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Garbage

© Zany

Does everyone know what garbage is? I imagine so. According to the Annenberg/CPB web site Garbage , the average American generates 4 pounds of solid trash per day. What is all this trash doing to our environment? Where are we going to put all that trash? What can be done?

In answering the above question, the Annenberg/CPB site states that it is important to understand the difference between practices that are sustainable or unsustainable. Sustainable practices provide solutions that are economically and socially feasible but do not harm the environment now or in the future. Unsustainable practices are quick fixes that may deplete or damage the environment in the long run. It divides garbage into solid waste, hazardous waste and sewage, each with their own particular problems and solutions. It investigates each and offers possible sustainable solutions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a number of excellent web sites relating to garbage. Start off by looking at Household Waste . It states that in the last 30 years the amount of garbage discarded in the US has double while the population has only increased by 38%. It advocates using the four Rs - reducing, reusing, recycling and response. Next, click over to Planet Protectors Club , a great site for kids. It also investigates way of reducing trash through reduction, reuse and recycling. It explains how generating less trash will help protect the Earth's natural resources. A related site is EPA's Recycled City . Recycled City use to be called Dumptown. Play the game and see how Dumptown was transformed into Recycled City and learn about protecting the environment in the process.

Another site you might want to check out is The Rotten Truth About Garbage. This site looked to be a first-rate site but unfortunately it has not been kept up and some of the links are not working. Still, the site hosts a Garbage Timeline or history of garbage from 1657 to 1993 and other information that you might find interesting.

What do you think about Zero Waste - quote "...the recycling of all materials back into nature or the marketplace in a manner that protects human health and the environment..." unquote (and Aiming for Zero Waste)? Take a look at both sites and see what moving towards zero waste would involve. Would you be willing to try?

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