We all know what happens when we take out the trash: the garbage truck picks it up and whisks it away. But what happens to our trash after that?
It is easy to ignore the issue of waste when all the trash we produce disappears every week. However, waste production has a larger environmental and health impact than most people realize. For example, trash in San Francisco gets trucked 54.7 miles to the Vacaville landfill, producing many air pollutants and greenhouse gasses in the transportation process. The more waste we produce, the more trips required, and the worse the problem gets.
Not only are there issues linked to the increase of waste production, but also to the type of waste we produce. For example, when food waste ends up in landfill instead of compost, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant, contributing to climate change and health problems. Take a look at the Office of Sustainability campaign that injects humor into promoting composting.
Go to the Source
UCSF Health employees touring Recology.
One of the best ways to understand our waste problem is by visiting your local waste hauler. Seeing the scale of waste that is produced by your city helps to put the impact of reducing waste into perspective.
The UCSF sustainability team visited Recology, the San Francisco waste hauler, "we got to see the landfill collection area, the compost center, and the recycling center. It was extremely eye-opening to see the sheer amount of waste that San Francisco produces," Isabel Navarette, waste analyst.
No sorting is done for waste that ends up in the landfill, meaning that any compostable or recyclable cannot be recovered. Materials that otherwise could be reused get sent to the landfill.
Recyclables on the other hand do get sorted, however materials move through the recycling center at an extremely fast pace. Sorting employees snatch up recycling contaminants as the conveyor belt zips past them, but the process is not perfect as some contaminants go unnoticed. Recology is testing new AI robotic technology to assist the sorters.
Although there is sorting done at the recycling center and recyclables get separated by material, not everything that ends up at the recycling center gets reused. Recology sells bails of recyclables to external buyers, but if there is no demand for a certain material, it won’t be bought. That is why it is so important to use less in the first place, even if what you are using can be recycled.
If you would like to attend one of the Recology tours, please email healthsustainability@ucsf.edu to sign up. Tours take place every second Wednesday of the month.
