There is No Away: Now We Have to Live With Our Leavings
Adventures in Sustainably Living Podcast
Episode 32
There is No Away
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode # 32 which is called “There is No Away: Now We Must Live with Our Leavings”.
I’d like to start this episode by asking a couple of questions:
How many of you have ever used any of the following phrases:
I just want to get away from it all.
I just want to get away from “this”
The hours are passing away slowly.
I want to go away for awhile.
I just need to walk away.
I am going to throw this away.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Ignorance is bliss
Let me ask another question.
Do you know what a rote motion is?
Well, rote means “mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned. Rote learning is flashcards, multiplication tables, any kind of memorization based learning. In fact rote learning enhances a students’s ability to quickly recall basic facts and helps develop foundational knowledge of a topic. I do not even know if the multiplication tables are even practiced any more but that is something we did when I was kid. Amazingly I use those skills even today. Working in the medical field I do math in my head every single day. By doing so, it helps me to function.
Rote movements applies to activities we do in a mechanical, repetitive ways. For example exercising, pouring coffee, opening doors are all actions we perform without much if any thought about it at all. And, me being a scuba diver, we practice some basic underwater skills such as knot tying, breathing without a mask, sharing air. In fact, being an instructor, I practice these things to the point that it becomes rote. This is because the things that you practice are the exact things you will revert to during an emergency. The point being is that we perform many rote tasks everyday without much thought.
In many ways, rote learning has a valuable function. How do you think you learned your phone number? Your own social security number? Your work address? When it comes to operating a vehicle, you stop at a stop sign, you slow down for a traffic light, you click on your turn signal, perhaps you put on your seat belt without ever giving such things a lot of thought. So to an extent, rote learning helps us to retain important information, perform certain tasks and helps us get throughout life without having to mentally process every single little thing. So it is valuable in many ways.
But, just like anything else, rote learning does have some drawbacks.
The downside to rote learning is that it can be repetitive, it is easy to loose focus, and it simply doesn’t enhance any sort of deeper meaning of a topic. Rote memorization is not considered higher-level or critical thinking since students do no learn how to think own their own. Nor do they learn how to analyze or solve problems.
But, when does our rote learning and our rote motions actually become detrimental?
As Americans we are rarely encouraged to think about our trash. In fact, the act of disposing of our trash is a rote motion, something we do without ever thinking about it. We wad up a piece of paper, we push the foot pedal on a trash can, we toss in cans, bottles, paper products, we flush and rinse things down the drain and never give a single thought to it. We simply dispose of things the way we’ve been taught.
In fact, for thousands of years people have gathered up their trash, taken it to some other location which is out of their living environment, and dumped it, buried it, or burned it. So, in many ways it was out of sight, out of mind.
But, as our culture started to develop, people started to live in more densely populated areas. This of course made the disposal of trash and human waste more difficult which resulted in more unsanitary conditions. The fall out effect from that was devastating diseases and epidemics.
At times, things such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid, leptospirosis, polio, enteric fever, gastroenteritis, food poisoning, salmonella, plague, small pox has run rampant and resulted in thousands to millions of deaths. In fact, three quarters of a million people die every year simply due to unsanitary conditions. Approximately 46% of the world’s population does not have access to safely managed sanitation. And in the United States, this is something we are typically shielded from and we largely give it no thought. Out of sight, out of mind.
But, despite all of this, for much of the civilized era, our means of waste disposal has largely worked. It has functioned relatively well. But this is because for the most part we have been disposing of mostly biodegradable products.
But as civilization developed, humankind endeavored to produce materials that offered benefits not found in products that could be made from raw materials found in the natural world. This all started with using natural materials with intrinsic plastic properties. Chewing gum is an obvious example that we can all relate to. The next step in this evolution of plastics came with the chemical modification of natural materials such as rubber and nitrocellulose. Finally in 1907, a key breakthrough was made by a Belgian-American chemist that produced a product called Bakelite, which was the first real synthetic, mass-produced plastic.
Since that creation, numerous new plastics have been produced. And these products have an enormous range of desirable properties. In fact, plastic products are found in every home, office, factory, vehicle, in clothing, in your kitchen, even in your wallet or purse. Nylon, spandex, seat cushions, air bags, coffee makers, alarm clocks, tooth brushes, bicycle helmets, surf boards, tupperware, take out boxes, bandages, syringes, milk cartons. The sky is literally the limit. Certainly the majority of us would find it hard to imagine what life would be like without plastic.
If I were to ask you how many times in a single day you threw something out, would you be able to answer. When you haul a bag of trash to the curb, can you even vaguely recall what is in the bag?
I am willing to bet that the majority of you would say “no”. Therein lies the rub. Taking out our trash and disposing of anything undesirable is so easy, is so rote at this point that we rarely give it any thought.
Out of sight out of mind. This is like the trash and plastic that gets dumped into the ocean. Out of sight out of mind. We simply manage out trash by ignoring it.
One of the challenges of our modern world is that the reign of naturally decomposing garbage is now over. This period in history came to an end with the ushering in of plastics and petrochemicals which are now an integral way of life.
