Recycling at Solheimar Eco-village
“To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things—products, packaging, and systems—from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.”
-William McDonough and Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle
It is common for the modern environmentalist to be at least somewhat conscious of the products they consume and use every day. It should come to no surprise that one feels rewarded by committing acts like shopping with their own reusable bags, or using the ketchup coming from that cool, new “plant bottle,” which is a plastic that is apparently made from plants. But we often overlook these simplistic actions without delving past the surface.
Take into consideration, for example, what you have inside that reusable shopping bag, and you realize that the majority of the products and their associated packaging you just bought will end up being thrown “away” in 6 months or less. Take into consideration that, though you are decreasing your plastic bag consumption, you must use that reusable bag over 130 times before its environmental footprint is lesser than just a one-time disposable plastic bag use (the number of times is even larger if you compare it to a plastic bag that you reuse more than once).
Take into consideration whether or not those “bio-plastics” you are handling really are compostable, or if they are supposed to be placed in a recycling bin (and what quality of recyclability is it compared to other non-bioplastics?).
Take into consideration that Americans alone dispose of 25,000,000 plastic bottles each hour. And that we generate 40% of the world’s waste, while making up only 5% of the world’s population. Consider the fact that waste is one of the major contributing factors to climate change and air pollution. Take into consideration that even though you are placing something in the recycling bin that doesn’t necessarily mean it is getting recycled 100% percent of the time. In Iceland, for example, metals are only able to be reclaimed about 60% of the time.
Markets can also have a huge role in recyclability. Iceland is currently unable to recycle glass, for instance, despite its high-quality, infinitely recyclable characteristics. The costs are simply too high for the abundance of such heavy material to be shipped abroad for recycling.
For the needed waste reduction changes to take place, our society must undergo an environmental paradigm shift. A national (perhaps even international) agreement would help in implementing consensus in material design, certifications, and labeling of recyclability. In addition to an increase in recycling facilities, we must also continue to expand public awareness and education. If we couple this collective, voluntary action with new legislation and economic incentives, we will be more likely to gain that needed increase in material recycling all across the board. For example, instead of paying for waste management street side garbage pick-ups, why not get incentives for decreasing the amount of trash we send to landfills or for the increased amount of plastics (as well as other material) we recycle? Other economic shifts might include garbage pick-up fees, sales tax on plastics and other materials that are not easily recyclable and increasing manufacturers’ responsibility of packaging waste disposal. We could also shift jobs from garbage collectors to increased recycling sorters and scientists searching for increased efficiency and improved sustainable products.
This sounds like an awful lot to consider and take on at an individual scale. And they are not even necessarily cut and dry answers to our current waste issue. But, as author John Kaufman points out, “There are no solutions, just intelligent responses…we must be able to adapt and reverse direction as conditions change,” (from the essay “Local Government in a Time of Peak Oil and Climate Change”). So what can we do at an individual scale?
- The first and most fundamental step is to become familiar with how to dispose of your waste. Look into your local recycling collection system. Where is your nearest collection center? What materials are collected and what is not? What is illegal to throw in the garbage? In Wisconsin, for instance, this includes all yard trimmings and compostable matter, recyclable materials, and electronic and hazardous waste—but state and county laws may differ drastically! Is collection comingled, or do you need to separate your recyclable material by type?
- Consider starting a home or community-scale compost system.
- Begin or enhance your home recycling participation, and encourage your friends to recycle as well. Think that recycling is too small of a step to make fundamental change? Consider that recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for nearly four hours (and aluminum production from recycled aluminum saves 95% of the energy used in making it from virgin materials). And when each of us makes the conscious decision to recycle that one item, it can add up to a collective, large-scale impact. Demand affects supply, and if you lessen your unnecessary product consumption (and purchase the products you do need by choosing the most sustainable options, with the least amount of packaging, for example), you are making a huge economic, political, and environmental statement, even if you don’t see the direct affects right away.
- Contact your local and state legislatures if you find that your community recycling system is lacking, inefficient, or maybe not even available. Tell them what you think about the lack of package-minimization regulation in product production. Let your voice be heard on the importance of waste reduction!
Perhaps before even looking at where and how to deal with our products’ end of life destination, we should look at our material possessions from a different perspective. Currently, waste is considered a “necessary evil” that society must cope with—but what if this is not true? What if, in actuality, this mindset is a conditioned preconception? Biological systems in nature are all based on a continuous cycle, where minimal waste is generated. Perhaps we should take a step back and recognize that waste does not need to be a part of our lifestyle. Consider what purpose your products hold, and what kind of environmental externalities are associated with its contents. As authors and co-business founders William McDonough and Michael Braungart introduce their concept of “cradle to cradle,” as opposed to “cradle to grave,” we should be shifting our mindsets away from waste production and towards the envisioning of what a product will be and what it will turn into later, after its initial product is no longer needed, from the start of its design process. Albert Einstein even stated, “A clever man solves a problem. A wise man avoids it.” This can apply to our needed shift from waste management to waste prevention.
For my fellow Wisconsin residents, I urge you to check out our DNR’s web page that offers information and several educational publications about our state recycling laws and waste reduction information:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Recycling
In addition (and for my friends outside of Wisconsin!), here are some more helpful websites that give more information on recycling, composting, and waste prevention and reduction:
http://www2.epa.gov/learn-issues/learn-about-waste
-Leah Jaynes