Massachusetts has five landfills remaining, and all five of them will likely reach capacity within the next 10 years or so. With limited capacity for trash disposal and the low likelihood of new landfills opening anywhere in Massachusetts, we all need to focus more than ever on reducing, reusing, and recycling.
That’s because the stuff we throw away is just the tip of the waste iceberg. The proverbial iceberg in this case refers to all of the waste we don’t see – the waste created “upstream,” before we buy our products. Consider that for every ton of trash we throw away, the processes involved in extracting raw materials, manufacturing products, and getting them to market generates 70 times more waste. That’s one seriously large iceberg.
Looking Upstream for Solutions
The term “upstream” refers to everything that went into the making of a product before it is delivered to the consumer. A 2021 report produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Completing the Picture: How the circular economy tackles climate change, calls the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of products, food, and land management “overlooked emissions.”
It's easy to see why these emissions are overlooked. Our system thrives on convenience, and products are marketed to us in ways that make them effortless to consume and toss.
Let’s use water bottles as an example. In the store, we see crystal-clear bottles full of refreshing water. Ads tell us that pure mountain spring water is essential for good health and the ultimate thirst quencher. And those handy no-spill tops? What could be more convenient to drink from when on the go? Bonus, you can recycle the bottle!
For many of us, that’s the extent to which we think about the bottle. But that bottle’s got a long backstory. Let’s “dig” into it.
Plastics are typically produced from petroleum (crude oil) that has been extracted from the earth, processed, and manufactured into different types of resin pellets. The pellets are then molded into all sorts of products, including single-use water bottles. This manufacturing process requires energy and water, and then more fossil fuel is needed to deliver products to stores (and sometimes our front doors)! That’s a lot of resources to produce a plastic bottle we may only use for 15 minutes and then throw away (or, hopefully—recycle).
Many people will recycle the bottle (thank you)! But if it ends up in the trash or becomes litter, that’s the end of the story for that plastic bottle. This one-way, make-use-toss paradigm is unsustainable. When we don’t reuse and recycle, more resources must be mined from the earth to make new things, and the story repeats itself.
On the other hand, when we recycle, we put resources back into production, which reduces the need to extract additional raw materials. When we reuse, we use fewer new products and keep things out of the trash longer, which reduces waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Change Connection
Why is this all so important? Because land management and the production processes happening upstream—the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, and transportation of consumer goods and packaging—generate 45% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are a primary driver of climate change.
According to a report from National Geographic, about two-thirds of our resources are wasted rather than used. And yet this upstream waste, as consequential as it is, often flies under the radar of even the most conscientious consumers.
What Can You Do to Help?
When it comes to personal actions, it can seem that the only thing we control is what we do with our stuff once we’re done with it. But there’s actually more action we can take—we just have to take the time to consider what we care about.
If you care about what is sent to landfills or incinerators, prolong the life of your things by prioritizing repair, purchasing secondhand, and donating or gifting good stuff you’ve outgrown. You can also make purchases with waste reduction in mind. Buying durable, repairable things and refusing single-use or low-quality items will reduce waste or prevent it from happening in the first place.
If you care about the greenhouse gas emissions from transporting goods, try to purchase products manufactured in the U.S., buy from local retailers instead of online, or buy products made from post-consumer recycled materials.
If you care about workers and working conditions, consider buying from fair-trade companies and resist the temptations of fast fashion.
Not all of these ideas will resonate with everyone. We know that there are many things to consider when deciding what to buy, and that we can’t always make the choices we’d like to make because of other factors like affordability, access, and time. So, we all do our best.
That said, we'd like to challenge you to take time to consider what's important to you as you make your purchases. Can you commit to incorporating just one of these conscientious choices into your decision tree?
Leaning Into Thoughtful Convenience
An important question has always been: How can we prevent or reduce waste but still enjoy the conveniences of modern life? Here are some easy ways to reduce waste:
1. Borrow, don't buy
2. Reuse, refill, repair
3. Swap until you drop!
4. Share! Because when you share, you have twice as much
Thank you to RecycleSmartMA.org for this content.
