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8.0 Module Learning Objectives
8.0 Module Learning Objectives
After completion of this module, you will be able to:
Explain why mindful consumption is the best way to reduce waste
Identify ongoing issues with waste management in the United States
Properly sort waste in the classroom and at home
8.1 Introduction to Zero Waste
8.1 Introduction to Zero Waste
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Image 8.1
When learning about reducing waste, we are often taught about the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. In reality, there is an abundance of ways to minimize waste. The image displayed gives an expanded take on the classic "three R" model by providing eight hierarchical steps to decrease waste. At the center is to rethink. At CLPCCD, we are dramatically rethinking our consumption and waste management systems in order to decrease campus emissions and eventually achieve zero waste. In this module, you will learn why waste reduction is essential to fighting climate change and creating a cleaner future.
8.2 Why Refuse and Reduce Come First
8.2 Why Refuse and Reduce Come First
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Image 8.2
The Lifecycle Assessment
The Lifecycle Assessment
We've learned how carbon emissions are created from food, transportation, and energy production, but we haven't talked about stuff yet. All the items you own- from your clothes, to your toothbrush, to your couch- resulted in energy use, water use, land use, and emissions during their production. When considering if an item is "eco-friendly", we tend to think about the materials the item is made out of. However, this only tells us a fraction of the story. When considering the total lifecycle impact, we take into account the production, use, and disposal of a good. Recycled products have a smaller lifecycle impact than those made from virgin materials because they do not require raw materials and don't end up in landfills. Reused items have an even smaller lifecycle impact than recycled items because there is no manufacturing or extracting involved. With this, the lifecycle assessment contextualizes how reducing consumption and reusing items reduces environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions. The Story of Stuff film linked in the resources below explains this concept in further detail.
Consumerism Meets Plastic
Consumerism Meets Plastic
There's no question that Americans have an obsession with stuff. In fact, there are more shopping malls than high schools in the United States. There are many reasons why this is, and most of them have to do with the social and economic structure of our country. But shopping also triggers our innate reward system: when we buy something we like, the dopamine receptor is activated. This explains why some people develop shopping additions. More, the rise of technology makes buying stuff way cheaper and way easier. Consumerism is harmful by itself for all the reasons we will discuss on this page. Buying things in excess is wasteful. But consumerism has an equally notorious partner in crime, plastic, that makes it much more dangerous. As consumerism rises, so does the demand for plastic. This is because plastic allows manufacturers to produce large quantities of items at low prices. Therefore, consumers are able to purchase more stuff than ever before.
Plastic is one of Mother Nature's biggest enemies. Nearly all plastic is made out of fossil fuels and is energy-intensive to manufacture, producing greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle. Plastic is more commonly known for its contribution to global pollution. Since plastic is so durable, it takes a nearly infinite amount of time to fully decompose. This means the majority of plastic that has ever been produced still exists, minus what is recycled or incinerated. The rest of the world's plastic waste is either in a landfill or exists as pollution. It's estimated that tens of millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. When plastic breaks down, tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics are created. Microplastics are still largely unregulated but pose many risks for environmental and human health.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing
Purchasing an "eco-friendly" product may not be as friendly as you think. When a company is selling a green-branded product or using heavy nature imagery in its marketing, it's a good time to take a step back and question the company's true intentions. Greenwashing is a marketing tactic used to convince consumers that a product is beneficial to the environment in order to sell more products and increase profit. This video gives an example of how nature imagery is used to create inaccurate assumptions about a product's sustainability performance. To provide another example, fast fashion companies like H&M are coming out with "sustainable" lines of clothing made from of recycled textiles, yet the entire fast fashion industry is dependent on environmental degradation and pollution. This ironic marketing emphasizes the fact that the majority of corporations have a core conflict of interest with the planet: exploitation creates profit. One way to tell if a company is truly committed to its sustainability goals is by checking their website to see if they have transparent reporting about their supply chain and production processes. There is a more detailed article about how to spot greenwashing in the resources below. And once again, consuming less is always the most sustainable option.
