Why Composting is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for the Environment

I recently had a friend come to me and tell me she wanted to try a new eco-friendly toothpaste. She was interested in going zero waste with her oral care while supporting small business, and she wanted my help. 

This article was originally published on Midtown Composting

Of course, a “zero waste” toothpaste that you buy at the store is not truly zero waste. It is quite literally impossible to produce such products with no waste. After consideration, I realized that most people who are interested in the “zero waste” trend are not genuinely interested in radically reducing their consumption. If someone truly wanted to get as close to “zero waste” as possible they would simply make their own toothpaste instead of looking for the right product to buy. It seems people are really just trying to feel better about their consumption habits. It only makes sense that in our capitalistic society we instinctually gravitate towards supporting small businesses before we consider seriously reducing our consumption.

I am happy to report that my friend is very excited about making her own toothpaste and has yet again surprised me by being better than average.

When I was a young teenager, I remember the first time I read about how bad plastic straws were for the environment and the damage they do to wildlife. I was outraged, so naturally, I did what anyone would do. I hopped online and found the next product to purchase: the “zero waste” metal straws from amazon. I could drink my restaurant drinks with a reusable straw while looking down upon those who continued to use their disposable straws. It didn’t occur to me to skip the straw when I went out to eat. It didn’t occur to me to eat out less. And the environmental impact of ordering my “zero waste” products from Amazon, of all places, didn’t occur to me either. 

I went deeper into my trendy, eco-friendly lifestyle. One day, I said to my stepfather, “I need a zero waste travel utensil kit!”

He looked at me, perplexed, and said, “Why not just… bring a set of utensils from home?” I scoffed, annoyed that he would ask such a ridiculous question – one that I did not have the answer to. It would take several years and quite a shift in lifestyle for me to realize that what I thought was a desire to eliminate waste was in fact a desire to purchase new products to make me feel better about myself rather than to actually live a zero-waste lifestyle. 

I know that I am not alone in my desire to truly want to do better and to be a better steward of our Earth. So, besides reducing our consumption, which we should all be doing, what’s the best thing that we as individuals can do for the environment right now? It’s not using metal straws or switching to an eco-friendly toothpaste or even buying a Tesla. If you’re not already doing this, the most significant thing you can do for the betterment of our environment is to compost your food waste!

If you’re like most people, the first thing you might be wondering is, “What about recycling?” Composting is a form of recycling (the best kind!). But does composting food waste impact the environment as positively as household recycling? If you’re already recycling, riding your bike to work, reducing your consumption, and feeling too busy to take on another daily task, is composting food waste really worth your time?

Or maybe you’ve been hearing about how our country’s recycling is simply getting thrown away into landfills because China doesn’t want our recycling anymore. Maybe you’re disillusioned with recycling and don’t want to start a new chore that doesn’t really make a difference. Is composting our food waste really going to make that much of a difference?

To answer these questions, let’s ask another question first: What if you could only do one? Hypothetically, what if you could either compost your food waste or recycle your trash, but you couldn’t do both? Which would make the most difference?

Let’s compare the beneficial impacts of both.

So, Just How Much Food Waste do We Generate?

Research from the American Journal of Agricultural Economics shows that the average American household throws away 31.9% (nearly 220 pounds per person) of its food a year. This adds up to a grand total of $240 billion dollars worth of food nationwide and 50 billion pounds of food. Outside of our own kitchens, 72 billion pounds of food is thrown away at restaurants, grocery stores, farms, etc. America wastes nearly twice as much food as other developed countries, a total of 122 billion pounds of food waste each year. 

It’s easy to read numbers like that and think, “Wow. That’s a lot of food waste.” But have you ever tried to comprehend how much a billion actually is? Chances are you would have no concept of the size of a billion pounds of food waste. If you’re curious, the video below breaks down how big a billion is compared to a million. 

Now, we’re not just talking about one billion, we’re talking about 122 billion pounds. A pound is a lot bigger than a dime, and 122 is a lot bigger than one.

Now that you understand that you can’t really comprehend how much a billion is, how do you go about comprehending the enormity of 122 billion pounds? 

