LESS IS LESS: GARBAGE IN AMERICA

MSW GENERATION RATES

300 250 200 150 100 88.1

2.68

50 151.6

166.3

104.4

2.96

121.1

127.8

3.25

3.25

3.66

3.83

10 208.3

217.3

242.5

252.7 255.4

243.7

250.4

8 4.72

6 4.67

4.43

4.35

4.4

4 2 0 1960 1970 1980

Year

1990 2000 2010 0

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: POPULATION GROWTH

• 1990: 208.3 million tons (actual) • 2010: 250.5 million tons (actual) • 2010: 258.6 million tons (projected) • 2010: 8.1 million ton shortfall

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: PRIOR DECADE GROWTH

• 1990: 208.3 million tons (actual) • 2010: 250.5 million tons (actual) • 2010: 286.6 million tons (projected) • 2010: 78.3 million ton shortfall

WHY LESS WASTE?

• Recession? • Recycling/composting? • Evolving ton?

• Source reduction?

• Zero waste?

THE EVOLVING TON

• Less paper • More plastic • Electronics • Future products?

ELECTRONICS

MANAGEMENT TRENDS

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1960 1970 1980

Year

1990 2000 2010 Recycled Composted Combusted Landfilled

RECOVERY RATES

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 6.4

6.2

10 0 5.6

1960 6.5

6.6

8 1970 7.3

9.3

9.6

14.5

1980 10.1

16.7

33.2

16 1990 55.8

25.7

69.4

28.6

2000 79.2

85.1

86.9

50 45 31.6

40 34.7

35 34.1

30 25 20 5 2010 0 15 10

Year

RECYCLING: 2000 – 2011

• Packaging recycling 51% recycling rate • Up from 32.6% • Printed paper recycling rate 74% • Up from 42%

ORGANICS

• Composting tonnage up 4,250,000 tons • Composting rate up 26%

ORGANICS

• Edible food • Animal feed • Anaerobic digestion • Residential/commercial collection

SOURCE REDUCTION

EPA 1996: 23.2 million tons less: • Avoiding the curb • Lightweighting • Reuse

ZERO WASTE

• • • “Zero waste” means?

100+ communities Smart capitalism

COMPANIES

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Kroger Honeywell System Sensor MillerCoors General Mills Subaru General Motors AB InBev Dell Unilever Proctor & Gamble Ford Volvo Toyota Bridgestone Southern Tier Brewing Walmart NY State Legislature Kona Brewing

SUBSTANCE

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Increase diversion to 65% by 2013 Defect rate down by 80% No waste to landfill Donated food waste…decreased overall generation by 40% Auto production plant landfill free Zero waste to landfill at 116 facilities, 45 in North America Reduce packaging use by 100,000 tons annually by 2017 Waste-free packaging by 2020 Reduced waste by one million household bins Zero waste to landfills at 45 factories Five year plan to reduce waste by 40% per vehicle Zero waste to landfill 95% reduction in waste to landfills all North American plants, averaged over 3 years Two tire manufacturing plants zero waste to landfill Spent brewery grains to animal feed instead of landfill 80 percent waste reduction, increase use of recycled plastic Publish bills electronically, not on paper 11% lighter glass beer bottles

FUTURE: SOURCE REDUCTION • Limits of lightweighting?

• New materials or products?

• Reuse?

• Do we care about reduce?

FUTURE: RECYCLING

• • • • • More mandatory recycling: commercial and multi-family More C&D recycling More “dirty” MRFs?

Less paper, more plastic at MRFs On-line shopping

FUTURE: ORGANICS

• • • • More food waste diversion More composting Anaerobic digestion?

Landfill gas?

FUTURE: OVERALL

• Less waste • Less disposal • Evolving material mix • Continued zero waste by industry

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Chaz Miller 202-364-3742 www.environmentalistseveryday.org [email protected]

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