It has become problematic because these products, when disposed of, never really completely decompose. And when they do begin to break down these materials emit toxins that cause serious environmental damage and are a risk to human health.
Let’s just take two everyday things for example.
Oven cleaner and drain cleaner. These are two powerful chemical products. Oven cleaner dissolves cooked on oven grime and drain cleaner dissolves plumbing grime and clogs. Obviously these things are caustic. Have you even considered what happens to these chemicals when you rinse them down the drain. Well, it gets flushed into the water supply. And worse yet, these products come in packages that produce even more trash that goes to a land fill or is incinerated.
I think about such things everyday when I go to work. I seem to work with a lot of people that must not have any concept of cooking at home. They get to work and immediately order coffee and some sort of breakfast from a local cafe. Not only does the majority of the staff do this both they do this twice daily. And it all comes in plastic, paper, foil, or otherwise something that is disposable. It is absolutely incredible.
It never ceases to amaze me how people purchase individual containers of applesauce, or sliced fruit and veggies, or snack packs conveniently packaged in plastic containers, or chips, snack meats. They could save themselves a significant amount of money by taking a few minutes in the morning to slice things and put them in reusable container.
You know, Annette and I have gotten into the habit of doing a certain amount of meal preparation on the weekends. We slice and dice veggies, make granola, pots of soup, batches of home made burritos, etc. Then in the mornings before we leave, we slice up fresh fruit and pack it in a Tupperware container for snacks. It is easy, healthy, and cuts down on waste.
The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash everyday. That is twice as much as other developed countries. But why is that. It is because we have become addicted to convenience.
Now I will be the first to admit that there are a number of things about the way in which Annette, her son, and I live that are not very convenient. It is not exactly the most convenient or pleasant task to clean out the composting toilet. It is not exactly convenient or fun to go down to the stream to load up the 150 gallon water tank and bring it up to the cabin when it is 15 degrees, dark, snowing, and windy. But the payback is that we live off the grid, manage many of our own resources, and we are acutely aware of every thing we use.
So, back to this subject of trash. You see the problem is that our trash is catching up with us. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, roughly 57% of our trash is trucked off to landfills. But what happens to it. So, let’s talk a few numbers here. Just how long does it take our garbage to decompose? Now I am not going to bore you with a whole long list of numbers here but I do want to give a few good examples.
Plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
The plastic bags we use everyday can take anywhere from 10 to 1000 years to decompose. Plastic water bottles take 450 years to decompose.
Do you know what this means? Every single plastic item ever produced is still on the planet.
Batteries take 100 years to decompose.
So for 100 years, batteries are leaching toxic compounds into the environment.
Aluminum cans take 80 to 100 years to decompose.
Did you know that in 2019, 81,000 aluminum cans were recycled every minute. Which is fantastic of course. However, in a three month period, 2.66 billion tons of aluminum cans are thrown away. That is enough aluminum to rebuild the entire US commercial airline fleet.
Disposable diapers take somewhere between 250 and 500 years to decompose.
In 1948 Johnson & Johnson introduced the first mass-marketed disposable diaper.
In 1961 Procter & Gamble introduced Pampers.
Presently about 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used yearly.
Do you know what this means? All of the used diapers that have ended up in the landfills are still there.
Glass takes millions of years to break down. Some sources I came across stated that it never actually decomposes.
It is unfortunate that glass ends up in the landfill because it is so easy to recycle. It is broken down, melted and used to make new glass.
Paper waste is by far the number one item that occupies that space in landfills.
It takes weeks to decades to decompose depending on moisture levels. By simply recycling, you not only save landfill space but you also prevent the use of virgin materials needed to make more paper.
Food waste is the second largest waste item that ends up in American landfills. The time to decompose depends on the type of food. Composting and recycling are fantastic ways to divert this type of waste away from landfills.
Rubber boot soles: 50 to 80 years
Fishing line: 600 years
Sanitary pads:500-800 years
Styrofoam: never degrades
Aluminum foil: never degrades
Nylon fabric: 30 to 40 years
Leather shoes: 40 to 50 years.
Cigarette butts: 10 to 12 years
Milk cartons take 5 years to decompose.
So, allow me to reiterate a couple of things. Considering the decomposition rate of several things:
All the plastic that has ever been made is still on the planet. All the styrofoam that has ever been made, is still on the planet. And all the disposable diapers that have been sent to the land fill, are still there. And you know that is almost disgusting to think about.
Oh and I have one more fun filled fact for you before I move on.
Did you know that sewage sludge is mixed with other industrial waste, and conveniently renamed “biosolids”. The EPA promotes the spreading of biosolids on farm fields as fertilizer. So our human waste is flushed into the same plumbing as other toxic waste and is filtered at treatment plants and what remains is sludge. That is then used as fertilizer. That makes about as much sense as the EPA saying there are “acceptable” levels of pesticides in our food.
