One man’s trash is another’s asset
One man’s trash is another’s asset
To get a better understanding of the trash industry, I was recently fortunate enough to take a tour of my local landfill in Fauquier County, VA. I was surprised to learn China recently cut back on purchasing recycling from the US due to the condition of how it was being received. The operation of the recycling business is something we all can (and should) be getting ourselves more knowledgeable about. I’m confident most landfills offer tours to their residents, so by all means give them a call and see if they can accommodate. I assure you it’s eye opening and a great learning opportunity. If you don’t have the time or accessibility, please take a moment to read a part of what I learned during my visit.
No amount is too small when it comes to recycling
Every single piece of recyclable material we save from unnecessary disposal can make an impactful difference in not only our environment, but also our economy. For the normal everyday person, trash is an item we don’t want or need any more, getting tossed into the wastebasket and carted off, never to be seen again. That is true, but do you want to know the part where change comes? It is in how we dispose of the “trash” and consciously dispose of your unwanted item(s). You may be surprised to discover very little everyday trash is suitable for the traditional landfill. If we collectively try to place our trash in sorted receptacles and dispose of reusable trash separately, we would be making a huge difference for our country. There is an entire business to buying and reproducing materials that can be re-used and we give nothing but huge kudos to companies who design, develop, and manufacture items using recyclable materials.
Let’s take a quick look at a plastic water bottle.
Being non-biodegradable, a disposed water bottle will NEVER dissolve or break down naturally. This means throwing away a water bottle will just sit in a landfill forever and ever taking up unnecessary space. Why that is not a good idea? Because instead of accumulating millions of water bottles to do nothing more than sit in a landfill (forever!), we can turn those water bottles into a usable good. The plastic of both the container and the cap can be broken down and used for other products. Examples of recycled water bottles are carpet fibers and binding, the popular Rothy’s shoes (and other big named companies) using recycled bottles as the yarn in the shoe, athletic wear, jewelry, insulation and more plastic bottles (to name a few). Why recreate new plastic, when companies are willing to purchase recycled plastic and re-use it in sought-after products??
Here are a few reasons it is important to recycle:
- Create jobs. Recycling creates jobs for folks with a range of skill sets and provides employment for those who otherwise may not be able to find work by sorting and processing recycled goods. Keeping the recyclables coming in assures job security for several people.
- Environment –Why would we want trash to become a bigger problem than it needs to? There is more than just water bottles you can recycle; more great examples are old clothes, cans, cardboard (never pizza boxes), junk mail, shredded paper, newspaper, all plastic bottles and jugs, plastic wrap, grocery bags, and more! Save up space in our landfills for genuine trash, not things that can be reused/remanufactured. Keeping things non-biodegradable or slow decomposing items out of our landfills will reduce air and water pollution.
- Economy – Believe it or not, trash is a big business. The landfills work hard to process the goods they get from the public by sorting & baling the trash. From there, a business team puts the trash on the market to be purchased. In the county I live, our recycling is in high demand due to the fact everything is hand sorted, reducing the risk of contamination. And, it costs my county money to dispose of trash, charged by weight. Maybe it would help to train our minds, non-trash (recyclable goods) = money. If we can do our part by eliminating the non-trash that creates a revenue for our municipality, we will stop literally throwing money away. Starting local will make big impacts globally. Perhaps China may not want our trash anymore but finding somewhere in the US to buy it or have companies start creating products in the US brings money to us. No matter who buys it, we need to supply it so there we keep this profitable market in operation.
- Supply / Demand: If we keep the supply of recyclables available for large business, allowing them to buy our trash for less than producing new, they will continue to have an interest in designing new uses and ways to breakdown and reuse materials. This is a win-win for everyone because it can keep the prices low and put longer lasting useful products on the market and out of landfills.
Please everyone, take a vow as a loving resident on Planet Earth to retain its beauty and cleanliness, and simply start by sorting your trash. Sending it in clean is also helpful, as recycling should not look or smell like trash. That is the main reason China quit accepting our recycling. Not only was it poorly sorted with the wrong items, but was dirty to boot. Simply rinse out your recycling and let the recycling industry figure out how best to sort it, so the bales are cleaner.
***Doing even just a little bit, is doing a lot and can make a big difference. Reach out to your local landfill to discover how to dispose of recyclables where you live.***
Special thank you to Trish Ethier from Fauquier County Environmental Services for taking her time to show me around the facility and give some wonderful insight on the amazing business of trash and recycling.
Thank you!!