by Tai Uhlmann What would the world look like if products were designed to last? What if every item was repairable and once it reached the end of its life was easily remanufactured into equal quality products or composted? We do not need better ways to destroy and discard our unwanted items. We need better design.
What if reusing and refilling were the norm? How many people in this community grew up at a time when milk deliveries were made to your house in glass bottles? How did we stray so far and how do we return? These ideas are not revolutionary, maybe they are just old fashioned. There are stores all over Italy that offer refillable wine, beer, shampoo, milk, and stores where most items are not packaged. Powell River has a few shining examples of this and so much more is possible.
The Let’s Talk Trash Team and Mike Wall, manager of community services for Powell River Regional District, recently attended a three-day Zero Waste conference in Nanaimo hosted by the Zero Waste International Alliance. Delegates from around the globe gathered to discuss the true definition of Zero Waste and ask the question, “If you are not for Zero Waste how much waste are you for?”
According to the alliance, “Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”
It is time we redefine our waste as unsorted resources. In light of the new provincially mandated Multi Material BC recycling program it has become clear that people are passionate about recycling and do not like having to throw valuable resources away. The big sore thumb is plastics. It is frustrating to not be able to recycle every product we purchase and with it its packaging. Plastics are not all created equal and are not all readily recyclable so we are forced to send some of them to the dump (or not purchase them in the first place). Even the plastics, Styrofoam and metals that are more easily recyclable consume a huge amount of energy to produce, process and recycle.
Where do we start? Centralized composting. With landfill bans on organics being planned province-wide for 2017, a centralized composting facility could make a dent in our solid waste by 40 per cent and produce a valuable soil resource. Next up, keeping our resources local and supporting our local economy through a Resource Recovery Centre that includes reuse, repair, upcycling, recycling and collaboration with local organizations, artists and vendors—a place for community, a place to study product and packaging design at its source and a place built on the knowledge of Zero Waste pioneers and local visionaries.
Waste is not waste until it is wasted.
Tai Uhlmann is a member of Powell River Regional District’s Let’s Talk Trash team.
