It is important to define waste; for some it is “uncomplicated business” – their consumption generated garbage is thrown out in a plastic bag [1], for others, it is a significant source of methane emissions. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) defines solid waste as material that is discarded because it is abandoned, inherently waste-like, a discarded military munition or recycled in certain ways.

Figure 1 shows the different types of waste generated in 2015 and the types in which they were processed.

The top 3 types of waste generated by tonnage are:

1. Paper and Paperboard at 68 million metric tons
2. Food Waste at 40 metric tones
3. Yard Trimmings at 35 million metric tons

Paper and Paperboard Waste:

Paper and paperboard waste contain newspapers, office-type papers, books, standard mail, nonpackaging paper, tissue paper and towels, magazines, other commercial printing along with corrugated boxes, folding cartons, paper packaging etc.

In the year 2015, EPA estimated the total generation of paper and paperboard waste to be 68 million metric tons (equivalent to the weight of 45 million midsize cars). From that, 31 million tons came from corrugated boxes used as containers and in packaging

What can YOU do about it?

Buy/pick up from local shops instead of shipping items.

Food Waste:

Food waste is an implied loss to the ecology, society and economy combined, and “societal relevance” to tackle this problem is becoming increasingly important [6].

The generation of food waste tripled from 1960 to 2015; in 2015, the estimated total generation of food waste was 39.7 million metric tons which translates to 123 kg of food waste per person per year [7] [8]. Only 5% of the total food waste was recycled, 19% was composted and 76% was landfilled in 2015 [8].

Only 5% of the total food waste was recycled, 19% was composted and 76% was landfilled in 2015 [8]. Landfills are a source to methane production. According to the Waste Reduction Model, 15 MMTCO₂E (equivalent to 3.2 million car emissions per year) was generated from Food Waste in 2015; as opposed to 6.6 MMTCO₂E in 1960.

What can YOU do about it?

Implement waste to energy modules like biogas plants on a community level or at restaurants and hotels.

Yard Trimmings:

Yard trimmings include grass, leaves, and tree and brush trimmings from residential, institutional and commercial sources.

In 2015, 34.7 million tons of yard trimming waste generated 5.5 MMTCO₂E greenhouse gases (equivalent to 1.2 million car emissions per year).

What can YOU do about it?

Instead of bagging your grass clippings, you can mow your lawn so that the clippings are about two to three inches and you can leave them where they fall to naturally enrich the soil by decomposing.

Conclusion:

Small conscious actions go a long way in creating a huge impact. Everything matters.

Works Cited

[1]	M. Drackner, “What is waste? To whom? – An anthropological perspective on garbage,” Waste Management & Research, pp. 175 – 181, 2005.
[2]	EPA, “Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) – Materials and Waste Management in the United States Key Facts and Figures,” 2015. [Online]. Available: https://edg.epa.gov/data/PUBLIC/OLEM/Materials_Municipal_Waste_Stream_1960_to_2015.xlsx. [Accessed 3 2019].
[3]	P. D.M.A.Roodhuyzen, “Putting together the puzzle of consumer food waste: Towards an integral perspective,” Trends in Food Science & Technology, pp. Volume 68, Pages 37-50, 2017.
[4]	U. S. C. Bureau, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.census.gov/popclock/.
[5]	EPA, “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2015 Fact Sheet,” 2018.