For Better or for Worse ©2006 Lynn Johnston Productions. Dist. by Universal Press Syndicate. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved
Reducing Solid Waste 405Dematerialization, the progressive decrease in the size
and weight of a product as a result of technological improve-
ments, is an example of source reduction only if the new
product is at least as durable as the one it replaces. Smaller,
lighter products that have shorter life spans or must be
replaced more often may not achieve source reduction.Reusing Products
One example of reuse is refillable glass beverage bottles.
Years ago, refillable beverage bottles were used a great
deal in the United States. Today they are rarely used. For
a glass bottle to be reused, it must be considerably thicker
(and heavier) than a single-use bottle. With increased
weight, transportation costs are higher. In the past, reuse
of glass bottles made sense because there were many
small bottlers scattered across the United States, minimiz-
ing transportation costs. Today there are approximately
one-tenth as many bottlers. The centralization of bottling
facilities makes it economically difficult to go back to the
days of refillable bottles. In addition, bottlers increas-
ingly require bottles with product-specific shapes, sizes,
and colors. In contrast, generic bottles can be reused
for many different beverages. Generic bottles are more
frequently used in countries that reuse glass extensively,
including Japan, Ecuador, Denmark, Finland, Germany,
the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.Recyling Materials
Many materials found in solid waste can be collected
and reprocessed into new products. Recycling is pre-
ferred over landfill disposal because it conserves natural
resources and is more environmentally benign. Every ton
of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 26,500 L (7000 gal) of
water, 4100 kilowatt-hours of energy, and 2.3 m^3 (3 yd^3 )
of landfill space. Recycling also has a positive effect on
the economy by generating jobs and revenues from pro-
cessing and selling the recycled materials. Recycling doesfrom drinking fountains or sinks. In the 1990s, individual-
sized bottles of water started to appear in campus stores
and vending machines. Since the early 2000s, bottled
water—one of the most profitable beverages from a ven-
dor’s perspective—have been common. Whether thrown
in the trash or placed in a recycle bin, used water bottles
increased campus waste streams.
Over the past few years, individuals have begun shift-
ing to reusable water bottles made of Nalgene, steel, and
other sturdy materials. Some schools have taken the ini-
tiative on this as well, with many adding “hydration sta-
tions” for people to fill their bottles, and others even
banning the sale of bottled water.
This shift from public water fountains to bottled water
to refillable containers demonstrates how waste genera-
tion can change over time without adversely impacting
quality of life. Unfortunately, this shift is not represen-
tative of the United States as a whole, where in 2011 a
record 34 billion liters (9.1 billion gallons) of bottled
water were consumed.
Source Reduction
The most underutilized aspect of waste management is
source reduction. Source reduc-
tion is accomplished in a variety
of ways, including behavior that
relies less on consumption, using
raw materials that introduce less
waste during manufacturing, and
reusing and recycling wastes at the
plants where they are generated.
Innovation and product modi-
fications play a key role. Consider aluminum cans: They
are 35 percent lighter now than they were in the 1970s
because less material is introduced into their manufac-
ture. Dry-cell batteries are another example: They contain
much less mercury today than they did in the early 1980s.
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source reduction
An aspect of waste
management in which
products are designed
and manufactured in
ways that decrease the
amount of solid and
hazardous waste in the
solid waste stream.Do you think
this cartoon
would
resonate in
India? Why
or why not?GLOBALLOCAL