Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: miss_rogue

Wrap rage, the anger, frustration, and, sometimes, injury that occurs when opening a new package will hit its annual peak this December. Instead of kissing under mistletoe or roasting chestnuts, millions of consumers will instead spend time untwisting sharp, poky twist ties and slicing through airtight plastic clamshell packaging that seems better suited to seal off biological weapons than iPods.

For people trying to conserve resources, wrap rage is particularly vexing because, in the end, they’re left with piles of waste that can be neither reused (how many twist ties can one family really use?) or recycled (just because there’s a recycle symbol on a plastic bag doesn’t mean your local recycling facility will accept it). Paying customers are also annoyed knowing that much of this packaging is produced to deter shoplifters. (It’s also designed to make shipping and stocking more efficient.) Remember the terrible wasteful 6×12-inch cardboard box CDs used come packaged in? Consumers complained enough to rid the industry of the boxes. Now a new generation is aiming to put an end to wrap-rage packaging.

Some, fed up with overconsumption and inspired by the “reduce” movement, say that the best way to avoid wrap rage is to not buy anything–or at least not buy anything overpackaged or sealed in a clamshell. That would mean swearing off all electronics and many toys. So while there are merits to this argument, like other abstinence-only pledges, it may not be realistic. The cultural traditions and comforts of giving and receiving gifts during the holidays run strong.

One happy medium suggestion is to reduce the number of gifts you buy this season. Faced with economic uncertainty, many consumers are already pledging to buy less this year (much to the dismay of retailers). In light of mindful holiday buying, Amazon.com is hoping its “Frustration-Free Packaging Initiative” will lure shoppers fed up with overpackaging.

The Seattle-based online retailer has teamed with toy maker Mattel, electronics manufacturer Transcend, and Microsoft to sell 19 products that use less packaging and are easier to open. Amazon says, for example, the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship “is now delivered in an easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard box. The new packaging eliminates 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials. Also eliminated are 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters, 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners.” Transcend memory cards will be shipped in recyclable cardboard rather than plastic clamshells.

Nineteen is an awfully small number of products to choose from. And it won’t end wrap rage overnight. But it’s a start.

1. Compost Your Jack-o-Lantern
You can also save, wash, and roast the pumpkin seeds for a treat.

photo credit: tanakawho

2. Buy a Second-Hand Costume (and Donate It or Use It Next Year)
You can pick up high quality next-to-new costumes at Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other second-hand stores for less than $5. Sure beats paying $40, and you’ll conserve resources in the process. Don’t let your costumes’ lifecycle end there: pass them to a friend next year or donate to a retail charity and use your donation as a tax deduction.

3. Buy Less Individually Wrapped Candy
Let’s face facts: are you really going to get 400 trick-or-treaters? If you’re buying candy to satisfy your own sweet tooth, skip the small individually wrapped candies and opt for something with less packaging.

4. Turn Out the Lights
It adds ambiance to the night and saves energy, too.

5. Look for Any Opportunity to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Be mindful of your consumption during holidays when our desire to celebrate often leads to falling off the conservation bandwagon. Reuse costumes and decorations where you can. Recycle plastic cups, use compostable utensils, or use your regular flatware. Question whether you really need the Halloween merchandise that’s pushed at us each year. And just because something’s small doesn’t mean it can’t make a difference–I’ve even recycled tiny cardboard candy boxes from the kids’ treat bags.

More conservation ideas for Halloween from some of our favorite bloggers:

“Turning Halloween into Zero Waste Hallo-green,” My Zero Waste, October 16, 2008:
http://myzerowaste.com/2008/10/turning-halloween-into-a-zero-waste-hallo-green/

“Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Oh My!” Low Impact Home, September 30, 2008: http://lowimpacthome.org/2008/09/30/halloween-thanksgiving-christmasoh-my/

photo credit: Harris Graber

It’s come to our attention that a growing number of parents throw out their children’s trick-or-treat bounty when the kids aren’t looking. (Thanks to One Mom’s Musings for tipping us off.)

It’s a troublesome over-consumption paradox. Parents and neighbors buy lots and lots of candy. Children are encouraged to gather as much candy as they can. And then parents throw it out? That’s an enormous waste and a significant addition to overcrowded landfills. At least unwanted Christmas gifts can be returned to the store or schlepped off to Goodwill for reuse.

As a nation, it’s time for us to ask: Won’t somebody please think of the children? And the landfill?

This Halloween, if your children collect more candy than you think they should eat in a year, follow the lead of our forebearers: eat the candy yourself. Or bring it to the office to share with coworkers. It’s the responsible thing to do.

photo credit: nyki_m

According to Newsweek, a four-year-old start-up called RecycleBank is trying to boost recycling rates (and, of course, make money) by rewarding recyclers with points, redeemable for discounts at popular stores and on brand name items.