The Eiffel Tower takes up about 26,240,000 million cubic feet of space. One cubic foot has the capacity to hold 43.9 pounds of food waste. That means we could conceivably stuff an Eiffel Tower-shaped pyramid with 597,722 pounds of food waste.

We generate 122 billion pounds of food waste, a year, in America alone. That’s around 334,000,000 pounds of food a day. So, in one day, America can fill up 559 Eiffel Towers with food waste. 

In one year, with 122 billion pounds of food waste, America could fill 204,108 Eiffel Towers full of food waste. 

What Happens to All that Food Waste?

Obviously, 122 billion pounds of food waste leaves behind quite a footprint. Food production accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the production process alone (working the land, growing, harvesting, transporting, and packaging) 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Then there’s the food that is thrown away. When food ends up in landfills, it produces greenhouse gases. If food waste was its own country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, behind China and the U.S, respectively. 

Food waste sent to landfills produces a 50-50 gas mixture of carbon dioxide and methane. Methane is said to contribute to global warming at a rate of 25 times that of carbon dioxide, as it is 25 times more effective at trapping solar radiation. Food scraps being transported to landfills typically travel much farther than food waste that is being composted. It’s estimated that garbage trucks in the city average 3 miles per gallon. Food waste can travel up to 500 miles before reaching its final destination. When all is said and done, every pound of food thrown away generated an average of 3.8 pounds of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA’s data estimates that in 2017 a total of 535.6 billion pounds of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated (a lot of Eiffel towers). Out of that, 81.4 billion pounds was compostable waste. Some of this waste (54 billion pounds) was composted. The majority of what gets composted is yard waste. Food waste makes up 1% of what gets composted (5.4 billion pounds). Yet food waste was the second largest contributor to municipal solid waste behind paper trash (including cardboard). The United States composted only 2.6 million tons of waste while recycling 67 million tons of waste in 2017.

Okay, What about Recycling?

Unfortunately, only a small portion of the plastic produced each year actually gets recycled. A total of 35.4 million tons of plastic waste was generated in 2017. Only 3 million tons of this was actually recycled, while 26.8 million tons of plastic ended up in landfills, making up for nearly 20% of all MSW in landfills. The rest was combusted.

Amongst the natural resources saved from recycling glass, one ton of recycled glass prevents 700 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the air. Paper makes up 40% of our trash. With every ton of paper recycled, we reduce greenhouse gases by one ton of carbon equivalent. The same is true for cardboard. For each ton of cardboard recycled, around 1 ton of CO2 emissions is saved. Aluminum, steel, and tin can be recycled endlessly. Glass can be endlessly recycled without altering the purity or quality. Plastic and paper cannot be endlessly recycled. Paper can be recycled an average of 5 times, whereas plastic can be recycled an average of 7 times.

Carbon Sequestration

That being said, composting does more than just prevent the emissions of greenhouse gases from food rot. Composting sequesters carbon back into the environment and adds nutrients back into the ground. Whendee Silver, a UC Berkeley bio-geochemist, conducted an experiment in an attempt to effectively sequester carbon. The results of the experiment show that a one-time application of a half-inch layer of compost on rangeland can boost the soil’s carbon storage for up to 30 years. After spreading compost over the rangeland, there has been a significant increase in native perennial plants and birdlife. Healthy soil is an essential part of growing food. In order to have healthy soil, we have to give back to the earth.

Vermont is one of the few states in the US that has composting laws in place. If all 600,000+ people in Vermont were to participate in the composting program and each person generates 50kg (around 110 pounds) of compost, Vermont would generate around 31,350 tons of compost. Each ton of compost generated sequesters somewhere between 0.01- 1.00 ton of carbon dioxide from the soil. In Vermont alone, 15,675 tons of carbon could be sequestered (assuming each ton of compost sequesters 0.05 tons of carbon dioxide). If everyone in Vermont composted instead of using fertilizer, an additional 3,135 tons of carbon dioxide could be saved for a total of 18,810 tons of CO2. On a national scale, we could sequester more than a billion pounds of carbon into the soil if everyone composted. The amount of carbon sequestered in the soil depends on how well the soil is cared for, as well as what is in the compost. Soil that is well cared for does not have as much potential to sequester carbon as soil that has been neglected. Compost that is higher in nutrients also has a higher potential for carbon sequestration.

