6.2. MATERIAL WASTE REDUCTION Like climate change, plastic pollution is a global problem that undermines conservation goals. Whether through direct litter, incidental loss, or leakage from the waste stream, plastic accumulates in waterways and is transferred to the ocean, breaking down over time into microplastics – particles smaller than 5mm. In the coastal and marine environment, plastic pollution is commonly referred to as marine debris. Marine debris harms wildlife, including high profile species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and birds, through entanglement in discarded consumer waste or derelict fishing gear, and through ingestion of items from plastic bags to microplastics. Jekyll Island has long prided itself on its clean beaches and park spaces, making it a natural endeavor for the Jekyll community to contribute more to solving plastic pollution and marine debris problems than to creating them. Substantial efforts already undertaken in this focus area include the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s (GSTC) Marine Debris Initiative which has utilized a smartphone app developed at the University of Georgia to collect data about marine debris on and around Jekyll Island. These results indicate that cigarette butts are the most commonly littered item on Jekyll Island. JIA has also invested in a complete overhaul of the service-ware and to-go containers offered at McCormick’s restaurant, operated at the golf clubhouse, to reduce the waste footprint of this facility. Special events likewise present substantial opportunity for improvement to reduce waste, and specific events have been critically evaluated on their performance in this area. At least two other waste streams that are prevalent on Jekyll Island also present compelling opportunities to advance the material waste reduction focus area. These are food waste and construction and demolition (C&D) debris. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 20% of the volume of municipal landfill waste comes from food. However, the logistical challenges of getting surplus food to people who need it are substantial. Industrial-scale composting also has potential to reduce food waste on Jekyll Island and support landscaping operations, but not without the heavy lift and associated sacrifices associated with substantial capital investment and ongoing expenses. In the United States, C&D debris tonnage is more than twice the amount generated by municipal solid waste (USEPA). With the increasing use of plastic materials in construction of interior finishes, small, hard-to capture plastic debris can escape and become plastic pollution. In 2015, the JIA adopted an ordinance to control styrofoam pollution arising from the use of exterior insulation and finishing systems in construction and renovation. Viable recycling and reuse opportunities are available for some materials, from carpeting to concrete. Efforts during the recent period of economic revitalization on the Island to process concrete, asphalt, and dirt from demolition sites has been both financially productive and supportive of green building certifications. Materials that in the past would be taken to a landfill as waste have been recovered or recycled. Examples include: over the course of back-to-back hurricanes, turning 78,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris into wood chips; processing three acres of concrete construction debris into $204,000 worth of base stone for use on building pads, roads, and trails; and screening and sorting fine material from construction debris to recover 600 cubic yards of soil. Community buy-in is essential to any waste reduction effort. The Jekyll Island community generally demonstrates an interest in and openness to waste reduction efforts. Recently, the community group Jekyll Goes Green emerged with promising potential to spearhead promotion of broader acceptance, engagement, and innovation within the business community. In the hotel industry, corporate commitments to phase out single-use plastics from companies like Marriot and Hilton are shifting expectations for hotels under their flags. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 disrupted the societal momentum away from single- use plastic, and the aftermath remains to be determined. To advance material waste reduction, the Authority will accomplish the following, culminating with setting targets for reducing waste:
• Complete an initial baseline assessment of material waste sources and management on Jekyll Island
• Create a JIA cross-departmental working group to develop priority goals informed by the initial baseline assessment, evaluate ongoing data needs, identify areas of greatest opportunity for waste reduction and corresponding benefits, and make recommendations for strategic investments to build JIA capacity for waste reduction and management
• Develop a plan of action for material waste reduction, with a goal of establishing milestone years for specified waste reduction below baseline
INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY 84
