permaculture

[Saor Stetler <saor@ycbtal.net>]

   Can We Create A World Without Waste?


         By Andi McDaniel, Conscious Choice
         Posted on January 9, 2007, Printed on January 10, 2007
         http://www.alternet.org/story/46335/

Aside from Oscar the Grouch, few people would argue that trash is a good 
thing. In addition to being stinky, ugly and a pain to lug out to the 
curb, the detritus of modern life causes problems on a far grander 
scale. Landfills and incinerators have been linked to a host of human 
health issues, and as for the environment -- you don't have to be an 
ecologist to know that lingering piles of plastic, metal and toxic goo 
are bad news all around.

Yet, we continue to throw things away -- and how could we not? What else 
would we do with that annoying cellophane packaging? The to-go boxes? 
The packing peanuts? The after-dinner scraps that even the dog won't touch?

Part of the solution is as simple as a blue bin. Curbside recycling is 
still an incredibly effective way to save energy and divert tons of 
plastics, cans and glass away from landfills. Another answer is 
composting, which would address more than 60 percent of what ends up in 
residential dumpsters.

But in addition to getting the word out about these tried and true 
solutions, a new movement is taking a more holistic approach. Rather 
than focusing solely on what to do with existing waste, the "Zero Waste" 
movement looks at a product's entire life cycle -- and redirects the 
conversation toward usable options for every step along the way. The 
ultimate goal is to eliminate waste as a concept entirely -- a lofty 
aspiration indeed. But Zero Wasters say loftiness is part of the point 
-- after all, creating a trash-free world is going to take nothing short 
of revolution.

Starting from Zero

The idea behind Zero Waste is simple: basically, nothing with a second 
use should be thrown away. And if something doesn't have a second use, 
it shouldn't exist. The Berkeley Ecology Center, a West Coast leader in 
the Zero Waste movement, puts it this way, "If it can't be reduced, 
reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or 
composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from 
production."

While Zero Waste depends on careful attention to what we do or don't 
toss in our home trashcans, its ultimate task is to take a bigger view 
of how waste is handled on an industrial level. According to the 
Grassroots Recycling Network (GRRN), an international Zero Waste 
advocacy group, "The goal applies to the whole production and 
consumption cycle -- raw material extraction, product design, production 
processes, how products are sold and delivered, how consumers choose 
products and more."

It's one thing to tell consumers to stop throwing banana peels in the 
trash bin, but quite a larger task to convince industry to adopt Zero 
Waste. Still, Eric Lombardi, executive director of Eco-Cycle, a Zero 
Waste-oriented non-profit based in Boulder, Colo., says that industry is 
more amenable to the concept than you'd think. "Waste is money, and 
industry gets that better than anyone," he explains. In addition to 
offering various recycling services, Eco-Cycle consults businesses on 
how to reduce their overall waste. That means spending time peering into 
the dumpster, where they'll notice trashed items that could have been 
avoided through smarter purchasing decisions. "We'll agree to pick up 
those hard-to-recycle items like computers and plastic bags and shoes," 
he says, "and then what's left? Mostly junk plastics. That's when we 
talk with the people who do the purchasing to stop buying the things 
that end up in the dumpster."

You Make It, You Buy It

Of course, industry interest in Zero Waste isn't generally motivated by 
goodness of heart. One of the principal tenets of the Zero Waste 
strategy is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which, although new 
to the United States, is already well established in Europe -- in part 
due to the pressing problem of limited landfill space. In an article for 
GreenBiz.com, Guy Crittenden explains, "True EPR connects producers with 
the downstream fate (and costs) of their products and packaging... 
[which] drives eco-efficiencies up the value chain, culminating in 
design for the environment."

The beginnings of an EPR policy in the US are visible in the growing 
number of landfill bans on toxic products, such as cathode ray tubes, 
large appliances, tires and electronics. In anticipation of future 
regulations on waste, some companies are voluntarily devising 
initiatives for reclaiming their waste, such as Sony's and Apple's 
takeback recycling programs. Of course, such programs also provide 
companies with that increasingly precious public relations commodity: 
green street cred.

At the very least, Zero Wasters are set on halting incentives to make 
waste. According to GRRN, "Markets today are heavily influenced by tax 
subsidies and incentives that favor extraction and wasteful industries." 
It's mainly for this reason -- and not for lack of the appropriate 
technology -- that waste has persisted, even in the wake of increasing 
environmental awareness. GRRN estimates that we have the existing 
technology to redirect 90 percent of what currently ends up in landfills.

Which begs the question: If we didn't send it to landfills, then where 
would it go? To recycling centers and municipal compost heaps, partly. 
But Zero Wasters say we shouldn't just be asking how to get rid of our 
waste. Just as fungi turn rotting logs into fertile growing material, we 
should be able to do better than piling up our waste and covering it 
with dirt.

