Sustainable practices begin at the trash can Diane Linderman, P.E., PWLF APWA President
t has been said that you can learn a lot about what is important in a person’s life by looking at their checkbook ledger, or perhaps nowadays, their credit card statement. The same is true for a person’s commitment to sustainability, except perhaps there we need to look inside that person’s trash can. According to EPA data, in 2009 Americans threw out roughly 243 million tons of trash, or about 4.34 pounds of garbage per person per day. After recycling, composting and incineration, about 132 million tons ended up in landfills that year. The solid waste industry is changing. As public works leaders, merging the changes of the solid waste industry with sustainable goals is challenging. Cities and counties that were once considering new landfills or incinerators are now looking at how to deal with waste with neither. San Francisco, a city that is presently keeping 77% of its waste out of landfills, has a Zero Waste goal by the year 2020. Seattle, which is diverting 54% of its waste, hopes to reach 70% diversion by 2022. Organics continue to comprise nearly 40% of our residual waste going to landfills. Organics are comprised of napkins, cardboard, wood, food waste, etc., all of which when composted create a useful product which can be placed back into our environment, whether on a farm field or on our flower and shrub beds around our houses. Now, isn’t that what sustainability is all about?
2 APWA Reporter
March 2012
How we collect waste continues to change as well, whether it is the type of vehicle we use, or how it is powered. Of all public works equipment on the market, refuse trucks continue to be the largest users of fuel, simply because they are running eight to nine hours a day, five to seven days a week. Many communities have looked at reducing their carbon footprint by repowering refuse equipment with alternative fuel engines, be it liquid propane or compressed natural gas. Additionally, trucks with split bodies, permitting collectors to separate various materials into different compartments, are now being used which means fewer trucks on the road. Of course, cities and counties can pass ordinances requiring residents and businesses to recycle, but they cannot control the behavior of citizens. Education and citizen buy-in are major components to the Zero Waste initiatives. That will take time. But we as public works officials must take the first steps to begin that process. If we never start the education process, buyin and citizen behavior will never change. Austin, Tex., is presently in the process of finalizing their Zero Waste Plan and created an outreach campaign “Dare to Go Zero” which aired on the city’s public-access channel. The “Biggest Loser”-style program challenged four families to reduce their waste by 90% over a fiveweek period.
Official Magazine of the American Public Works Association PUBLISHER American Public Works Association 2345 Grand Blvd., Suite #700 Kansas City, MO 64108-2625 (800) 848-APWA (Member Services Hotline) (816) 472-6100 (Kansas City metro area) FAX (816) 595-5330 e-mail: reporter@apwa.net Website: www.apwa.net EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Peter B. King EDITOR R. Kevin Clark GRAPHIC DESIGNER Abbey Russell ADVERTISING SALES Kristen Creel R. Kevin Clark Amanda Daniel Kansas City Liaison (800) 800-0341 (816) 595-5230 APWA WASHINGTON OFFICE 1275 K Street NW, Suite 750 Washington, D.C. 20005-4083 (202) 408-9541 FAX (202) 408-9542 Disclaimer: The American Public Works Association assumes no responsibility for statements and/or opinions advanced by either editorial or advertising contributors to this issue. APWA reserves the right to refuse to publish and to edit manuscripts to conform to the APWA Reporter standards. Publisher’s Notice: The APWA Reporter, March 2012, Vol. 79, No. 3 (ISSN 0092-4873; Publications Agreement No. 41450540). The APWA Reporter is published monthly by the American Public Works Association, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 64108-2625. Subscription rate is $174 for nonmembers and $25 for chaptersponsored students. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, MO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the APWA Reporter, 2345 Grand Boulevard, #700, Kansas City, MO 64108-2625. Canada returns to: P.O. Box 2600, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A8. Reprints and Permissions: Information is available at www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/guidelines.asp. © 2012 by American Public Works Association Address Change? To alert us of a change to your membership record, contact an APWA Membership Specialist at (800) 848-APWA or membership@apwa.net. The APWA Reporter is printed by Royle Printing, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
