WASTE WATCHERS BLOG

Celebrate Sustainability Day (Week & Month) with us by reading our blog post to learn what sustainability is, why you should care, how to get involved, and what businesses and individuals alike can do to make a difference for themselves and the world.

In this blog post, we dive more into the increased plastic pollution problem as a result of the pandemic, additional areas of impact, and how humanity can recognize and take  necessary steps to alleviate the problem before it’s too late.

  If one thing has become certain since the inception of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s that so much of our future is unpredictable. However, after seven months of COVID-19 responses, mandated city lockdowns, and ongoing stay-at-home orders, experts have enough data to begin forecasting how the pandemic will impact the environment around us and the future of our planet. In the past few years, you may have heard the shocking prediction that there could be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the ocean by 2050. But now, as the COVID-19 pandemic generates what some have referred to as a “new” type of plastic pollution, environmentalists fear we will soon run the risk of having more masks than jellyfish in our oceans.

As a business owner or manager, you likely understand that acting on climate change is critical, but you may also not know where to start or worry that you do not have the time, resources, or influence to take action. To explain how, in this post we summarize Google’s initiative, how the company plans to act on climate change, and key takeaways businesses can use to better integrate climate-oriented action into their everyday practices. Continue reading for more information.

In this blog post, we’ll apply our “green” lens to the lessons we picked up on The Home Edit and provide some helpful organizational tips related to sustainable recycling and waste disposal for the office and other shared spaces. Learn how following these suggestions can result in increased recycling rates, more streamlined processes, and additional cost savings!

Did you know, recycling cardboard only takes 75% of the energy required to make new cardboard? Or that each ton of recycled paper can save 17 mature trees? In our blog post, we list 50 interesting recycling facts like these that will surprise you! Let us know which facts you find most surprising.

A recent study found that almost 70% of consumers under the age of 35 prefer brands based on ethical practices & transparency. Now that consumers are becoming more informed of the environmental impacts of their purchases, brands are beginning to understand their responsibility to take conscious steps towards improving the environment with their activities.

  With raging wildfires, a threatening hurricane season, and the ongoing issue of climate change, there has never been a better time than the present for companies to integrate sustainability into their business practices. And, don’t just take our word for it, mounting pressures from stakeholders, employees, and consumers alike have made it imperative for organizations to prioritize a sustainability strategy as part of its every day operations or risk getting left behind. In fact, almost half of shoppers in the United States say they’ll change their consumption habits to benefit the environment.

Read our latest blog post to learn more about extended producer responsibility, why it’s good for business, which companies are embracing this principle, and how your company can begin applying this concept to its business practices to garner results.

  Did you know that humans produce a whopping 2.01 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) worldwide, annually? If this sounds like an incomprehensible amount of waste, that’s because it is! But, it doesn’t have to be this way—Thankfully, in recent years, we’ve witnessed many more effective and sustainable methods of disposal come to fruition. Take for example, recycling: If you recycle just one ton of plastic, it saves 5,774 kWh of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million BTUs of energy, and 30 cubic yards of landfill space.

Let’s talk trash… in fact about 258 million tons worth, because that’s how much is created every year in the United States. Here you will find some interesting facts about waste generation and how you can reduce the amount you send to landfill.

This post was originally written March 2018 and updated with more relevant information Sept. 2020 Let’s talk trash… More specifically, 267.8 million tons worth because, shockingly, that’s about how much waste is created in the United States every year. We’ve all heard about the importance of proper waste disposal. Still, most of us are unaware of where our trash goes, or, more specifically, the negative impacts that arise from disposing of it improperly. Of the estimated 267.8 million tons of waste generated annually, approximately 32.5 percent of this trash is recycled or composted, 12.5 percent is incinerated, and the remaining 55 percent is buried in landfill. Considering the majority of our waste gets disposed in a landfill, we wanted to fill you in on what really happens behind the scenes and explore some of the most common questions you may have, like: Are we running out of landfill space? In this blog post, we get to the bottom of what a landfill actually is, what really happens to our waste in landfill, the impacts of disposing of materials in this way, and the alternative disposal methods that exist as replacements. Continue reading for more information!

Given that many organizations are likely in the same boat as we are—working from home, adjusting to a new normal, and considering fresh ideas to engage employees, virtually—we thought it would be helpful to share a full run-down of the event, how we planned for it, what we learned, and the tips that helped make RoadRunner Day 2020 a smash hit.