President's Column
Reducing Recycling
by Jim Clark
In the last issue of the Sandpiper, I discussed how solid waste reduction priorities could be reversed. Recycling has become the catchall word for all methods of waste reduction, while reduction of waste at the consumer level has taken a back seat. I also said that next time I would write on reducing recycling.
Is this heresy? Guess we'd better define our terms! Reducing recycling in this column means reducing the relative quantity of recycled material, compared to that which is avoided by reduction, and reduced by reusing.
So, if reducing and reusing are higher priorities than recycling, why havenšt we significantly cut waste in packaging at the consumer level? In my opinion, it is because our economy is still based on the raw extraction and disposal principles of the nineteenth century. Both the extraction (including 'renewable' resources) and disposal industries are very big, and businesses between them are resistant to change. Combine this with a generally uninterested public, and we have trouble in 'Waste Reduction City,' my friends.
Think about how much less pulp would be needed if we eliminated half of all paper market bag use. It would happen in a month if shoppers were forced to buy their bags at the checkout stand as in Europe. Unfortunately, most shoppers forget that they are paying for those bags. More and more grocery stores are refunding the cost of bags if you bring your own. Patronize them if you can.
Audubon members can help reduce waste at the source in other ways too. Try not to buy over packaged products, look for recycled content packaging, and try to reuse what you can. Buy quality that lasts.
We can also have an important effect by stopping federal subsidies to the extraction industries, such as federal road building in national forests. This will eventually increase the cost of new material, relative to recycled material, and raise the value of recycled material, encouraging recycling, reducing waste, and preserving habitat.
What I once saw as an issue that linked wildlife habitat and environmental quality is now very clearly part of the ecological cycle. Lets all do what we can to bring the cycle into balance.
Be sure to bring a reusable cup or mug to the next meeting!
Redwood Region Audubon Society
P.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502
Last updated September 1997