CleanScapes Tips: Why reduce waste?

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Weekly Waste Reduction Tips. Looking back at a year’s worth of waste reduction ideas, and forward to the year ahead, we wanted to pause to answer the question, “Why reduce waste?”

The short answer is that everything we make, buy and dispose of has an impact on the environment, and as individuals we generate a lot of waste.

Whether the next stop for that waste is the landfill or a recycling or composting facility, it all requires natural resources for transportation and processing.

All of the natural resources used during the lifecycle of the things we buy -- from obtaining and processing raw materials (wood, minerals, water, etc.) to the manufacture, transportation and finally, disposal of products -- add up to 29 percent of the anthropogenic (caused by people) greenhouse gas emissions released in the US.

Luckily, one solution can make a big difference: reuse items as much as you can to stop waste before it happens. Waste reduction alternatives like reusable bags, travel mugs and refillable water bottles are easy to substitute, can help you save money and are a simple way for each of us to conserve natural resources.

By working together to reduce waste as a community, we can create a more sustainable future together.

The Big Picture

How much waste do we generate? In Washington state individuals and businesses generated 16,000,000 tons of waste in 2009(1). According to the US Environmental Protection Agency Americans generated approximately 250 million tons of waste in 2008(2).

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the 2010/2011 Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition.

--CleanScapes Staff