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/