So, What’s Better? Composting or Recycling?

The EPA has a chart that breaks down how much CO2 equivalent we saved based on how much of each material was recycled or composted. When you break this down based on the EPA’s numbers, recycling paper and paper board result in the most CO2 saved (3.35 million tons of CO2 saved per ton of paper recycled), with metals in a close second (3.31 million tons), and composting food scraps in third place (2.68 million tons).

However, when you combine all recycled materials and compare it to composting food waste, things are almost tied. Recycling saves 2.71 million tons of CO2 equivalent for each ton of material recycled. Composting saved 2.68 million tons of CO2 equivalent for every ton of food waste composted.

So according to the EPA, it would look like composting and recycling have about the same environmental impact, depending on how much recycling and food waste one has to dispose of. In other words, from what the EPA is saying, if you could only do one, you would want to choose based on which weighed more: your recyclables or your food waste.

But this isn’t quite accurate. The EPA only looks at the CO2 saved by not throwing waste into a landfill. The EPA does account for the carbon sequestered into the ground when you use compost. Each ton of compost has the ability to sequester on average 0.5 tons of carbon. This puts the total amount of CO2 equivalent saved in composting above the amount of CO2 equivalent saved in recycling.

The next time you throw a piece of single-use plastic into the recycling bin for the environment, remember that you don’t really know where that plastic is going and if it’ll even be recycled. Composting is easy. You can do it at home in your yard, and you will know exactly where that compost is going and what it’s doing for the environment. Or you can compost with a local pick up or drop off service and find out what they’re doing with their compost. If you’re interested in how you can get started with composting, check out this article.

The purpose of this article is not to discourage recycling in favor of composting. We should all be growing as much of our own food as we can, composting, recycling, and reducing our consumption.

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Canada to Ban “Harmful” Single-Use Plastics by 2021

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will ban “harmful” single-use plastics by the year 2021. The precise list of products that will be banned will be available after scientific evaluation.

As parents we’re at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles…That’s a problem, one that we have to do something about.”

Justin Trudeau

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

This new legislation is based on bans passed in the European Union and other nations last year. During a G7 summit in Quebec in 2019, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy, and the European Union signed a new letter against plastic pollution in the oceans. Those countries and the EU have committed to making 100% of plastics recyclable, recoverable, or reusable by 2030.



Reusable Grocery Bags Are Being Banned as Plastics Industry Takes Advantage of COVID-19

States and cities are rolling back plastic bag bans at the grocery store and enacting bans on reusable grocery bags as the plastics industries ramps up lobbying during the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco, the first municipality to ban plastic bags, has banned customers from bringing reusable grocery bags while the state of California has lifted their plastic bag ban for 60 days. Oregon has lifted its plastic bag for the same period, and cities like Bellingham, WA, and Albuquerque, NM have announced they will allow the bags during the pandemic. Massachusetts, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Maryland are among the states that have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags due to coronavirus fears.

It is critical to protect the public health and safety and minimize the risk of Covid-19 exposure for workers engaged in essential activities, such as those handling reusable grocery bags.”

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California

Do plastic bags actually protect workers?

There is evidence to suggest that efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus by banning reusable bags don’t actually work any better than using plastic bags does. Scientists have found that coronavirus can linger on hard surfaces like stainless steel and plastic, where the novel coronavirus can survive for 2-3 days. Meanwhile, there is no evidence to date that coronavirus can survive on what we wear and most reusable bags lack the hard buttons and zippers that clothes have.

Recommended: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut 

At the grocery store, plastic bags don’t reduce exposure for customers or essential workers any more than reusable bags do. Plastic bags have been received, stocked, and distributed by a person who has likely not been tested for COVID-19 for a multitude of reasons. Cashiers wear gloves, but many haven’t received proper training on how to limit the spread of disease while wearing gloves.

