Reducing Waste, One Bin at a Time: Strategies and Challenges in Community Trash Separation Initiatives
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Gregory Pope
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2024 12:45 PM
End Date
26-4-2024 1:44 PM
Description
In an era of overconsumption and single-use products, growing landfills and new climate change data are increasing concerns about our planet’s health. Landfills are accumulations of trash, improperly disposed recycling, and food waste. Landfills then contaminate the land, air, and water around it. As population and consumption rise, these landfills are growing at an alarming rate which will accelerate and worsen environmental damage. A way to combat our waste problem is to minimize our addition to them by separating our trash into groups that can be recycled and composted together. This allows them to be processed efficiently to make into new products rather than rotting in a mixed-up landfill. My goal is to analyze the costs and benefits of implementing a trash separation system in Montclair Township municipal buildings and public schools. I will be looking through waste audits, data collected on waste disposal, and current projects implemented in other schools and townships to determine current effectiveness and problem areas. I expect to find environmental, economic, and reputation benefits that can improve Montclair Township.
Reducing Waste, One Bin at a Time: Strategies and Challenges in Community Trash Separation Initiatives
In an era of overconsumption and single-use products, growing landfills and new climate change data are increasing concerns about our planet’s health. Landfills are accumulations of trash, improperly disposed recycling, and food waste. Landfills then contaminate the land, air, and water around it. As population and consumption rise, these landfills are growing at an alarming rate which will accelerate and worsen environmental damage. A way to combat our waste problem is to minimize our addition to them by separating our trash into groups that can be recycled and composted together. This allows them to be processed efficiently to make into new products rather than rotting in a mixed-up landfill. My goal is to analyze the costs and benefits of implementing a trash separation system in Montclair Township municipal buildings and public schools. I will be looking through waste audits, data collected on waste disposal, and current projects implemented in other schools and townships to determine current effectiveness and problem areas. I expect to find environmental, economic, and reputation benefits that can improve Montclair Township.