TCE's current focus: recycling for this century

TCE's current focus: recycling for this century

More Americans recycle than vote, but in many Texas communities recycling is lagging in part because some landfill operators cut corners and our state's waste policies are weak which undercut recycling programs. In addition, too few products are designed for recycling. Requiring manufacturers to take back their products at the end of their useful lives will provide a bottom line incentive to reduce toxins and design products for recycling.

One of the hallmarks of the environmental efforts for more than 30 years is recycling. The State of Texas adopted the solid waste goals of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle long ago.

Recycling is not only a goal, for many Americans it is a daily practice that demonstrates their commitment to the environment to reduce the burden on the planet's resource. It's something Americans feel good about.

Recycling is also good for the economy. A study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that:

"On a per-ton basis, sorting and processing recyclables alone sustain 10 times more jobs than landfilling or incineration. However, making new products from the old offers the largest economic pay-off in the recycling loop. New recycling-based manufacturers employ even more people and at higher wages than does sorting recyclables. Some recycling-based paper mills and plastic product manufacturers, for instance, employ on a per-ton basis 60 times more workers than do landfills." ^[1]

Moving to Cradle to Cradle Recycling

Not surprisingly, the vision of recycling is changing with the times. We need to look beyond the recycling we can do in our homes and offices to how products are designed. The idea is to replace "cradle to grave" thinking, which assumes that products will be landfilled at the end of the useful lives, with "cradle to cradle" design, ^[2] which aims for product design in which everything is either fully recyclable or fully and safely biodegradable. This concept is also called "Zero Waste." The aim is to model nature where there is no waste. The goal is to create products that are healthy for the children of all species for all time.

While we are a long way from that goal, innovative policies that make producers responsible for the end of life of their products is a key step to move in that direction. This policy is in place in the U.S. for some electronics in Maine and for mercury switches for vehicle trunk and hood lighting in an increasing number of states in the U.S. North of the border, British Columbia requires producer takeback for many household hazardous wastes. The European Union requires producer takeback for electrical and electronic goods, as well as vehicles. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan require producer takeback for electronics. See TCE's electronic waste page for information on a cutting edge campaign to advance producer takeback for electronics.

Impact of Poor Landfill Operations & Low Standards

Key factors dragging down the advance of these strategies are low landfill and incineration costs in Texas. Contrary to the popular myth, most areas of Texas have more than enough landfill space. A 2004 report by the state environmental agency found that Texas had 30 years of landfill capacity if no new landfills were built, ^[3] which is hardly the case.

The glut of capacity instead can lead to cutthroat competition and many landfill operators cutting corners and running their operations in a way that makes landfills a blight on their neighboring communities and a danger to clean air and water. Luckily, there are model landfills that are showing that landfills don't have to be run poorly. For instance, Texas Disposal Systems in Southeast Travis County has won numerous awards for it successes in diverting waste from its well-run landfill to recycling and composting.

Another problem is the weak waste laws and standards in Texas. TCE is taking a leading role organizing landfill neighbors and other Texans to tell state officials to improve those standards and protect our health, environment and those of generations of Texans to come. See TCE's landfill page for details.

Eco-Cycle's Zero Waste Systems

Eco-cycle has produced this video which explains the concept of Zero Waste.