RecycleBank’s program works much like the frequent-flier programs offered by airlines or reward programs offered by credit card companies. The more you recycle, the more points you earn–up to 450 points a month, worth $45 in discounts at places that include Amazon.com, Starbucks, CVS Pharmacy, Shaw’s Supermarkets, and more.

The company’s main focus is on curbside recycling programs. When the local waste management company comes to pick up the week’s recycling, a device scans the radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag embedded in your recycling bin, weighs your recycling, and then awards points to your account.

While some people express privacy concerns over third-party companies measuring and recording what you throw out, more seem to be swayed by free swag. RecycleBank says recycling rates in Wilmington, Delaware, for example, jumped from 3 to 32 percent in just one year.

Unfortunately, if you live in a community where recycling is a natural routine, you may have to be content with knowing you’re doing your part for the planet. For now at least, RecycleBank is skipping places like San Francisco, where recycling rates remain steady at 69 percent (residential and commercial). Instead, it’s focusing on growth markets, where recycling rates are low.

Read the full story, “Saving the World for a Latte,” here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/161230

More resources:

“Boston Recycling Rates Not So Hot,” The Bostonist, July 30, 2008:
http://bostonist.com/2008/07/29/boston_recycling_rates_not_so_hot.php

“RecycleBank Raises $13M (Recycle Rates 90%),” EcoGeek, March 19, 2008:
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1457/

photo credit: clownfish

Bleak economic news may be grabbing the headlines, but according to the National Retail Federation, U.S. consumers are set to spend more than ever this Halloween: $5.77 billion, a modest increase from last year’s $5.07 billion.

Sixty-five percent of us are planning to celebrate Halloween by buying candy, wearing a costume, hosting/attending a party, or decorating the house, which gives a good indication of what the nation’s trash collectors will be picking up Monday after the holiday weekend.

The most money will be spent on costumes (net average of $24.17 per person), followed by candy ($20.39), decorations ($18.25), and then somewhat surprisingly, greeting cards ($3.73). (I have to confess, I have bought Halloween cards in the past. If you sell it, they will come, I suppose.)

Here are some more estimates according to the NRF’s Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey published September 30, 2008:

• Average per person spending (2001): $41.77
• Average per person spending (2008 estimated): $66.54
• Biggest spenders by age: 18-24-year-olds at $86.59 per person
• Biggest spenders by region: Northeast at $70.84 per person
• Least likely to party: Only 30% of those in the West plan to attend/host a party

photo credit: hfb

Given that you can’t enter a store between August and October without seeing an array of fake plastic spiders, severed rubber fingers, sexy angel/devil/cat/nurse leotards, and cheek-pinchingly-cute baby costumes, it’s not surprising that many American consumers believe Halloween is the second biggest retail spending holiday of the year. It is not. The National Retail Federation, an industry trade organization, says:

“Though growing, Halloween remains the sixth-largest spending holiday after: Winter Holidays ($457.4 billion estimated), Valentine’s Day ($13.70 billion), Easter ($12.63 billion), Mother’s Day ($13.80 billion), and Father’s Day ($9.01 billion). Because it is not a gift-giving holiday or an apparel holiday, it ranks lower than other annual holidays in terms of spending.”

The retail industry does not measure holidays in terms of waste, but I think it’s safe to say Halloween can earn a second place title in that category. Overall, consumers are making more purchases (costumes, candy, decorations, food and beverage, etc.) in smaller dollar amounts than they typically make for Mother’s Day (flowers, a gift). Collectively, that adds up to lots more trash.

photo credit: salsaboy

“Can’t we just throw away these banana peels?” my exasperated husband asks as I point him to our new compost container. “Do we really have to keep our trash in the fridge?”

Composting doesn’t come easily in our household. While it’s a natural circle-of-life for people living off the land, for most apartment dwellers and urbanites, composting is like de-feathering our own poultry. Messy, smelly, and hard. We know our great-great-great grandparents did it on the farm, but they probably would have preferred the convenience of plastic sacks and trash chutes, too.

“All this stuff is biodegradable, so what difference does it make?” my resident conservation skeptic presses. Now I love the idea of composting as much as the next person, but I don’t think it should be done at the expense of one’s relationships. So I wave off the occasional eco-transgression for the benefit of family harmony.

