grill and hot tub? Zero waste initiatives have spawned the idea of ecoparks. Ecoparks take downcycling to the next level and take on the difficult chore of reusing everything with sophisticated salvaging operations. Dan Knapp, the keynote speaker at the Governors’ Conference on Solid Waste and Recycling in Charleston, West Virginia in 1986, presented the 12 commodities of the solid waste stream that can create a
5 % Putrescibles
5 % Ceramics
5 % Glass zero waste model. They are:
In the UrbanOre model,“ today’ s ecoparks salvage and recycling crews accept many un-reusable items for recycling, usually after cleaning and dismantling. For example, a mattress can be broken down into metal from the springs, wood from the box springs frame, and cotton from the fabric cover. All of this is possible, but these materials require substan-
The 12 Commodities of the Solid Waste Stream
7 % Polymers
5 % Metals
5 % Reusable goods
When man was small in numbers and earth was large, he could pollute it with impunity, though even then he frequently destroyed his immediate environment and had to move on to a new spot, which he then proceeded to destroy. Now man can no longer do this; he must live in the whole system, in which he must recycle his wastes and really face up to the problem of the increase in material entropy which his activities create. In a space ship there are no sewers.
-- Kenneth E. Boulding
3 % Textiles 3 % Soils
10 % Wood
2 % Chemicals
25 % Paper
25 % Plant Debris tial skilled labor to prepare them for commodity markets that may or not pay. Additionally, to do the right thing for a zero waste model, buyers on the receiving crew may charge a fee for receiving some of these items.
Composting should be a mandatory component in any zero waste solution when you see that 25 percent of the waste stream consists of plant debris. Wikipedia simply defines composting as making a heap of wetted organic matter known as green waste( leaves, food waste) and waiting for the materials to break down into a humus after a period of weeks or months. Compost is rich in nutrients. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture. Ecoparks assign a certain amount of their square footage to make the composting process possible.
And finally when we look what is left over from the ecopark model, wasting should be a last resort and the most expensive.
Consumers must be educated to understand the real value of this type of recycling, be ready to pay for it, and be willing to forego the easy but harmful approach of landfills and incinerators. A zero waste model is available today, but we all need to fully understand the cost of not supporting it. Time is running out. If we don’ t change what we are doing we run the risk of doing permanent damage to the only planet we have.
Christopher Wales is the owner of Sir Moves A Lot, a moving, delivery and disposal business in Sedona, Arizona. His disposal operation with transfer station is approved by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality( ADEQ). Through research and best practices Sir Moves A Lot likes to think globally and act locally with the intention of leaving the world a better place.
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