And while it's fun to conceive of wackier and wackier recycled products 
-- corn husks turned into countertops! pencils made from recycled paper 
money! water bottles morphed into cozy fleece outerwear! -- Brenda 
Platt, of the DC-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), 
stresses the importance of finding the highest use for recyclables, to 
allay the energy wasted in production. In the case of glass bottles, for 
example, that would mean refilling them (such as with milk bottles), 
followed closely by turning them into new bottles, transforming them 
into art glass, and then maybe making "glassphalt," a material that has 
been used as an alternative to conventional asphalt since the '70s.

Such efforts can be facilitated by the existence of local "Resource 
Recovery Parks" where manufacturing and retail businesses share space, 
equipment and services, as well as reuse, recycling and composting 
facilities. In some cases, waste from one business becomes a resource 
for another business within such parks, creating a closed loop.

There's no doubt that Zero Waste is an idealistic -- if not near 
impossible -- goal. But whether or not it can be done in every instance, 
says Eric Lombardi, is really beside the point. "Being on the path to 
zero is the point," explains Lombardi. "Because once you have 
established zero as the goal -- you being the government, you being a 
CEO -- then you have a benchmark against which you can measure your 
future actions."

Perhaps one of those future actions will be recycling your trashcan.

****

Seven simple steps to trashing your trash

Let's face it -- we know better than to dispose when we should be 
Reusing, Reducing and Recycling. But we're busy, forgetful and, well, 
does it really make that big of a difference? You know the answer. So 
clip out these friendly reminders on how to bring your personal waste 
closer to zero. Just think: you'll never have to take out the trash again!

1. Feed the garden

Think like nature for a moment -- why would you throw away all those 
food scraps, when they could be transformed into beautiful, nourishing 
garden compost? Over 60 percent of municipal waste could be composted -- 
so find a more productive resting place for your banana peels.

2. Have bag, will shop

Of course, this one we know by heart. And it's still true. Carry canvas 
bags everywhere you go -- put them in your car, tie them to your bike -- 
and you'll have a final answer to the "paper or plastic" question.

3. Sort it out

Recycling rates have taken a downturn recently. Are we losing faith in 
the power of recycling? It still works! If you want your recyclables to 
be put to the highest possible use, sort them well. "Single stream" 
recyclables -- as opposed to glass bottles mixed with paper -- make for 
better recycled materials.

4. Think bulk

Brenda Platt of ILSR makes a point of buying groceries in bulk. Rather 
than buy single-serve applesauce cups for her kids, she opts for the big 
jar and scoops it into smaller containers herself. Simple? Yes. But 
simple is key.

5. Positive reinforcement

It's the same technique we use for supporting fair trade companies and 
organic farms. Support those companies that are making a point to reduce 
their waste -- and avoid the rest. Eric Lombardi, of Eco-Cycle, says 
we've got to "reward the recyclers. The clean companies must win the 
profits."

6. Shrink wrap

What better motivation to waste less than reducing the size of your 
trash receptacle at home? Substitute a small plastic grocery bag for 
your trashcan, and wiser purchasing habits will follow naturally.

7. Your Trash, Their Treasure

Repeat after me: there is no "junk," there's only useful stuff yet to 
find a home. Before you look to the landfill, consider giving your 
broken fridge or over-lounged loveseat a chance at a happier second life 
by posting it for giveaway on websites like Freecycle.org or 
SwapThing.com. And PlanetGreenInc.com will actually buy your spent 
ink-jets, conked-out laser cartridges and defunct cell phones for their 
recycle program, giving the money generated to charity.

******

Top Five Trash-free Towns

Searching for a waste-free world? Start looking for property in one of 
these enlightened locations. They've got big plans for creating less waste.

Berkeley, CA

In Berkeley, the birthplace of curbside recycling, the Berkeley Ecology 
Center's fleet of recycling trucks runs completely on biodiesel, and 
Urban Ore, a local for-profit "total recycling" center, rehabs and 
resells items that people would otherwise pay to send to the landfill.

Boulder, CO/Santa Monica, CA

You won't find trashcans at some weekly farmers' markets in these towns. 
Santa Monica's Main Street (Sundays only) and Boulder's Zero Waste 
farmers' markets offer patrons a choice between composting and recycling 
their waste -- an ultimatum that prompted vendors to offer compostable 
to-go materials and patrons to bring their own canvas bags.

Seattle, WA

The Wasteless in Seattle program includes bold new measures to reduce 
waste -- such as mandatory recycling with fines for violations -- and 
the Take-it-Back Network, which sent 600 tons of computer monitors and 
other components back to retail stores in 2004.

New Zealand

In 1999, the New Zealand government launched the Zero Waste New Zealand 
Trust, an initiative that offered $25,000 (NZ) funding to councils that 
adopted a Zero Waste resolution. Since then, 48 of 74 (66 percent) of 
all local councils have made the switch.

Germany

In response to a 1991 German packaging law requiring suppliers to take 
back and recycle up to 70 percent of their packaging, the Green Dot 
program was created, in which consumers deposit Green Dot-certified 
packaging refuse in specially designated bins. It then gets picked up 
and recycled -- all paid for by the manufacturers.

Andi McDaniel is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and regular 
contributor to Conscious Choice. Her work has appeared in Utne, Ode and 
Experience Life.