Throwing away waste from your lunch tray, throwing away the rest of the food from a party. Sadly most of us have gotten in the the bad habit of throwing away food, feeling no guilt at all, and not thinking of the impact it can have.
We are literally trashing our planet at a substantial rate! Cities around the world average about 2.9 billion tons of waste per year and our population is growing, which is likely to compound things in the future. This will contribute to serious environmental and health problems in the years to come. Luckily, many cities are trying to turn this around with a zero-waste plan.
Individuals, business, and communities are starting a zero-waste commitment plan. Bute, Scotland has a saying “inspire, educate, empower.” With this motto, the communities actions have changed and have a more economic approach to their daily lives. It shows this implemented plan is working. The people in Bute are reusing and recycling, and domestic waste to landfills have decreased.To show the extent they are going, they are using unsold loaves of bread to use for craft beer.
Another example is San Diego’s goal is to have zero percent waste by 2040. They provide zero-waste educational events and consultations to try to help the business and residents that don’t have a ton of time and interested in doing their part.
Many other cities are trying to do the same thing. It certainly would be ideal for a whole community to stop waste. However, little things help; like composting, reusing, recycling and minimizing use. It only takes one person to make a real impact.
LET’S DO THIS! KEAP Earth Green
–Colin