Resource Conservation:
Waste
More than just recycling
Morgan StewartTopic of Global Significance
“’Solid wastes’ are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of indifference toward valuable natural resources, but also a serious economic and public health problem.”
-Jimmy CarterMay, 23, 1977
Did you know…
… 2.5 to 4 billion metric tons of waste are generated daily?
http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/
… 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used
every minute globally?
http://myecoproject.org/
… E-waste generation increases by
approximately 40 million tons each year?
http://www.ieewaste.org/index.php?inc=producer
… 60% of countries at the 1992 Earth Summit
reported that solid waste disposal was one of the biggest environmental
concerns?
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/108139116/Aluminum_UBC_CANS.html
… in 2005, 55 billion aluminum beverage cans
were landfilled, littered, or incinerated?
http://mismreps.ideascale.com/
… 40% of the solid mass in landfills is paper and
paperboard waste?
American advertising
http://www.kleenx.com/handtowels
http://www.benadryl.com/
http://www.hostesscakes.com/
What are resources?
Land or raw materialsvirginprimary
2 most common classificationsRenewableNon-renewable
What is waste?
Difficult to defineA negative effect on the environmentRubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junkMany classificationsDisposable Lives
Video 1Video 2
Brief HistoryResources were rareLimited technology=untapped natural resourcesIndustrial Revolution (end of 18th century)
Discover and exploitHide or bury
Crisis in the 1970sOil CrisisRaw materials crisis
So why is waste and resource conservation an issue?
Globally
PopulationLandfills
Efficient with disposal pick-upPlaced in locations that are out of sightBeginning to export waste to other countries
Attitudes of developed countriesPre-industrial revolutionPost-industrial revolution
Attitudes of developing counties
Waste & Human Health
Chemical leachingLandfillsVermin
Waste & Environment
MethaneNitrous oxideCarbon dioxide
Contemporary Issues
Giant Pacific Garbage PatchNorth Pacific Gyre2x larger than Texas80% plastic
North Atlantic Garbage PatchTheory of other gyresHotel to raise awareness
Depletion of Resources
Limited natural resourcesDeveloped countries vs. developing countriesPrimary resources vs. secondary resourcesConsequences of tapping into raw natural resources
How is awareness being raised?
Art
Volunteering
Music
Real-Life Stories Zero Waste
MediaPlastiki
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to change. It’s not.”
-Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
Local Actions
ReduceInvest in canvas bags for grocery stores.
Some will give a 10¢ discount/bag used
Stop junk mail by registering with the National Do Not Mail List at www.DirectMail.com
ReuseBefore purchasing new, check to see if you can buy refurbished itemsShop at places such as the Salvation Army Family Store for gently used items. 817.560.1563Become a member of an on-line community like www.Freecycle.org or Dallas.Craigslist.org
RecycleDispose of household chemical waste (batteries, aerosol cans, CFLs, etc.), at The Environmental Collection Center for free! 817.871.5257E-Waste (computers, TVs, cellular phones, etc.) at Goodwill Industries of Forth Worth or at www.texasrecyclescomputers.org7 Things to Recycle
RepurposeThe idea that an object (such as an empty 2-liter bottle) can be given a new purpose instead of being regulated to the garbage.
Fill a 2-liter with water, invert and stick in the ground at the base of a tree. Water will slowly seep into the ground to tree roots minimizing run-off.
Buy repurposed items from local vendors found on sites such as www.Etsy.com
Rethink…everyday decisions
But most importantly
Citations• Lacoste, E. & Chalmin, P. (2006). From Waste to Resource: 2006 World Waste
Survey. Paris, FR: Economica Editions• Seuss, Dr. (1971). The Lorax. New York, NY: Random House.• Shah, A. (2011, March 16). Global Issues: Consumption and Consumerism. [Web
log post]. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/issue/235/consumption-and-consumerism
• Stephens, A. (2008, June 25). Top 15 Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know about Paper Waste. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/top-15-shocking-facts-you-didnt-know-about-office-paper-waste-461807.html
• United Nations Environmental Programme & United Nations University. (2009). Sustainable Innovation Technology Transfer Industrial Sector Studies: Recycling—from E-waste to Resources. (DTI/1192/PA). Retrieved from http://www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/E-Waste_publication_screen_FINALVERSION-sml.pdf
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011). Wastes—Non-Hazardous Waste—Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm
• Container Recycling Institute. (2005). Stemming the Tide of Trashed Aluminum Cans: Industry Efforts Fall Flat.
• Edwards, K. (2009). Waste and Recycling Facts. Retrieved from http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (2001). Rethinking Recycling: An Oregon Waste Reduction Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/DEQ/