Okay, I can’t help myself here so I have to mention one more thing because it makes a very valid point. In 1956 the Glen Canyon Damn was built on the Colorado River to form Lake Powell and to generate electricity. Decades before that, uranium mining was prevalent along the Colorado River Basin and tailings were commonly dumped along side the river. As Lake Powell begin to fill the government decided to do absolutely nothing.
Now Lake Mead and Lake Powell supply water to over 30 million people. Water from Lake Powell is released and flows downstream to Lake Mead. Uranium 238, which is the most prevalent uranium isotope found in uranium ore, has a half life of 4.5 billion years. So, for over 70 years now the water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead has been contaminated by uranium with a half life of 4.5 billion years.
Furthermore, you might think that modern landfills are perfectly safe because they are equipped with an advanced lining system. But did you know that common corrosive chemicals that we use in our household can cause those linings to crack. A recent study conducted my Texas A & M found that water mixed with landfill waste is just as toxic and water leaching from a hazardous waste site.
So, I hope you are starting to get the picture here. In many respects, there is no away. We are still living with our leavings. Things you throw away might be out of sight, out of mind but guess what, it is still there. We bury it, burn it, dump it into the oceans, and cover it with reservoir water, but it is still there. And sometimes 4.5 billion years later.
And of course, this all begs the question of what is the answer? And of course, we are always looking in all the wrong places. For example, the primary landfill used my New York City was closed in 2001. Instead of the city educating New Yorkers on how to produce less trash, they now haul it all to landfills out of state, sometimes as far aways as Virginia.
Currently, our alternative to landfilling is incineration. But that of course causes even more pollution. The garbage industry often explains that recycling is not as cost effective and landfilling. However, the environmental cost is never factored into that equation. According to the Sierra Club, we have the technologies to recycle almost everything but we never make it a priority.
So, now that I’ve gotten you down in the dumps so to speak, let’s talk about how you can make a difference. First of all you cannot give into fatalistic thinking and and tell yourself you can never make a difference. Because that is simply not true.
Let me tell you something you can do right now. I know this may sound a little disgusting but there is a valuable lesson in this. You can learn a lot about what you are doing and not doing by simply going through your trash. So take a bag of your garbage and go through every single item. This will tell you a lot about what you are throwing away. If all you see is donut boxes, pizza boxes, fast food containers, and plastic snack trays, then there is a problem.
But, all you have to do is make one simple change at a time. For example, if you find that you are throwing away 7 single serving plastic snack packs a week, then buy veggies in larger containers at the supermarket and make your own snack bags.
Another simple thing you can do is to stop purchasing beverages in single use containers. But if you do, make sure it is something you can recycle. Both Denmark and Finland have banned the production of single use beverage containers. I have gotten to the point that if I do want a Coca Cola, I take my reusable insulted drink container to a convenience store and purchase a fountain drink. That way I don’t produce any waste. Even though Americans have gotten a lot better about recycling drink containers, we still throw away over 270 million beer and soft drink containers every single day.
Think in terms of stopping garbage at the source. Purchase products that you will use repeatedly and products that will last longer. Resist the urge to purchase single serving products, paper plates, disposable plastic dinnerware. Personally, I went to my favorite camping store and purchased camping plates and metal utensils and this is what I take to work everyday.
Instead of using your 450th to go cup this year, take a refillable cup or a small thermos instead.
Purchase products in bulk at your local warehouse store. Things such as rice, pasta, and flour.
Additionally, invest in some sturdy reusable grocery bags.
Start composting.
Take things a step further and make some of your own cleaning products. If you do purchase some of these things, then purchase the least hazardous one you can find. Presently, Annette and I do not have one single store bought cleaning product in our home. That is because we make our own which is not that difficult to do.
I could go on and on and on about ways to reduce your trash. But one thing I can promise you is that as soon as you start paying attention to these things, you will notice numerous other ways in which you can improve what you are doing. And believe it or not, you will actually start to get inspired about reducing your trash.
In the end here, the thing to realize is that nature cannot do it all. We can no longer afford to think in terms of out of sight out of mind. The first big and most important step is to start reducing the amount of garbage you produce in the first place.
I am sure you have all heard of the phrase “What goes around comes around. Much like what you say today will come back to you tomorrow. The Russian equivalent of this is “As the call, so is the echo.”
Along those same lines, one of my favorite writers and business women once said, “You always, always, always reap what you sow.”
So, in the end, when it comes to our garbage, there is no away. We are now going to have to live with our leavings for hundreds and hundreds of years. What goes around comes around. So the next time you reach to throw something away, take a minute and think about how you could have avoided producing yet another piece of trash. Because sustainability comes down to the kind of future we are leaving the next generation.
And in closing folks, remember that I do have a number of links to resources in the transcript of this episode. So take the time to look up some things, do a little further reading and convince yourself of the need to change. Instead of being forced to live with our leavings, don’t leave anything behind in the first place because there is no away.
This is your host Patrick signing off until next week.
Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
Additionally Resources
How Long it Takes Trash to Decompose
10 Types of Trash That Take the Longest to Decompose
26,000 Tons of Radioactive Waste Under Lake Powell
What Happens to Trash After It’s Tossed