Still, I’d like to participate our our city’s composting program more, so I’ve created quick cheat sheet to help convince even the most stubborn of skeptics. Please feel free to share with your own:

10 Reasons Why Composting Matters

1. Composting diverts valuable materials that would go wasted in landfill. According to the EPA, 23% of the U.S. waste stream is food and yard waste.
2. We’re running out of safe places to stash our trash–whatever is diverted for re-use or recycle is good.
3. Biodegradation occurs slowly, if at all, in most landfills.*
4. Burning trash creates air pollution and is illegal in many municipalities.
5. Building a new landfill is expensive, up to $10 million, according the the U.S. Department of Energy.
6. Food and yard waste are the largest producers of landfill methane emissions. These emissions are toxic and can explode if not managed properly. Reducing landfill means reducing these emissions.
7. Compost adds nutrients to soil and helps it retain water, helping growers conserve water.
8. Compost can prevent soil erosion.
9. Compost can clean contaminated soil by absorbing hazardous materials like volatile organic compounds, heating fuels, heavy metals, and more.
10. Compost can reduce or eliminate the need for fertilizers and pesticides that are costly and harmful to people and the environment.

*Landfills are tightly packed places, designed to prevent harmful waste from seeping into ground water. In landfill, biodegradable materials do not get the conditions they need to biodegrade: air, moisture, and helpful living organisms. In landfill excavations between 1987-1995, University of Arizona researchers found still-readable newspapers dating back to the 1940s and intact hot dogs and heads of lettuce from the 1960s!

More resources:

An easy-to-understand primer on landfills on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Kids site:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/landfiller.html

The EPA on composting’s environmental benefits:
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/benefits.htm

photo credit: Matt Callow

As pumpkin patches across the country hitch up their hayrides and welcome the harvest with visitors, eco-friendly sites are posting hints and tips to remind readers to choose and use their gourds wisely.

This isn’t going to be much different. In fact, in my search to find options of what you can do with pumpkins—aside from showing off your creative carving prowess—I found that many regions of the US and UK are promoting composting. Pumpkins in a landfill can produce weeds and, believe it or not, sprouts. Only to be covered with someone’s torn up sofa or old alarm clock.

Whether you put the post-holiday pumpkin into a curbside compost bin or into your home kit version, the gourd holds valuable nutrients that can make good fertilizer. In fact, one site even recommended that you just plant the jack-o-lantern shell into the garden, to decompose at will.

(more…)

California Coastal Cleanup Day is this Saturday, September 20, 2008.

This Saturday, September 20, 2008, is the 24th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Cleanup events are taking place throughout the state and it’s not too late to volunteer. For a map of event sites, go to http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd2.html and contact an event coordinator for directions. There are more than four cleanup locations in the San Francisco Bay Area alone (which is good that we have so many volunteers; bad that we have so much trash to clean up!).

Last year, according to organizers, more than 60,000 volunteers collected more than 900,000 pounds of trash and recyclables. For an eye-opening look at the trash that collects in our nation’s waterways, see the San Franciso Chronicle’s excellent photo essay: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2008/09/18/MN7K12V9PJ.DTL&o=

photo credit: How can I recycle this

BBC reporter Christine Jeavans swore off plastics for the month of August, chronicling her trials in a riveting blog. Her self-imposed rules allowed her to keep the plastics she already owns, but she gave up buying any new items made of plastic, in plastic containers, or wrapped in plastic.

It wasn’t easy. Or even realistic. Jeavans slipped up occasionally, and kept a tally of items. While she didn’t lead an entirely plastic-free month, she estimates that her family reduced their plastic consumption by 80 percent, compared to an average month in which she tallied their plastic usage.

Critics of her experiment point out that plastic is a highly convenient, economical material, which Jeavans acknowledges. Sometimes, plastic could even be considered environmentally friendly, because it extends the shelf life for many foods, thus reducing food waste, and its lighter weight (compared to paper) means it takes less fuel to transport.

Jeavans maintains the point of her exercise was not to demonize plastic, but to get people thinking about the consequences of mindless waste. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. As it stands now, most of the responsibility for waste reduction falls upon individual consumers,  even though the majority of packaging waste comes industry, and consumers are often limited in their conservation choices. What are you supposed to do if your recycling center doesn’t accept plastic lids? Keep them in your basement until the neighbors call the fire department on you?

It’s important for consumers to reduce, re-use, recycle as much as possible, but on a macro level, manufacturers and producers should also think about the life cycle of each and every product they make. Otherwise there’s gonna be more junk than our basements or landfill can handle.

Jeavans wrote a BBC piece about the beginning of her journey and posted a short video:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7508321.stm

The BBC published her conclusions here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7591751.stm

The Barkingside 21 blog has a great post regarding “A Month without Plastic” and points us to two articles that suggest rising plastics costs may encourage landfill ming for materials:
http://barkingside21.blogspot.com/2008/08/month-without-plastic.html