives.Imagine, producing only a jar’s worth of trash every year. To many, that seems an out-of-reach goal. But for Bea Johnson and her family of four, fitting all 365 days’ worth of garbage into a single glass jar is simply the end result of having a zero-waste home. “It’s a life based on experiences instead of things,” says Johnson, who grew up in France and now lives with her husband and two teenage sons in California. “By going zero-waste, you make room in your life for what matters most to you.”The path to waste-free living started in 2008, when Johnson and her family moved into an apartment while waiting for the right family home to become available in downtown San Francisco. They put 80 per cent of their belongings in storage and found, at the end of their apartment stay, they didn’t need them or miss them. So, Johnson says, they let go of their excess stuff and embarked on their zero-waste lifestyle. Since then, she has honed her waste-free skills and shares tips and inspiration on her blog and in her book — both called Zero Waste Home — and during speaking engagements that have taken her to 30 countries. Read more:Etobicoke condo adds organic-only garbage chuteGreen Halloween makes holiday waste vanishScarborough condo leading way toward ‘zero waste’Johnson, who is in Toronto on Thursday to talk about the waste-free movement, spoke to the Star about how a zero-waste home is easier, healthier and cheaper than you might think. You sealed your most recent annual jar of trash on Oct. 15. You have it nearby; can you describe some of its contents?Every year, we have the bristles of our toothbrushes. We buy compostable toothbrushes, but the bristles are not compostable. I see some photo paper — it’s not recyclable — because my husband recently went through his memory box and let some photos go. I have caulking from t ...
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