So those workers are constantly touching food, people’s money, people’s hand, carts and touch screens–without cleaning their hands or changing their gloves. But we know that the gloves can carry a bioburden and increases the risk for transfer of germs.”

Shanina Knighton, nurse-scientist/researcher at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing

Your grocery store clerk is touching money, their workstation, the plastic bag carousel, every bag they gave you, and every single item you and everyone else in store give them. Simply using plastic bags doesn’t stop that.

Properly washed reusable bags eliminate points of exposure for everyone. The cashier doesn’t need to touch the bag carousel. The customer isn’t handed bags that have been touched by multiple people. The cashier doesn’t need to touch the plastic bag carousel that has been repeatedly handled and doesn’t even need to touch the reusable bag if the customer holds it open while grocery items are dropped in. Reusable bags are touched by one person and can be washed for reuse immediately upon returning home. So why would governors ban them? The answer lies in the plastics industry.

Influence Infrastructure

Plastics makers have capitalized on coronavirus fears, including heavy pushes from lobbyists to end all plastics bag bans. Groups like Bag the Ban and American Progressive Bag Alliance have been especially active in overturning bans and promoting single-use plastics as a way to maintain public safety. Tony Radoszewski, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, recently penned a letter to Alex Azar, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We are asking that the Department of Health and Human Services investigate this issue and make a public statement on the health and safety benefits seen in single-use plastics. We ask that the department speak out against bans on these products as a public safety risk and help stop the rush to ban these products by environmentalists and elected officials that puts consumers and workers at risk.”

Tony Radoszewski, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association

Plastic bag sales in the U.S. were projected to reach 1.4 billion dollars this year. Thanks to the lift on bans during the pandemic, those numbers will likely be higher than expected. In addition to the rollback of previously instated bans, pending bans have also taken a hit. A proposed ban of plastic and paper bags and polystyrene food containers in New Jersey died in January. The plastics ban proposed in New York has been held since February by a lawsuit filed by Poly-Pak Industries Inc., Green Earth Food Corp., Green Earth Grocery Store, Francisco Marte, The Bodega, and the Small Business Association. Meanwhile, the plastics recycling industry is seeking a 1 billion dollar bailout due to the coronavirus. The U.S. system is notoriously bad at processing plastics with only 10% of plastics actually being recycled.

Plastics Are Not Here to Make Friends

The plastics industry is having a party, and the American people will be left with both the bill and the cleanup. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) has proposed the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.

By asking for a billion-dollar handout, Big Plastic is trying to maintain what already is the status quo: that is, taxpayers funding and taking responsibility for the waste of plastic producers…When we surface from this pandemic, plastic pollution will still be at crisis levels­ — and matters may be even worse, as industry tries to exploit this pandemic to leverage more marketing for single-use products.”

Senator Tom Udall

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Environmental Revolution: How We Are Recycling the Non-Recyclable

We moan, groan, and complain about pollution and rightfully so. Landfills are overflowing; plastic waste chokes our lakes, rivers, and the oceans. Cigarette butts litter the roadways; old vehicles, appliances, and unwanted items clutter forested areas. Not only is all this garbage an eyesore, but it’s also detrimental to the environment.

The overabundance of trash is a serious problem demanding our immediate attention. It’s not going to go away on its own. Humans made the mess; we have to clean it up. For millions of years, Mother Earth pretty well took care of all our planet’s waste, but nature cannot reclaim manmade, non-organic materials on land or in the sea.

Our forefathers invented new machines and materials but never imaged ‘progress’ could result in such a plight. Since the Industrial Revolution and especially during the last century, humans have continuously created more and more items that last long beyond their useful lives.

Related: Drinking Bottled Water Means Drinking Microplastics, According To Damning New Study

After World War II, mobility and convenience became the preferred mode of life. We became a throwaway society where items were not made to last. The idea of ‘toss it away and buy another’ applied to nearly all consumer products. It was cheaper to buy a new kitchen appliance or a children’s toy than to fix it. In the last 50-75 years, durable and reusable items like glass milk and soda bottles have been replaced with plastic. We are now left with figuring out how to get rid of all the garbage.

