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Joint Conservation Committee: Human & Environmental Benefits To Zero Waste Living

The following article first appeared in the June newsletter of the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee--

It’s a fact that most Americans accumulate large amounts of trash and waste over the course of our lifetimes. It’s also a fact that producing significant amounts of waste poses several environmental and health risks to humans, wildlife and our natural resources.

In order to combat these effects, many individuals have chosen to adopt a “zero waste” lifestyle.

Before delving into the concept of zero waste and how others are implementing it into their daily lives, it’s important to take a look at how much trash is produced by Pennsylvanians in order to gain a better picture of how small changes can make a big difference.

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program released data conducted by SaveOnEnergy.com which found that Pennsylvania had the second highest amount of landfill trash per capita in the nation behind the state of Nevada.

The analysis reported that there are 35.4 tons of trash per person in the Commonwealth.

According to the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, as of 2016 the state created nearly 8.7 million tons of municipal waste each year.

During the prior year, the EPA’s Biennial Hazardous Waste Report found that the Commonwealth generated 293,947 tons of hazardous waste such as acid.

In addition, the Commonwealth is a top importer of trash.

Pennsylvania receives a significant amount of out-of-state trash from New Jersey and New York. In 2014, Pennsylvania received over 3.5 million tons of waste from New Jersey, and over 2.6 million tons of waste from New York.

Despite Pennsylvania remaining in the top five states in the nation with the most landfill trash per capita, the Commonwealth also ranks high above their counterparts when it comes to efforts to preserve and protect the environment.

The Commonwealth is focused on operating regulated landfills, implementing comprehensive recycling and reuse programs across the state, and continual efforts to find sustainable, energy efficient initiatives that reduce air and water pollution.

Many companies across Pennsylvania are also making strides to reduce waste and become more eco-friendly by eliminating the use of items such as plasticware and styrofoam products for consumers.

Individual efforts are also vital.

In 2018, research conducted at the World Bank found that over 3.5 million tons of plastic and solid waste are produced on a daily basis.

According to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, in 2019 during their Pick Up Pennsylvania Fall program, over 488,100 pounds of trash and debris was gathered by volunteers.

The organization noted that the most common types of trash collected during the event included: cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bottles, beverage cans and tires.

Given some of these staggering figures, we can work together to make conscious efforts in our own daily lives to strive towards reducing the amount of waste that we accumulate at home.

The term “zero waste” has been defined in different ways by municipalities and organizations in the United States and around the world.

On the EPA’s website, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance, zero waste is defined as, “the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of products, packaging and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”

Zero waste initiatives have been implemented all over the world. Some of the most common tips for adopting a minimalist lifestyle from zero waste advocates are listed below.

Some of these practices are simple and ones you may currently do without even realizing the environmental, economic and health benefits that follow!

-- Purchasing items in bulk. Bulk items often use less packaging and are also more cost-effective because you are avoiding having to pay the cost of individually packaged goods and products.

-- Borrowing items instead of buying them. By borrowing items that you will only use a couple of times throughout the year or years, you reduce the amount of items that you will eventually throw away.

-- Switching out commonly used household and personal items in your home, including: switching from plastic shaving razors to stainless steel razors and swapping a plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush. These items are more eco-friendly and last longer than plastic ones.

-- Shopping at thrift stores for clothes, shoes and accessories. This will not only spare your wallet, but it also reduces packaging.

-- Fixing electronics instead of purchasing brand new ones. However, if an item is not repairable, recycling the parts is ideal. Stores across the United States such as Staples and Best Buy have great recycling programs.

Aside from the environmental benefits of practicing zero waste, it provides economic and health benefits as well. It is possible to save thousands of dollars a year by reducing and reusing.

It’s a fairly simple concept: when we live with less, we reduce the amount that we consume and then have to eventually discard down the road.

Relying on less material goods that are unnecessary helps us to place more value on the things that matter.

It is important that we understand that going completely zero waste won’t happen overnight. Rather than uprooting our entire routine in order to go zero waste, we can start by becoming more mindful when making decisions about what we purchase and consume on a regular basis.

By making incremental changes to our daily routines, we can obtain a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle which will help to preserve our environment.

[Visit the PA Resources Council’s Zero Waste Pennsylvania webpage to learn more about waste reduction.

[Visit Keep PA Beautiful’s Prevent It webpage to learn more about reducing litter and illegal dumping.]

Other Newsletter Articles

These other articles appeared in the June Joint Committee newsletter--

-- Forests Becoming Younger, Shorter

-- Atlantic Hurricane Season To Be Action

-- Honey Bee Colonies Stunted By Pesticides

-- U.S. Ranks 24th In 2020 Environmental Performance Index

-- Comprehensive Solution Needed To Fix PA’s Electronic Waste Problem

Click Here to read the entire June Joint Conservation Committee newsletter.

Rep. Parke Wentling (R-Mercer) serves as Chair of the Joint Conservation Committee.

For more information, visit the Joint Conservation Committee website, call 717-787-7570, Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Committee.