2023’s Best States at Managing Waste

What is your biggest concern about how much waste the U.S. generates, and how do you think that concern should be addressed?

Well, what I find most disappointing about our residential waste management is that so many people don’t bother to separate their waste, as they are asked to do, and that makes reusing the reusables and recycling the recyclables much more difficult and expensive.

What are a few simple things we can do to cut down on the amount of waste we generate in the U.S.?  

Very simply, buy less. Look at your trash and think about what you are disposing of that you did not use.

What is your biggest concern about how much waste the U.S. generates, and how do you think that concern should be addressed?

Waste is often transported long distances for disposal or treatment. Locally managing waste will reduce environmental impacts.

Which countries are doing the best job at managing waste, and what can the U.S. learn from them? 

It is not a good idea to rank countries’ waste management success by simple statistics (recycling rates, amount generated per person, etc.). 

Every country has its own circumstances (economics, land availability, recycling infrastructure), so each country (and region in large countries such as the U.S.) should have a MSW system that is appropriate for its specific conditions.

What are a few simple things we can do to cut down on the amount of waste we generate in the U.S.?

Buying processed foods and other processed materials, using of recycle materials as well as composting food waste at home level can reduce 20-30% of solid waste generation in the U.S.

What is your biggest concern about how much waste the U.S. generates, and how do you think that concern should be addressed?

My biggest concern is the people education about the solid waste generation and source separation and segregation. Educating people about the implications of waste generation can help reduce the waste generation.

Which countries are doing the best job at managing waste, and what can the U.S. learn from them?

I have done a comparative study of solid waste generation and handling. I found that the EU is doing better than the USA and that can help the U.S. learn.

What are a few simple things we can do to cut down on the amount of waste we generate in the U.S.?

Take responsibility for your own waste. Look in your garbage can and let that guide your efforts.

The heaviest portion for most people is probably food waste like coffee grounds and banana peels. Food waste sent to landfills turns into methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Finding a way to compost food waste is the best way to reduce waste if you can.

Try to avoid packaging as much as you can, especially plastic and plastic bags.

There is no silver bullet, just lots of thoughtful little steps. Let your garbage can be your guide. 

What is your biggest concern about how much waste the U.S. generates, and how do you think that concern should be addressed?

Waste (food, paper, metal, textiles, plastic, etc,) is just the downstream aspect of consumption and economic  growth.

The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but makes 20% of the waste. Earth’s resources are finite and our level of consuming/wasting may not be sustainable, especially as other countries aspire to  high-consumption lifestyles like ours too.

We need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost as much as we can now and support efforts toward the higher goal of a circular economy which designs for reuse and recycling rather than waste. 

Which countries are doing the best job at managing waste, and what can the U.S. learn from them?

I’m not really qualified to answer this question country by country, but, in general, places that enact strong waste policies like mandatory recycling access or plastic bag bans, invest in compost and recycling infrastructure, and have strong civic values, have less waste. 

What are a few simple things we can do to cut down on the amount of waste we generate in the U.S.?

If our concern is about the climate crisis, the most important thing we can do is to reduce food waste.

Reducing food waste is among the top three or four actions we can take to draw down greenhouse gases in the atmosphere according to the Drawdown Project www.drawdown.org. And it’s something anyone can do— by paying attention to how we shop, how much we cook, and how much we put on our plates.

Plus, reducing food waste saves us money.

Some helpful resources for reducing food waste are available at the Love Food Hate Waste website. Also, information is available at the ReFED website.

Yard wastes can be composted using aerobic systems to reduce methane emissions. If you have a compost pile turn it to avoid methane buildup.

Methane, a byproduct of anaerobic breakdown of organic wastes, is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

Of course, plastics is a major concern also, given that recycling plastics is not easy and not widely practiced.

Pay attention to how much plastics we use, put pressure on businesses by talking with your grocery store or restaurant or writing letters to industry or the local paper, and support policies to reduce single use plastics.

What is your biggest concern about how much waste the U.S. generates, and how do you think that concern should be addressed?

My biggest concern is food waste followed by plastic waste.

I think we need to use an all-hands-on-deck approach to reduce waste because we are all playing a role in producing waste — from the individual consumer to the multinational corporation.

So, we need to examine our household and consumer practices, work with our grocery stores to help them adopt practices such as avoid “buy-one, get-one-free deals” and large package sizes that encourage consumers to buy food they don’t need, and work with local legislators to implement curbside pickup of yard and food wastes.

Similarly, we need to work from the household to the business to the policy level to reduce single-use plastics. We can also join an organization that helps repurpose food waste — such as food banks that collect unused food from restaurants and grocery stores.

Which countries are doing the best job at managing waste, and what can the U.S. learn from them?

Sorry, I don’t know the answer to this question, but in terms of food waste, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign originated in UK and has spread to other countries.

It has the most comprehensive set of resources of any food waste organization I have seen, and the UK has also led in research on how to reduce food waste.