Almost a decade ago. Bea Johnson and her family in California set out to live a zero waste lifestyle. Bea and her husband realised after moving homes and placing most of their belongings into storage, that almost 80% of their possessions weren’t needed or missed at all by the family. From this point on, Bea and her family lived a life of simplicity. They bought only items that they needed and most of what they bought was second hand, living their lives using the 5 R’s of Zero Waste (Refuse, Reduce, Replace, Recycle and Rot). They found that this way of living didn’t hold the family back in any way and actually led them to live happier, more fulfilled lives with more time for family activities.