2: Supply Chain

Module Overview

While the recent push for recycling has made use of already-existing plastics, the production of brand new products from crude oil is still on the rise. Further, the majority of our waste is not recyclable, and our broken recycling system hinders potential recyclables to even reach the proper facilities. The search for an adequate solution points in the direction of a new set of R's: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Rot (Compost).

Homework

EPR: The good, the bad and the uglyNeil Seldman, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, argues that extended producer responsibility will continue in the U.S., but that it may be more to the benefit of manufacturers than recycling.

Americans May Add Five Times More Plastic to the Oceans Than ThoughtThe United States is using more plastic than ever, and waste exported for recycling is often mishandled, according to a new study.

What My South Asian Family Taught Me About Sustainability (Before I Knew What It Was) I saw my immigrant parents’ philosophy on being mindful of waste as one solely of circumstance, of poverty. It never occurred to me that they were practitioners of sustainability, respecting the abundance of what we had.

This week is supplemented by...

Vox

What Grocery Stores Won’t Tell You About PlasticHuge companies like Walmart could slash single-use plastics — if they really wanted to.

Composting At Home | US EPA

At-Home Composting

Composting at home has significant positive environmental impacts, such as enriching soil and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Fortunately, it is a simple project that anyone can take on, including college students! Worm composting bins are also an environmentally-friendly indoor composting solution.

Berkeley Spotlight

Housing and Dining Sustainability Advocates (HADSA)

HADSA works with the residential halls and Cal Dining to help students and staff decrease their environmental impact. They work on projects that progress efforts towards energy and water conservation, food waste reduction, solid waste reduction, food literacy, and gardening. HADSA offers internship opportunities to meal plan holders throughout the year.

ReUSE

ReUSE promotes the concept of reuse by providing spaces for the campus community to freely exchange reusable goods. The purpose of ReUSE is to divert reusable materials from landfills and change the definition of "waste". Everything in the store is $3 or less, while books, readers, and office supplies are free. They also offer a repair clinic to ensure items do not go to landfill.

Surfrider Foundation Club (Berkeley Chapter)

Surfrider Foundation Club is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world’s oceans through engagement with environmental issues that threaten coastal ecosystems. They run a #NoSolo campaign to encourage college students to ditch single-use plastic cups for reusables.

Municipal Composting Requirement in Berkeley

If you live in an apartment or house that does not offer composting services, the city of Berkeley has you covered. As of 2014, Berkeley requires all residential properties of 5 units or more to provide recycling and compost collections. Show your landlord the official City of Berkeley requirements for composting if they do not offer it.

Zero Waste Store in Berkeley

Zero waste & plastic free refill service for the bay areaAn online zero waste store and refill service with a mission to reduce single use plastic waste. Local delivery in the San Francisco bay area.

Environmental Justice

The Concern with Convenience Culture:

Plastic, an invention of the 1960s, revolutionized modern medicine, product design, engineering, and more as an incredibly durable, inexpensive, and versatile material. Plastic changed the human experience drastically for the better, but also for worse - its low cost enabled a rise in disposable convenience culture, but it's durability ensures that it will never break down. A material that was never meant to be commonplace, the lifecycle of plastic and other wasteful products shed light on important environmental justice issues.

Who profits from convenience culture?

Large corporate oligarchies such as the fossil fuel industry are the primary beneficiaries from our wasteful and over-consuming habits. The life-cycle of plastic products, aluminum foil, paper cups, etc. involve a dependence on chemicals and fossil fuels and constant production of new products.

Who is hurt by convenience culture?

Plastic is a petroleum byproduct, meaning it keeps us dependent on fossil fuels. Climate change disproportionately impacts low-income people who have fewer resources to protect against or recover from natural disaster or conditions like drought. Additionally, our broken recycling system has human impacts: when recycling is sent to nations with inadequate processing infrastructure, like Malaysia or Vietnam, it is often illegally burned, dumped close to water, or left to rot. This degrades the health of humans and ecosystems in the surrounding communities.

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