According to the EPA, in 2014, the United States produced about 258 million tons of waste. Approximately 35 percent of it was recycled; the remaining 136 million tons were dumped into landfills.

Much of that garbage consisted of materials that have limited recycling programs available like tires, electronics, batteries, appliances, and cigarette butts. These items along with the rest of all the consumer and industrial waste products add up to a massive amount of trash with nowhere to go.

How Do We Dispose of Non-Recyclables in a Responsible Manner? Burning or burying garbage is not the answer. It just compounds the problem by poisoning the land and water as well as the air. What the world needs is a way to correct the imbalance in a responsible way.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

As conscientious citizens, we do our part by recycling some of our plastic, glass, and cardboard as well as taking steps to lessen our carbon footprint. But are we doing enough? What do we do about items that are not recyclable? Is it possible to make a dent in all the accumulated garbage while keeping up with the waste we are creating now?

I asked that last question to Lauren Taylor, Global Vice President of Communications at an innovative recycling company named TerraCycle. She says,

People are finally realizing the past 40-50 years are catching up with us, and there’s a real crisis. I don’t think it’s possible [to catch up with the waste problem] unless we start changing some things. If we don’t, it’s not going to get better.”

TerraCycle

TerraCycle is making this insurmountable task a little easier by providing a way to recycle the unrecyclable. They have become an international leader in converting non-recyclable waste into raw materials or useful affordable products.

In partnership with major corporations, they run free collection programs. Individuals, groups, schools, and businesses sign up for one or more programs to recycle items such as cigarette waste, used oral care products, contact lenses, energy bar wrappers, and used water purification products. During the past 15 years, over 100 million people in 21 countries have collected and recycled over four billion used products and packages. In turn, the recycled plastics, metals, fibers, and wood have been reused, composted, or upcycled into new products.

Earth911

There is another chapter in the recycling the unrecyclable story that needs to be addressed—E-cycling. Computers, monitors, telephones, and other electronic gadgets are left in limbo when it comes to recycling. Some retailers like Best Buy, Office Depot, and Staples have a drop-off service for used electronics, and most cell phone providers offer recycling programs. Some of these services are free, some charge a fee. By using Earth911, you can find an e-cycle center near you, whether it be a store or a recycling center specializing in electronics.

This website also has listings for recyclers of other waste such as tires, automotive parts, paints, batteries, construction materials, and metals that need to be disposed of. Earth911 has a database of 100,000+ recycling centers across the United States, and their blog has interesting articles to help answer questions about green living.

There are many companies, organizations, and projects doing a commendable job of collecting and recycling the waste piling up on the land, but that is only a part of the problem. How about the seas? The oceans cover nearly two-thirds of the surface of our planet and play a vital role in producing oxygen and providing food. Millions of tons of plastic and other debris pollute these waters endangering the sea life and in turn, endangering our own.

Garbage in the Oceans

Ocean plastic can be found everywhere from the coastal regions to the deep sea, even buried in Arctic ice. In an article on National Geographic’s website, Laura Parker reports,

In 2010, eight million tons of plastic trash ended up in the ocean from coastal countries—far more than the total that has been measured floating on the surface in the ocean’s ‘garbage patches.’”

According to the Worldwatch Institute, the amount is now approximately 10–20 million tons of plastic ending up in the oceans each year.

A recent study conservatively estimated that 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing a total of 268,940 tons are currently floating in the world’s oceans. This plastic debris results in an estimated $13 billion a year in losses from damage to marine ecosystems, including financial losses to fisheries and tourism as well as time spent cleaning beaches. Animals such as seabirds, whales, and dolphins can become entangled in the plastic matter; and floating plastic items—such as discarded nets, docks, and boats—can transport microbes, algae, invertebrates, and fish into non-native regions, affecting the local ecosystems.”

Some of the plastic is tossed from vessels sailing the high seas, but a majority of the trash originates from coastal outflow. With larger populations along the coastlines, more trash is being produced with an increasing percentage of that winding up in the water. So, a logical solution to curbing ocean pollution is to catch the trash before it floats out to sea. That’s the principle behind the Seabin and Plastic Bank projects.

