Reducing the amount you buy can help reduce waste in surprising ways: Table 1 lays out how long it takes to decompose typical waste products. If we never generate products in the first place, we do not have to extract raw resources, manufacture goods from scratch, come up with shipping materials, utilize additional resources for shipping, and then devise ways to dispose of them. The key is to only purchase goods that we need and in the right amount. Reducing the amount you buy is the most significant of all the options to manage waste. The strategies can be further discussed in the "Three Rs" approach-reduce, reuse, recycle-as briefly mentioned in the introduction. In order to manage waste, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Solid Waste Act favor an integrated solid waste management strategy that includes 1) reducing the amount of solid waste generated, 2) recycling as much refuse as possible, 3) transforming waste in an environmentally safe manner, and 4) continuing safe landfilling. In New Mexico, the legislature passed the Solid Waste Act of 1990, which set a goal of diverting 25% of New Mexico's municipal solid waste from landfills by 1995 and 50% by July 1, 2000. The benefits of recycling come not only from selling recycled materials and conserving resources but also from reducing expenses or from "avoided costs." is currently recycling only a small percentage of its waste. These hazardous waste byproducts find their way into humans and animals in one form or another. When waste is burned, it releases hazardous gases into the air and leaves toxic residues in the form of ash. Waste treated in this manner may contaminate groundwater, rivers, and streams. Most industrial, commercial, and household waste is now being placed in landfills or surface impoundments. Citizens are discovering that there is no easy way to get rid of the garbage they once assumed could be buried or burned and forgotten.Ĭurrent disposal methods threaten our health, safety, and environment, and pose additional indirect costs to society. We are running out of space in existing landfills. Ineffctive or irresponsible disposal of this waste can pollute the environment and pose a public health risk. Recycle: When discarding your waste, find ways to recycle it instead of letting it go to landfill.Īs a nation, we are generating more garbage and we don't know what to do with it. Reuse: If you have to acquire goods, try getting used ones or obtaining substitutes. Reduce: Buy only what you need because a better way to reduce waste is by not creating it. While "recycle" may be a buzzword for an environmentally friendly way to manage waste, a more comprehensive approach to doing so is summarized by the "Three Rs": This publication provides an overview of the reasons and ways to better manage garbage or other household waste. Guide G-314 Fahzy Abdul-Rahman College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State UniversityĪuthor: Extension Family Resource Management Specialist, Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, New Mexico State University. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Alternatives for Waste Management
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