zero-wastehttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zero-waste_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezero waste, adj. & n.
First published 2021

zero wasteadjective & noun

  1. 1974–
    a. n. (Esp. with reference to the manufacture or distribution of a product) generation of very little or no waste; b. adj. (esp. of the manufacture or distribution of a product) characterized by the generation of very little or no waste.
    1. 1974
      The delegates voted in favour of..efficient production without misuse of the environment or excessive consumption of nonrenewable resources. They also agreed to an amendment which..shifted the emphasis to a philosophy of ‘zero waste’ as a desirable economic goal.
      Guardian 14 September 7/2
    2. 1994
      He affirms that our profession should work toward zero-waste engineering and the controlled environmental production of compost as a bioresource.
      Resource October 3/2
    3. 2011
      Many cities that have enacted zero-waste plans say they have taken up the task in the name of sustainability.
      Wall Street Journal 12 September r7/1
    4. 2021
      Zero waste is more like an ideology than a reality. It is something that we are aiming towards.
      Shields Gazette (Nexis) 16 March

Originally published as part of the entry for zero, n. & adj.

zero waste, adj. & n. was first published in 2021.