Life generates waste, especially when staying clean and organized. So, what is the best way to handle all this trash??? It seems like a simple question, but this one question led me to hours of research. In fact, this is going to be a two-part article. This week, I will discuss reducing, reusing, recycling, and landfill dumping. Next week, I will examine weird waste like batteries, lightbulbs, chemicals, and car seats.
I want to start by saying, I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to waste. I am in a rush to get rid of things! But I am also an environmentalist. I genuinely want to do my best to protect mother earth and its resources. I know most people want to do better when it comes to trash. Recycling is often viewed as THE solution, but (as in most things) the answers to our trash problems are more complex. My goal is to give you research based answers on how to dump like a pro.
Step #1 = REDUCE
In 2010 the EPA said, “Over the past five decades the amount of waste each person in America has created has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.5 pounds per day.” We need to address and correct this problem ASAP! One of the biggest offenders in the waste category is packaging. Somewhere between 30-65% of all trash in the US is made up of packaging materials. The EPA goes on to explain that source reduction is exceptionally beneficial as it avoids the costs of BOTH recycling and landfills. We can all do our part in buying less stuff, avoiding packaging, using things more thoroughly, and choosing longer lasting items.
Step #2 = REUSE
Anything you can reuse is an obvious win-win for your wallet and the environment. I love figuring out ways to repurpose and re-gift things. Thrift, consignment, and pawn shops are all part of the great reusing system. Donating and shopping at stores specializing in reusing is an awesome way to help the earth. Another reusing option is backyard composting and grasscycling. Food and yard waste can be composted to create a wonderful nutrient rich mulch. Cut grass can be left on your lawn as a type of lawn food. Yard waste can provide fuel for fires and the ash can be added to compost. Countless other items can be reused in helpful way, including water bottles, bags, jars, boxes, clothes, and gift wrap. Get creative and consider reusing things before recycling or throwing them away.
Step #3 = RECYCLE
Recycling is where things in the waste world get confusing. One of the main problems with recycling is that it takes energy, and often creates harmful waste, to alter the state of materials. Congressional quarterly reported that 13 of the 50 worst Superfund Sites (hazardous waste sites) are currently or were at one-point recycling facilities. While the benefits of recycling can be superior to landfills and incinerators, we need to be smart about what items we recycle. When in doubt, throw it out, is actually a more helpful policy than recycling contaminated or questionable items due to the high financial and environmental cost generated by contaminates. From a monetary perspective, recycling programs can be the most expensive form of waste disposal depending on what material is being recycled. So much of the recycling system depends on scale and efficiency. People need to follow their system’s recycling rules or the whole thing becomes ineffective. I wanted to understand the cost/benefits of our recycling system to know how I can best participate as a consumer. I looked for answers about chemical footprints, financial costs, and overall drawbacks and benefits of recycling. I have broken down what I learned based on material categories in the single-stream recycling system.
Plastic
Best practice = Reduce and reuse. There is NO clear best method for disposing of plastics. The truth is, when it comes to our waste problems, plastic is the primary unsolved issue. At this point, plastic is a long-term commitment, because it is terrible at biodegrading and inefficient to recycle. According to Vincent Breslin’s article, Recycling Technology, plastics represent up to 26% of the municipal solid waste and are more expensive and time consuming to recycle than to produce initially. Recycling plastic creates a waste stream that includes contaminated water and air emissions. Also, many toxic additives are used in processing and manufacturing plastics such as colorants, flame retardants, lubricants, and ultraviolet stabilizers. While recycling plastic definitely has major issues, putting plastics in landfills is a problem too. Plastics are incredibly slow at biodegrading, but at least in a landfill they are contained. Hopefully, someday soon, new inventions in biodegradable plastics will save the day.
Paper
Best practice = Burn it or throw it away. Recycling paper creates a nasty chemical footprint, because of the chemicals that are used to clean away ink. The EPA has reported that “recycling 100 tons of old newsprint generates 40 tons of toxic waste.” Paper is a renewable resource, biodegrades quickly, and is safe to incinerate. Cardboard, as long as it is ink and plastic free, is the one type of paper product that appears to be both efficient and safe to recycle as minimal chemicals are needed to transition it into new material.
Glass and Metal
Best practice = Recycle and make sure it is clean! Both glass and metal are extremely slow at biodegrading, but also easy to recycle (as long as they are clean). Most glass and metals can be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of quality. Producing a soda can out of recycled materials uses 96% less energy and leaves 95% less air and water pollution than manufacturing a new can. Similar positive statistics are true for recycling glass.
Step #4 = LANDFILL
Studies of landfills in the US have proven their environmental safety. Landfills today are lined to prevent seepage and equipped with gas-collection systems. In fact, according to the EPA, “The Landfill Methane Outreach Program has helped to reduce methane emissions by 60 to 90% through encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas as an energy resource.” Other exciting innovations, like wet landfills, are on the horizon too. When a landfill is kept moist, the increased bacteria production allows it to decompose over 10 times faster than a dry landfill, which could be a huge space saver.
After researching and writing this article, I have personally been inspired to step up our dumping game. We have an increased dedication to reducing and reusing. We are also committed to recycling most plastics, cardboard, glass, and metal. Our outdoor firepit will be used to burn a majority of our yard and paper waste. I intend to start a compost bin. And we will now be using biodegradable diapers along with cloth pullups. Yes, we will still appreciate the effectiveness of landfills, but we are going to do the best we can to reduce, reuse, and recycle!!!
Love Always,
Meg
Komentarze