Rubbish

By the time you are reading this nearly all of you will have had your first block course, or at least a webinar on sustainability.  Here is the link to the presentation that was used for that.  

I hope that presentation has helped a penny drop in some way shape or form and you are starting to do some new thinking.  

If you haven't already, don't forget to look at the Fundamental Human Needs and see how they are being met in your life.  If you find things not being met, think about how you can make changes to help them be met.  

Today's topic is rubbish.  We talked about linear systems in the presentation above and if you have watched the Story of Stuff video you will have a bit more of an understanding on rubbish creation in the whole system. What I am going to focus on here is the rubbish you create and get you thinking about making changes

We have essentially 3 types of rubbish that we commonly deal with day to day (we'll forget about biohazard and known toxic wastes for now): 

• Landfill
• Recycling (with a subset of downcycling)
• Composting (Green waste)

Image source

Landfill is the end of the linear system - anything you send to landfill is a resource lost.  Things that are able to be composted or in some cases recycled (e.g. paper) that go to landfill release powerful greenhouses gases such as methane.  Yes it is true that methane is now harnessed off many landfills but not all are and the product is still a lost resource.  A landfill is designed to contain the waste and for breakdown not to occur, as if this happens there is the risk of leaching toxic chemicals into the waterways which then gets into the food cycle.  However as you are probably aware this is not without its problems and quality landfills are probably only found in countries with good waste disposal systems.  

Recycling - some products can be truly recycled. Paper for example is able to be recycled many times and then once the fibres become so weakened they cant be used anymore it can be composted.   So as long as everyone who puts their hands on the product does the right thing (Product Stewardship) then this is a cyclic system.  However for plastics the system is usually more one of downcycling.  When you put plastic in the recycling bin it is downcycled into another product which may or may not be recycable.  Eventually pretty much all the plastic going to recycling will end up in a non-recycable product and into landfill.  So while recycling allows reuse so does reduce waste it will still ultimately end up at the end of the linear chain.  Another point to be aware of here is mixed recycling (eg where the glass is not separated), results in only being able to make inferior glass products and if someone puts the wrong glass in the bin (eg pyrex) then it contaminates a whole load of glass which cant be reused.  

Composting - this is your organic and garden waste.  If composted properly this produces quality product which can then be used in your garden to improve soil and productivity.  Cotton and wool clothing that has reached the end of its useful life can be composted too.  

So that is common rubbish in a nutshell.  

So now you have a broader understanding on what is happening each time you put something out in the waste your challenge is to think about the products you are choosing to purchase/use in your business and what is happening with the waste.  

• Do you need that product (reduce), Can it and the packaging be reused? recycled?  composted?  What alternatives are available that have less or no waste?  Are the chemicals used (e.g. cleaning products) non toxic on the environment?
• Is all the waste we are producing at home going into the optimal waste stream?
• Consider targeting a certain waste stream - general waste would be the most obvious and measure what you produce in a week at home or in your business and set a target - e.g. reduce by 50% by the end of the year and then share ideas and make choices to achieve that.  If this is a business - use this as a marketing advantage!  Tell your clients what you are doing and give updates on your results.  This also improves success.  Reset the goal once it is reached.  

For you junior staff at a veterinary clinic who say I cant do this - for your boss landfill waste costs money to dispose of.  Reduce it - improve bottom line! and the marketing advantage - clients like companies that are trying to reduce their footprint.  

Tell us what your goals are to reduce the waste you produce.