How is waste minimization bad locally in USA?
3 answers
I don't see any disadvantages of minimizing waste. It can cost a bit more than sending everything to a landfill, but that has even worse long term hidden costs and envirnmental effects.
<<Seattle now recycles 44 percent of its trash, compared with the national average of around 30 percent, which makes it a major player in big-city waste recovery. Its goal, city waste management officials said, is to reach 60 percent by 2012 and 72 percent by 2025. >>
(from the NY Times)
(from the NY Times)
Just as a side note to this question.
The city where I live tried a program about 10 years ago in which waste plastic was placed in a blue bag (hence the name, Blue Bag Program)and newspapers and cardboard were placed on the ground under the "full" blue bag. The city picked up the material once a week. Garbage was not included as it was a separate pick up. Only about 12% of the population participated in the Blue Bag Program at the beginning of the program. It was continued for two years at which time the participation had dropped to about 7% and the program was discontinued. People complained that it was to much of a bother and some even complained because we had to purchase our own blue bags. The cost of the blue bags were ONLY a few cents each. A roll cost me about $1.50 and would last about a month. Since then some of the local environmental groups have arranged to have large trucks at various locations throughout the city once each week where citizens can take their newspapers and phone books (paper only). A few die hard people participate in that program but the participation isn't very large.
The city where I live tried a program about 10 years ago in which waste plastic was placed in a blue bag (hence the name, Blue Bag Program)and newspapers and cardboard were placed on the ground under the "full" blue bag. The city picked up the material once a week. Garbage was not included as it was a separate pick up. Only about 12% of the population participated in the Blue Bag Program at the beginning of the program. It was continued for two years at which time the participation had dropped to about 7% and the program was discontinued. People complained that it was to much of a bother and some even complained because we had to purchase our own blue bags. The cost of the blue bags were ONLY a few cents each. A roll cost me about $1.50 and would last about a month. Since then some of the local environmental groups have arranged to have large trucks at various locations throughout the city once each week where citizens can take their newspapers and phone books (paper only). A few die hard people participate in that program but the participation isn't very large.
3 answers