Related: Ocean Plastic To Triple Within A Decade 

The Seabin Project

The Seabin is a floating trash receptacle located at marinas, docks, yacht clubs, and commercial ports. It is connected to a submersible water pump cycling water through the trash bin. The floating debris is captured in catch bags located inside the Seabin. It collects trash, oil, fuel and detergents, as well as micro-plastic and micro-fiber debris before it flows into the ocean. Seabins collect three-quarters of a ton of debris per year including plastic bottles, plastic utensils, disposable cups, cigarette butts, plastic particles, and surface pollutants. The trash is either disposed of properly or recycled.

The Plastic Bank

The Plastic Bank impacts high poverty areas by turning plastic waste into money. It is a fairly simple process—people collect plastic, take it to a recycling center and in return receive money, items, or services. This stops the flow of plastics into the oceans while providing a positive future for impoverished people.

The recycled plastic collected through the Plastic Bank is sold to companies to use in the place of virgin plastic for their products or packaging. The collectors have a source of income to provide a better life for their families. It is a win-win for everyone.

Related: How Microplastics Enter the Food Chain Through Organic Fertilizers

Where Does the Recovered Ocean Plastic Go?

  • In France and Germany, Proctor & Gamble started using reclaimed beach plastic to make bottles for Head and Shoulders shampoo. In the coming years, they plan to expand the beach plastic repackaging to other P&G products in the United States and the United Kingdom.
  • Adidas uses yarn made from ocean plastic in a line of tennis shoes and athletic shorts.
  • The Ahi Performance Cruiser Skateboard contains 50 square feet of abandoned fishing nets.
  • The bottles used to package Method’s Dish and Hand Soap are made from recycled beach plastic.
  • Bionic Yarn creates a line of textiles that are used in consumer products ranging from boat covers to furniture to high-end clothing.
  • Sunglasses, jewelry, luggage, art, and sculptures also contain recycled plastic. The list is endless.

What Can We Do?

We can play a role in recycling. See trash along the side of the road? Pick it up and dispose of it properly. Separate your garbage into cardboard, plastics, glass, and paper and take them to a recycling center. Find programs that accept other items that need to be disposed of. Take a walk on the beach and collect the litter. There are hundreds of ways to show your respect for our environment.

We can do our part by making wise decisions in the products we purchase and how we dispose of the waste. It does not require a major life change. It can be a small step—recycle something you haven’t before, purchase less of something, change the brand of an item you purchase because they do something different with their packaging. Small steps lead to big steps toward change.



Renewable Energy May Be Hot, but Waste Managers Are My Heroes

If you’re not involved in the trash or recycling industry, chances are good that innovations in collecting and processing our garbage are off your radar. When characters get nosy about Tony Soprano’s line of business, “waste management” is the wise-guy throwaway punchline. But today’s advanced trash operations are far from the old dump and cover or incineration solutions.  Many disposal operations are building bridges to a zero waste future.
Image courtesy of Diversified Recycling
Our company contracts with parks and dog daycares in Metro Denver to compost dog waste, so I subscribe to Waste360. This online media and events network provides information to solid waste, recycling, organics, and sustainable communities via daily emails with the latest industry buzz.

Sometimes my mind wanders into climate change doldrums. Will the big-time doers follow through on their promises to slow down global warming? Do eco-conscious consumers have the will to shift behavior and demand meaningful policies? And by the way, my tiny household recycling space is a frozen tundra. Will taking our food scraps out to the curb with the trash be one more downer?

On days like these, the Waste 360 newsfeed can be as bracing as a fresh breeze. Amid the nuts and bolts posts about lawsuits, mergers, and acquisitions, you’ll see occasional updates on environmental advances. And, no lie! There are so many industry pros out there making real progress that I wonder why only local and business news outlets cover the stories. Here are the latest bytes:

  • A Louisiana solid waste district’s facility fuels trash trucks with biogas emitted from its landfill, and it shares compressed biogas with vehicles at an additional remote station.
  • The New York City Department of Sanitation is expanding its e-cycleNYC to provide residential pick-up services to more than 500,000 households.
  • New York’s Lewis County will be hauling its mixed recyclables miles away to a recycling center with sorting capability to offer its customers the convenience of single-stream collections.

