Aiming for a world without waste

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904583204576542233226922972.html

The article I chose this week is The Urban Quest for “Zero” Waste, by David Ferry and found in the September 12^th edition of the Wall Street Journal.

Ferry describes recent trends in some American cities striving for “zero waste”, essentially reducing the amount of waste going to their landfills. Some cities are better than others – San Francisco recycles 77% of its waste while Phoenix manages with only 17%. Ferry points out that in recent years, cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Austin have developed “zero waste” plans to recycle more of their cities’ waste, most aiming to achieve a recycling rate of 70% within the next decade.

The recycling plans Ferry writes about are very effective forms of action at addressing environmental concerns. With less waste going to landfills and more goods being recycled, cities can have smaller landfills while producers can get more of their materials in recycled form. On both ends of the product cycle, this is a win-win for environmentalists.

One of the reasons why recycling efforts are so effective is that it’s convenient. People enjoy saying they are green by eating organic food and buying a Prius, but when push comes to shove, people simply don’t want to sacrifice their daily routines in the name of the environment. Here we find why recycling efforts are so potent. No matter how green we are, we all throw out waste. By providing recycling bins (and in the case of San Francisco, a compost bin) to households, cities make it easy for consumers to be green. The only work required on the part of households is to separate garbage from recyclables; something that takes only several seconds a day. Yet the effects from such efforts are profound – San Francisco aims to divert 100% of its waste from landfills by 2020. That means no landfills filled with garbage and more recycled materials available for manufacturers – something that all of us, not just San Francisco, should aim for.

They great thing about diverting waste from landfills is that the forces of government, business and civil society come together to make it happen. Starting off as an idea and movement in civil society, city governments draw up plans to reduce their landfill waste. Then in combination with businesses, the cities put these plans into action – that oh-so-rare combination of economic and environmental forces agreeing. For example, San Francisco’s collection agency Recology sells off its recycled material and organic compost at a profit, originally collected thanks to government regulations.

For me, Ferry’s article was mostly positive. On one hand, it gives me immense hope; the idea of diverting 100% of waste from landfills is terrific, and all cities should at least aim for a high percentage. Yet looking at the chart in the article reminds me of reality we face, since the top cities on the list are cities typically associate with fringe greenie liberals – San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles. While the techniques employed in cities like San Francisco (where one pays for the amount of garbage they throw out but not for recycling or compost) are applicable everywhere else in theory, there remain two key barriers for nationwide application.

First off, the mere thought of applying “San Francisco values” is likely to cause a scare to many Americans, who regard San Francisco as a refuge for drugged-out hippies rather than normal human beings. What flies in San Francisco often causes other parts of America to shriek in horror. Then there is the cultural element. Growing up in San Francisco under the watch of parents from Seattle, I was taught the importance of recycling from a young age both at home and at school. One finds recycling bins on every corner in San Francisco and recycling is simply part of the city’s culture, where people feel guilty by simply putting a plastic bottle in a garbage can. I believe this cultural element is the most difficult aspect to share with other cities, to convince people that throwing a soda can in a different container is the right thing to do. However, I remain optimistic that the trend in landfill diversion is one that’s here to stay and will become more mainstream as time goes on.