27 September 2007
U.S. Communities Embrace Recycling To Protect the Environment
Businesses and groups work to minimize waste, eliminate toxic products
Washington -- The United States sometimes is characterized as a nation of overconsumers who generate mountains of garbage. But a trend in the opposite direction is sweeping the country, along with deeper concern about global warming and the environment. Civic, corporate and individual efforts all play a part.
Neil Seldman, president of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Washington, says the recycling movement has grown significantly, particularly in the construction and demolition business.
“I would say that right now almost 80 percent of construction and demolition waste is being reused. That is up about 25 percent from five to six years ago,” he told USINFO.
“The deconstruction field -- which is taking down buildings by hand to preserve the good, valuable building materials -- has also taken off,” he says. “Growth in recycling in the construction and demolition sectors has added enormous amounts of material to recycling.”
Such materials are repurposed in new construction and renovation, another trend on the upswing.
Advances in garbage collection technology have increased recycling capacity. All recyclable materials -- glass, plastic and paper -- now may be placed by households in one large bin on wheels to be collected mechanically, by specially designed trucks.
“This makes it more convenient. It increases participation [in recycling],” Seldman says. “It does require a centralized processing center, but the improvements in technology in that area have been quite remarkable.”
Adoption of this “single stream” recycling is widespread. According to Seldman, “Just about every major city has adopted or is about to adopt it.”
“Waste prevention and recycling activities not only help conserve resources, reduce waste and save money, they can also help mitigate global climate change,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) press officer Roxanne Smith told USINFO.
The EPA partners with organizations and state and local governments to support improved waste management through its voluntary WasteWise program, which provides “tools and resources to communities seeking economically viable solutions to reduce waste and curb greenhouse gas emissions,” Smith says.
Cities now are restricting certain kinds of waste. San Francisco was the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags, in March. Oakland, California, followed suit and other cities are considering similar measures, despite some legal challenges by plastic bag manufacturers. In July, California mandated that big retail stores install on-site plastic bag recycling facilities.
Environmentally aware businesses such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, two U.S.-based supermarket chains, give monetary incentives to customers who supply their own bags.
“The recycling movement has now advanced to the zero waste stage,” Seldman says. “Up until now, people have been talking about 25, 50, 60 percent diversion. Now cities are going for zero waste … 90 percent or more diversion.” He says Los Angeles is the first city in the country to declare a zero waste goal: 90 percent by 2025. “They are already at 62 percent and they have an interim goal of 70 percent by 2015,” he says. ILSR is facilitating discussions on the best ways to meet those goals.
While Los Angeles has not banned items yet, Seldman says, “We feel that banning things is essential if you are going to get to zero waste.” Superfluous packaging and products that contain components made with toxic materials -- paint, light bulbs and computers -- are on the list.
Cities and citizens negotiate with companies to eliminate toxic materials in product redesigns. It has worked in some cases. “American companies are beginning to manufacture clean computers now,” after coming under pressure when Europe banned computers made with toxic materials, Seldman says.
Negotiation with industry is the first step. “Where that fails, citizens push for bans.”
A surge of home-based citizen activism in recent years thrives in community groups that “freecycle” unwanted yet usable items by posting them on the Internet -- free to those who want to collect them. The phenomenon has spread across the country and abroad. The Freecycle Network, which originated in Tucson, Arizona, in 2003, boasts 4,122 groups and 3,897,000 members according to its Web site.
Some go even farther, vowing to spend an entire year without buying new nonessential goods and shopping for used, recycled merchandise when a purchase is necessary. A few dozen San Francisco residents formed what they call “the Compact” and swore off consumerism for 2007. The idea is gaining momentum. The Compact now has an Internet presence with members nationwide.
In fact, the blogosphere abounds with environmental social networking, from No Impact Man to Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. Bloggers inform each other about local farmer’s markets and eco-friendly alternatives.
ILSR’s Seldman says effective recycling is both top-down and bottom-up. “Nothing happens without grassroots activity. Even this sweep in the last few years of private corporations greening themselves, that’s only because the grassroots is demanding it.” He adds, “That’s how McDonald’s got rid of Styrofoam.”
More information on the WasteWise program is available on the EPA Web site.