Attempts to Minimize Waste
Attempts to Minimize Waste
Recycling is a great way to minimize waste in theory, but it is a little less than ideal in practice. To be precise, only 9 percent of items sent to be recycled are actually, truly recycled. When the U.S. recycling system was created, its main purpose was to recycle bottles, cans, and paper. Over the last century, the recycling system has been overwhelmed with more waste than the recycling sorting plants know what to do with. In particular, sorting plants have been overloaded with plastic, which is generally more difficult to repurpose than materials like glass and aluminum. Historically, the way the United States solved these issues is by sending plastic overseas. This solution was never a great one considering it shifted the plastic pollution burden to countries that contribute to the consumption issue much less. It became even less effective when other countries stopped accepting our recycling due to global industrialization and high contamination rates. This video explains the issues with the current recycling system in further detail.
Another tactic used to divert waste from landfills is incineration, which is disposal through combustion. Waste incineration is sometimes branded as an efficient waste management technique because combustion releases energy as heat. In reality, waste incinerators are proven to release large amounts of toxic air particulates into surrounding communities. 79 percent of incinerators are located in communities of color, leaving these communities especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.
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Image 8.5 Community members in Detroit, MI advocate for the closure of the Detroit waste incinerator (they won! It closed in 2019)
8.3 Managing Waste 101
8.3 Managing Waste 101
Recycling
Recycling
Although our current recycling system has its faults, a lot of materials can still be repurposed when they're disposed of properly, reducing the product's total lifecycle emissions. In fact, creating recycled aluminum products generates 95 percent less energy than creating aluminum from raw materials. However, it's crucial to be educated about how to recycle correctly because contamination can cause a whole bin of recyclable items to be sent to the landfill. The most important step is to check what items can be recycled in your area. The resources linked at the bottom of this page will help you access this information. Being informed of your local recycling rules prevents "wish-cycling". Once you know what can be recycled, make sure the items are clean and dry when placed in the bin. If there are food remnants or liquids in the container, the item can not be recycled. If you follow this protocol while recycling, your waste will have the highest likelihood of being repurposed.
Composting
Composting
Composting is a form of waste diversion that can reduce the amount of food waste in landfills. Composting is essentially the food version of recycling, as food scraps naturally decompose into carbon-rich fertilizer under the right conditions. In addition, composting is a better alternative to throwing food waste into the trash because of the environment the food breaks down in. In the landfill, food scraps aren't properly aerated, which causes them to release methane gas as they decompose. Therefore, composting helps repurpose food scraps and avoid excess greenhouse gas emissions. The new California State law, SB1383, aims to reduce the amount of food waste in landfills as a method of minimizing climate change emissions. Under this act, Alameda County residents are required to sort organic waste as of January 1, 2022. You may request a composting bin from your waste service provider if you don't already have one. Check here to see what is allowed to go in the industrial composting bin.
8.4 What is CLPCCD doing?
8.4 What is CLPCCD doing?
Partnership with Post-Landfill Action Network
Partnership with Post-Landfill Action Network
Chabot-Las Positas has a long way to go in our journey to zero waste. In 2019, Las Positas generated about 120 tons of landfill waste. That's one year on one campus. To create an initial benchmark of each campus' waste performance, CLPCCD has partnered with the Post-Landfill Action Network to complete a district-wide waste assessment. This assessment will identify specific improvements for the district's waste operations and shape the future of zero-waste initiatives.
8.5 What can I do?
8.5 What can I do?
Do a self-reflection to identify when or where you produce the most waste, then rethink these routines
Be a mindful consumer and only purchase things you need
Bring a reusable water bottle, coffee cup, and cutlery to use on campus
Bring your own shopping bags and use them consistently
Purchase in bulk when possible
Compost food waste at home
Become a member of PLAN and complete the Beyond Waste Leadership Certification (valid through 2023)
8.6 Additional Resources
8.6 Additional Resources
How to reuse, repair, recycle, or safely dispose of basically anything!
8.7 Quiz
8.7 Quiz
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