The zero waste solution : untrashing the planet one community at a time / Paul Connett.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Zero waste philosophy, practicalities, obstacles, and history. The big picture -- Ten steps toward a zero waste community -- A brief history of the anti-incineration movement -- Incineration: the biggest obstacle to zero waste -- The early history of zero waste -- Zero waste initiatives around the world. The United States -- Italy -- Australia and New Zealand -- Canada -- Beyond Italy: other initiatives in Europe -- India, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan -- Bahrain, Egypt, and Lebanon -- South America -- Different perspectives on zero waste. Zero waste and the local economy / by Neil Seldman -- Waste isn't waste until it's wasted / by Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer -- Waste is a social issue first, a market issue second / Eric Lombardi -- Gibsons Resource Recovery Center: zero waste from the bottom up / Buddy Boyd -- Multimaterial curbside recycling and producer responsibility / Helen Spiegelman -- Producer responsibility, the cornerstone of zero waste: trends in the United States / Bill Sheehan -- Together at last: extended producer responsibility and total recycling / Daniel Knapp -- The economics of zero waste / effrey Morris -- Businesses are leading the way to zero waste / Gary Liss -- The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) : a chronology / Richard Anthony -- Response to the ten different views of zero waste -- Conclusion: the fightback for the future -- Appendix A. Sample questions for incinerator hearings -- Appendix B. A chronology of zero waste and related events.

Shows activists, planners, and entrepreneurs how to reenvision a community's waste-handling process by consuming less, turning organic waste into compost, recycling, reusing, and demanding nonwasteful product design.