There are some startling statistics to consider when we think about zero waste. Some of what I’ve discovered this week is listed below:
DID YOU KNOW…
On average, every pound of materials we take to the curb (as trash or recycling) equals 71 pounds of waste created during extraction, manufacturing, and production. That’s 70 pounds of waste we never see! In 2007, 136,000 tons of trash from Austin, Texas’ residential customers ended up dumped, smashed and covered up. To put that number into perspective, it would be like trying to bury the world’s largest cruise ship!
Americans throw away over 100 million tons of paper each year!
Municipal waste accounts for, at most, 20% of the waste we generate. Almost 95% of industrial materials become waste before a product is manufactured, and 80% of what we make is thrown away within SIX MONTHS of production!
E-waste (discarded computers and other consumer electronics, including cell phones) is the fastest growing portion of our waste stream–growing almost 3 times faster than our municipal waste stream. The National Safety Council estimates that there are 300 to 500 million obsolete computers in the US, ready for disposal. Likewise, hundreds of millions of televisions that have been sold over the past 50 years have become obsolete. One hundred thirty million cell phones are retired each year.
In 1990 the Coca-Cola Company promised to begin making plastic soft drink bottles sold in the United States with 25 percent recycled plastic). Today, the company sells over 25 million plastic soda bottles in the U.S. every day – using almost no recycled plastic. In a year’s time, 10 billion plastic Coke bottles that contain over 800 million pounds of virgin plastic are discarded. And 64 percent of all used soda bottles become waste or litter — largely because Coke refuses to “close the loop” by taking them back and using them again.
Since waste is a sign of inefficiency, the reduction of waste usually reduces costs. For example, Hewlett Packard in Roseville, CA reduced its waste by 95% and saved $870,564 in 1998. Epson in Portland, OR has reduced its waste to zero and has saved $300,000. Interface, Inc. in Atlanta, GA has eliminated over $90M in waste. Xerox Corp., Rochester, NY has had a Waste-Free Factory environmental performance goal since the early 1990s. The criteria include reductions in solid and hazardous waste, emissions, energy consumption, and increased recycling. Savings were $45M in 1998.
Zero Waste is good for the economy: Studies show that 10,000 tons of solid waste can create 4 composting jobs, 10 recycling jobs, and up to 250 reuse jobs…but only one landfill or incinerator job.
So as I ponder all this very compelling data, I am reminded that if I, as one individual, really work at reducing waste in my own life, and if you, as another individual, do the same, change can happen. As the owners of “Life Without Plastic” state, it really is a matter of imagination, determination and discipline. To me, that means becoming a more conscious consumer as well as a conscientious one. It is taking the time to pause and determine if a purchase is really necessary and to look at how this will benefit or impact my life and our environment. It also means supporting businesses that are striving to create less waste in their manufacturing and packaging processes as well as providing products that are built to last.
Is the goal really to create NO WASTE? Not really. That’s an unrealistic goal and one that will set me up for failure. But if I can reduce the waste in my life and in my home as well as help my community move toward a new value of reduced waste, then I will consider that I’ve been successful.
FOR TODAY…I will continue to look for ways to reduce waste. I will support businesses who are trying to leave less of an environmental footprint. I will evaluate potential product purchases, asking whether they are really necessary or impulse-driven because I want to have the “latest and greatest.” When a purchase is to be made, I will also take into consideration how it is packaged–for instance, there are companies who are using packaging materials that dissolve and are biodegradable (we at Bubble Goddess are doing that). I will also continue the practices I’ve already put in place: bringing reusable bags to stores and additionally, using net drawstring produce bags at the grocery store; using a travel coffee mug rather than throwaway coffee cups; and using an in-home water filter and our own stainless steel reusable water bottles rather than purchase plastic bottled water.
