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The zero-waste homeThis Northern California home has all the trappings of a normal life—except garbage

Thomas J. Story written by Jess Chamberlain

Meet the Johnsons

On trash day in Mill Valley, California,the Johnson home has no garbage.Nothing. There is a hefty compost binand a teeny recycling bin—one thatBéa Johnson is embarrassed exists atall. “So much recycling really goes towaste, so you need to try to reducethat too.”

Garbage, though, is something thathappens rarely in this modern,minimalistically decorated house.That’s by day-to-day intention—to livesimpler and lighter on the planet. Theirquest started three years ago whenBéa and husband Scott downsizedfrom a 3,000-square-foot home totheir current 1,400 square feet. But ithad been on Béa’s mind ever sinceshe’d nannied for a family that losteverything in a fire. Béa decided shewanted to truly love and use and knoweverything she kept in her home.“Even down to the vegetable peeler,”she says.

MyRecipes & RL networks

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Less is more

“When we started getting rid of things,it was kind of addictive,” shecontinues. “In a recession, people areinclined to keep things, but I feel theopposite. The less I have, the richer Ifeel. Stuff weighs you down.”

Even life memories and heirlooms.Béa says, “Photos are a good way tokeep the memory of somethingwithout keeping it because ofemotional attachment or the guilt ofletting it go.” Put another way: Hangonto the photo of your grandmother inher fur coat, but if you never wear thecoat, it’s just taking up space in yourcloset.

Scott and Béa still have “vices.”Makeup has been hard to purge forBéa, and English muffins forScott—both come with somenonrecyclable packaging.

“We don’t do everything right,” shesays. “We do have garbage. We dofly overseas to see my family inFrance once a year.” Despite theregressions, the way the family livesmakes others at least sit up and takenotice: Béa says one neighbor visited,remarking that the house is “futuristicand alien-like,” opening cupboardsand asking, “Where’s all your stuff?”


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Kitchen

The kitchen looks eerily unlived in, yetBéa cooks every day.

What’s missing?

Packaging in the pantry: TheJohnsons go to the grocery store withtheir own jars and buy bulk snacks andother pantry supplies. “Some of thekids’ friends came over recently andsaid, ‘You have no food here,’�” saysBéa. “They didn’t recognize this asfood since there weren’t any boxes.”Packaging in the fridge: The familyshops with glass jars, fabric bags, andcanvas totes, and returns containersfor a deposit. Even cheese and meatgo in jars. Cheese is purchased whenit is cut, to avoid plastic wrap.Packaging in the freezer: Béa buysloaves of bread by the dozen from hergrocer, carrying them in a pillowcase,which she then transfers to herfreezer.Cluttered drawers: Cookingequipment is kept to a minimum and ismultipurpose, like a cheese graterdou-bling as a zester.Paper towels: Clean up is done withmicrofiber cloths. “People are reallyattached to paper towels,” Béa says.“But they’re the easiest thing to giveup.”Try it

The natural-foods aisle is great fordry-good staples and refillableshampoo, conditioner, and Dr.Bronner’s Magic Soap.To use glass jars, ensure that yourstore has a scale to measure their tare(empty) weight.Tips for wine: Scout for best localsources. Near San Jose, GuglielmoWinery offers refillable bottles for redwine.


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Living room

The living room has only what theyneed: a sofa, a video player, blankets,and pillows.

What’s missing?

A single-use couch: The sectionalcouch here expands to a queen bed;pieces separate for extra seats; and amirror-top tray turns seating into atable. To buy something similar,Google “adjustable sectional sofa.”Books: All come from the library.Photos, art: Memories get stalewhen photos are displayed for toolong, Béa says. To keep the pastfresh, albums come out yearly aroundthe holidays. As for art, she hasn’tfound anything she likes and canafford, although Béa sees the livingwall as an ever-changing art piece.


Playroom

In the playroom there are four bins oftoys. The rule is simple: If the boyswant something new to them, it needsto fit in the bins.

What’s missing?

Lots of toys: If the boys outgrowsomething, it’s donated, sold, orre-gifted. Béa and Scott encouragefriends and family to give gifts ofexperience rather than things. Thisyear, their 10-year-old’s birthday giftsincluded a weekend of skiing and giftcertificates to a climbing gym and thelocal ice cream shop.


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Bathroom

One medicine cabinet in the bathroomholds toiletries for the entire family.

What’s missing?

Makeup case: Béa uses only fourbeauty products: face powder, eyecream, mascara, and eyeliner.Trash can: The family uses noQ-tips, cotton balls, or tissue(handkerchiefs sub in here). Toiletpaper rolls come wrapped in paper,not plastic.Try it

To eliminate packaging, Béa mixesher own multi-purpose cleaner: 11/2tsp. castile soap, 3 tsp. white vinegar,and 4 cups water.The family orders their compostabletoothbrushes from an Australiancompany(environmentaltoothbrush.com).


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Closets

The house closets are enviable fortheir lack of clutter. Shopping is doneonly twice a year at a thrift store andreplaces items that are stained, worn,or outgrown.

What’s missing?

A bulging wardrobe: Everyone hasa set number of items. For example,Béa caps out at 6 pairs of shoes, 7tops, 7 pants, and 2 skirts (1 alsowearable as a top). Same idea goesfor Scott and the couple’s 9- and10-year-old boys (each has 7 casualtops, 1 dress shirt, 4 bottoms, 3 pairsof shoes, and 1 pair of PJs perseason).Shopping bags and shoe boxes:Secondhand items are preferred overnew. Last April, for example, Béaspent only $40 replenishing clothesfor her whole family (she even foundnice $1 Abercrombie & Fitch tees forthe boys).


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Really? No waste?

Béa and Scott Johnson answer somequestions about how their householdworks.

Q/ Do you have a car?

A/ We have two cars, which we’ve hadsince before we started this lifestyle.Scott needs one for his job, and Ineed something once a week forerrands. There’s no Zipcar in MillValley.

Q/ Do you have a TV?

A/ We do, for movies, but notelevision channels. We rent throughNetflix—either online or by mail. In thereturn envelope, I put back that littlestrip of plastic that is intended to bethrown away. I’ve contacted Netflix,encouraging them to find another way.

Scott: I thought I’d miss sportsTV—like ESPN or collegefootball—but I’ve figured out it’s allonline and we can stream it. If thecable company did à la carte, we’d beset.

Q/ Do you get junk mail?

A/ I’ve done dmachoice.org to get offdirect mail lists like credit cardapplications, and there’scatalogchoice.org for catalogs. Forfirst-class mail and third-class marked“address return requested,” you canwrite “refuse” on the envelope. Forother third-class, you must track thesender down via phone or email andtell them to take you off their list. Everytime I get something, I tackle it rightaway.

Q/ What about when your kids aresick?


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