Everything we does impacts our local and the global environment. Now that people have become aware of the major problems that pollution, toxic substances, carbon-emitting travel and other types of waste have on a local and global scale, people are acting. As a wonderful consequence, as we transition into a relatively energy-poor future, increasing energy prices mean more savings for those who are good at reducing waste.
Waste is everywhere. There are countless examples of all the commonplace items that we are now considering how to do without – all towards the ultimate goal of reducing waste. Waste products often break down into toxic by-products that are found in areas such as the 3.5 million tons of 80% plastic waste that floats in the South Pacific. It is the size of a continent, judged by the SF Gate to be twice the size of Texas.
This toxic stew pollutes fish all over the world, only to be consumed when you eat what should be otherwise healthy fish. Throwing away plastic bags and milk bottles, even when recycled, can result in a body burden of chemicals that could be simply avoided if everyone cooperated and formed a social norm that eliminated much of that waste.
It seems mind-boggling to weigh the impact of environmental toxicity versus increased carbon emissions or water usage, but some folks who are good at math have. Waste has just as negative an impact on the overall carbon budget. Keeping this environment suitable for human health depends upon lessening our negative impact on the environment, as a species.
Reducing waste begins at the store, but just like the familiar recycling mantra: “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Reusing items can be as simple as buying and returning milk bottles or collecting the plastic bags you do get to put other things into. You can also choose to reuse many other items in your house, such as jars and used plastic tubs by filling them up from supermarket or co-op bins.
You can find novel uses for objects that would otherwise end up in either the waste or recycling stream. For instance, gardeners can use old milk bottles to collect heat energy and release it well into the night in an outdoor greenhouse. Old spray bottles can be refilled with home-made cleaning chemicals (such as vinegar and lemon juice).
Other paths to reducing waste in your own environment include making purchasing choices that don't contain the sort of materials that can't be either composted or recycled. For instance, one may purchase bread in a plastic bag or a paper one. The paper one is fine for recycling while the plastic one may be reused, but very few places can recycle them. Most plastic that's recycled in the US are rigid bottles.
Other difficult to recycle items include incandescent light bulbs and alkaline batteries. Recyclable batteries and long-lasting fluorescent bulbs are now very reliable and reasonably priced – not only do they save physical and electrical waste, but they also save money.
Plastic water bottles are a very good example of a product that may be recycled, but often isn't. Keeping your own bottle filled with filtered water is a far less wasteful practice. In fact, a large part of creating less waste is to make and do more of these common tasks yourself.
Not only is a diet with fewer processed (and packaged) items much healthier, but it also goes a long way in reducing waste. Consider how much trash is saved by making your own cookies rather than purchasing a packaging-heavy batch. Again, if you must purchase cookies, get ones in a paper or paperboard package, rather than plastic and cellophane wrappers that most recycling programs don't take. Most local environments are already stretched to bury as much waste as they have.
When going out to eat, you can reduce waste, too. One approach is to order smaller portions so you don't need to get a take-away container. Another is to share a few take home portions in a single container. Flexibility a mindset that is on the lookout to reduce waste wherever it creeps up is the key.
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