Ideology: Garbage

Garbage is something that has a death. It is an item that serves one purpose and then is thrown away to sit in a landfill because it serves no use to humans or to any other machine/natural processes. My piece of tinfoil, plastic sticker backing, broken plastic spoon and piece of gum went into the garbage because they are not made to be refurbishable, but instead made so we need to keep buying more of their products.

Trash demolishes the integrity of ecosystems because of the way we dispose of it, and its inability to blend back into the natural world. Preserving the environmental health, working systems, biodiversity and overall stability of the biotic community is not considered when we throw our trash away. In tandem with clearing land for landfills, we destroy species’ and individual organism's stability, and the biodiversity that comes with the land. Additionally, if we have less organisms in a species, the species has less genetic diversity and it will be harder to regain the stability of the species that humans have scraped away. Because of the reasons listed above, Aldo Leopold would say that waste is not “right” or justified. Using his point of view, we should work to eliminate the word garbage from our vocabulary.

Every living thing produces waste, but the amount of trash it makes and how other biotic creatures in the ecosystem can utilize the waste changes according to the species. Humans have a growing tendency to produce waste, like plastic, that cannot be used by another creature. Garbage thrives off the idea that items live a cradle to grave lifestyle. David Suzuki’s ethical model focuses on a cradle to cradle lifestyle where everything disposed of is able to give back to the earth. Many humans think of life as a linear process and not a circular process. For example, we make something to be used in a specific way, once it is used its purpose has run dry and it has no remaining value therefore it is left to be thrown away. You can see linear patterns in society, such as the idea people are made to only go to school, college, get a job, have kids and then retire. And even as a world, all biotic creatures are born in some way, live and then die. Because humans see the world as a linear space, it is difficult for them to perceive the circular patterns of the biosphere.

Even when trying to do the right thing, many people put compostable or recyclable items in the wrong bin. The Bottle Bill tax instituted in Oregon, California, Connecticut and seven other states helps combat this issue. This bill gives a ¢5-10 tax to consumers when they buy plastic bottles and gives the money back when the bottles are returned to recycling receptacles. The money that is not returned is used to power recycling agencies. The Bottle Bill has created jobs, reduced litter, promoted recycling tendencies, provided financial incentives to recycle and helped to produce higher quality recycled materials (Bottle Bill Resource Guide). Places without this bill in America recycle only 27% of the plastic bottles we consume (United States Environmental Protection Agency). This idea would help us recycle more, and produce less waste. People who are unable to find jobs at traditional places are even able to live off of recycling bottles.

Aldo Leopold, and David Suzuki both agree that the concept of trash is “bad”. Garbage does not give back to the earth, and is doing a disservice to our planet. “In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.5 percent recycling rate. On average, we recycled and composted 1.51 pounds of our individual waste generation of 4.38 pounds per person per day,” (EPA). We only have one earth, and continuing to trash it by throwing thousands of pounds of reusable items away a day is unacceptable.

Works Cited:

Levine, Rachel. "How to Recycle Plastic Forks." EHow. Demand Media, 1999-2015. Web. 13 May 2015. <http://www.ehow.com/how_6468074_recycle-plastic-forks.html>.

Unknown. "Bottle Bill Myths and Facts." Bottle Bill Resource Guide. Container Recycling Institute, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015. <http://www.bottlebill.org/about/mythfact.htm>.

Unknown. "How to Recycle Aluminum Foil." Earth 911. Earth 911, 2014. Web. 13 May 2015. <http://www.earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-aluminum-foil/>.

Unknown. "Municipal Solid Waste." United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 13 May 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fepawaste%2Fnonhaz%2Fmunicipal%2F>.

Unknown. "RECYCLING FACTS." SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING PLASTIC. MRC Polymers, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015. http://www.mrcpolymers.com/PlasticRecyclingFacts.php.