Garbology
It is so easy to throw something away and think that it is no longer our responsibility once that object is out of our possession. It is very rare that we think about how long our waste is going to be on this planet or where it may end up. Every week (sometimes twice a week) we take a full garbage bin to the curb, waste management picks it up, we fill it again and the cycle continues.
There is no end in sight to this terrible cycle. The population is continung to rise and our waste production is only going to increase.
"Americans make more trash than anyone else on the planet, throwing away about 7.1 pounds per person per day.. we are each on track to generate 102 tons of trash." (Garbology, Edward Humes)
If you are reading this post you are probably wondering what you can do to reduce your 102 tons of trash. Here is a list of a few things we do to lower our number:
1. Recycle - Recycling is a must with the amount of disosable packaging our country produces. Conainters and packaging currently make up 30.3 of our landfill waste (according to the Environmental Protection Agency).
2. Compost - Composting is the number 1 easiest thing we can do to keep food waste out of our landfills. If you have a yard you can dig a hole or create a compost pile, build or buy a bin (most cities now provide). If you're limited on space there a variety of indoor composting bins available from vermicoposting to bokashi buckets. If you're a DIYer there tons of fun projects you can get the whole family involved in. The great thing about composting is not only the gratification we get from avoiding the dump but more importantly, the FREE organic fertilizer produced.
3. Grow your own food - Now that you have your own organic fertilizer you might as well start a garden! As mentioned above containers and packaging currently make up 30.3% of our landfill waste (according to the Environmental Protection Agency). The more food we grow on our own the less packaging we are required to buy. And don't forget the long list of other environmental problems growing your own food solves, reducing food miles and fertilizers to name a few.
4. Bring bags - One trillion single-use plastic bags are used per year, almost 2 million each minute (Earth Policy Institute). Think of the number of bags that are used for 30 minutes then sent to the dump, all you need to do is bring your own.
5. Reduce purchases - Last but certainly not least is a key point made in Garbology by Edward Humes. We feel a need to buy, buy and buy some more.
"Average household credit card debt topped the landmark of $10,000 in 2006, a hundredfold increase over the average consumer debt in the 1960s. One consequence: Much of the material buried in landfills in recent years was bought with those same credit cards, leading to the quintessentially American practice of consumers continuing to pay, sometimes for years, for purchases after they become trash.” - Edward Humes, Garbology
The next time you are making a purchase ask yourself, "Is this something I need or want? How long will this last? Can I buy it used?" These are all important questions that will aid in reducing each of our 102 tons of trash.
Please follow the link to check out Garbology by Edward Humes and some of his other great work.
