Zero Waste Day

Office of Sustainable Practices Zero Waste TN

On October 27, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and its partners will celebrate Tennessee’s fourth annual Zero Waste Day. The event aims to raise awareness about waste in Tennessee and educate citizens on actions they can take to reduce it. TDEC and several local and regional partners are challenging Tennesseans to improve their waste habits.

In 2018, Tennesseans produced 8.1 million tons of waste, which amounted to 6.56 pounds of waste generated per person each day. This is 31.7% more waste generated per person each day than the national average of 4.51 pounds of waste per person per day.

On Zero Waste Day, TDEC and its partners are encouraging citizens to take actions that support zero waste.

Five Waste Reduction Actions

  • Re-Think – adjust your behavior as a consumer and make purchasing choices that limit your impact on the environment
  • Reduce – be mindful of unnecessary and wasteful items and learn to live without them
  • Reuse – give possessions a second life through creative reuse, repurposing, or donation
  • Recycle – use existing products to create new ones and reduce dependence on virgin materials and associated natural resource impacts
  • Re-Earth – compost your organics to divert the single largest waste stream from landfills

Zero Waste Day 2024

In celebration of Zero Waste Day 2024, TDEC is partnering with local organizations and small businesses to host Zero Waste Webinars, Giveaways, and Take-back days that are designed to educate citizens on the basics of zero waste,  and review local resources available to help citizens go Zero Waste in their every day lives. 

Official event details for both webinars and in-person events can be found below.

Zero Waste 2024 Partners

Zero Waste TN Webinar:

Topic: Zero Waste TN
Host: Kelsey Davis, TRUE Zero Waste Advisor
Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
Time: 10:00 am, Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
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CLICK HERE to register for this training session

Zero Waste TN Webinar

Zero Waste Giveaways:

Each of our Zero Waste Partners will be hosting a Giveaway in celebration of Zero Waste Day. The Giveaway items are valued at $50 and are designed to help users reduce waste in their everyday lives. To enter into the Giveaway, you must:

  1.  Register for the Zero Waste TN Workshop above.
  2.  Follow your local zero waste or refill store on social media.
  3.  Visit their page and follow their instructions to be entered into the Giveaway.
image of Zero Waste Gift Basket

Zero Waste Take-Back Events:


Partners across the state are hosting take-back events to accept miscellaneous and hard to recycle items to help keep these items out of landfills and to help reduce waste! You can search the map below to find a take-back location near you.

 


To learn more about TDEC’s Zero Waste Day, follow @TNSustainability on Facebook, @thestateofsustainability on Instagram. If you are interested in learning more about how you can go Zero Waste, visit our Consumer's Guide to Zero Waste.