These are just a few examples of how progressive waste managers all over the country are going beyond business-as-usual to foster sustainability.  Whether they work for private companies or public authorities, they take their environmental stewardship seriously.  These professionals are aware that a landfill is a no-win answer. They’re trying to divert as many recyclables from their plastic-lined tombs as possible. They’re trying to incorporate waste-to-energy programs into their operations. Like most of us, their options are limited.  But many of them are working hard to expand our disposal options.

The for-profit waste managers need to make business cases for each step toward near zero waste. County and municipal operators have to justify the expense of environmental projects to taxpayers.  Many waste companies and jurisdictions proactively pursue government grants and creative arrangements with outside recycling innovators to reach their goals.

Given their limitations, waste managers are tireless unsung heroes on the front lines of sustainability. The industry suffers from a long history of low status, drudgery and invisibility.  Facilities grab attention only when they produce nuisance odors.  We want the trash we produce to be “out of sight, out of mind, out of range.”  But doesn’t waste management’s humble efforts to save the planet deserve as much recognition and resources as its sexier renewable energy cousins?

Back in the day, Dad always gave our dedicated trash hauler a bottle of good Scotch for Christmas. What can we do today to show our waste management eco partners that we appreciate what they are doing?

Recommended Reading:
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Celebrating a Green Christmas

Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated and loved holidays of the year. It’s easy to get so carried away in the festivities you forget about the environment. If you are a true eco-friendly person or wish to become one, give each of the following tips a thought, and take the necessary steps for a beautifully green Christmas.

Christmas Trees

Have you ever wondered whether it’s better to buy an artificial Christmas rather than a real one? An artificial tree can be used year after year, but many of them are made with dangerous chemicals that add to environmental pollution during production. Besides, every eco-friendly person knows that there is nothing quite like the fresh smell of a natural Christmas tree to complement the holiday. Choose your tree from a certified farm that is sustainable and responsible, and consider a live tree you can plant after the holidays.

Christmas Cards

Send e-cards instead of paper ones. We live in a digital age, a time when people have access to the internet through smart devices and phones. If you choose eco-friendly e-cards, you can personalize each card, choosing music or animation. Considering the fact that Christmas cards usually end up in the trash, isn’t it time to consider environmentally conscience alternatives?

Christmas Presents

Pick your presents wisely. There is no need to go overboard. Buy less and buy local. This is the greenest action you can take this Christmas. Tons of products come to the U.S. from China along with a huge carbon footprint. If you buy local, you are supporting local suppliers and minimizing your environmental impact.

Christmas Decorations

Reuse decorations. You don’t really need to buy decorations every year. Instead, you can reuse the décor from last year. If you are feeling particularly creative, you can create your own decorations instead of buying them. That way you will not only save on money, but also reduce the clutter of your home.

Go through the items you are about to throw away and see if you can use anything. One great example is reusing paper from packaging into custom-made gift packets. Simply draw a shape on two layers of paper and stitch the two pieces together. All of those Christmas cards you received in previous years that are too cute to be thrown away can be glued together to make a thematic wreath to hang wherever you please. Acquire some acrylic paint and use it to turn your food jars into Christmas characters, such as Santa, snowman or a greeny elf – a fantastic addition to any Christmas décor.

It really isn’t that hard to transform your Christmas into a green one. All you need is to turn to your environmentally-cautious mind and think of what ways you can make your holiday is less taxing to nature. Be sure to check out the Handy Rubbish Blog for more information on recycling and green living topics.

Further Reading:

Eco-Friendly Toys: Tips for Keeping Kids and the Planet Safe

What Do Natural, Organic, and Non-GMO Actually Mean?

Five Easy Home Improvements to Make Your Home Green and Healthy

Seven Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Sources:

The Guardian – Pollution articles