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Many people hope to leave legacies behind when they die—to immortalize themselves in a symphony, paint and canvas or the great American novel. As they live their day-to-day lives striving for this goal, people unwittingly create another, less positive legacy, one that can be measured in pounds. Specifically, 90,000 pounds, the amount of trash the average American creates in his or her lifetime.
As landfills creep closer to capacity and citizens’ interest in decreasing our impact on the environment grows, the need for a solution to the problem of waste disposal grows. Many American cities have attempted to lower the carbon footprint of their inhabitants by encouraging recycling and composting. But what can the average Lowell student do to help?
A new law, which goes into effect on Oct. 21, suggests an answer that all citizens, from high school to retirement, can participate in easily. The law makes composting mandatory for city residents and promises fines to those who refuse. If all goes well, the program will raise awareness of the pre-existent composting program and push previously unmotivated people to participate into helping the environment through simple changes in the way they dispose of waste.
In 2007, San Francisco sent 618,000 tons of garbage to the city landfill. According to a study by the Department of the Environment, 36 percent of that waste was compostable. The voluntary composting program that the city has had since the mid-1990s only achieved participation from 50 percent of restaurants, 40 percent of single-family homes and 20 percent of apartments. This suggests that the majority of city residents are still not composting. By getting them to contribute, the new mandatory program can theoretically cut out one-third of the waste San Francisco sends to the landfill.
The city already has a strong recycling record and diverts 72 percent of its waste, the best record in the nation. If citizens devoutly recycle and compost, it is predicted that this already impressive number will increase to 90 percent.
The program's fines, which will only be enforced in egregious cases after multiple warnings, will also help to raise participation in the program. Anyone who generates less than a cubic yard of waste a week—most homes and small business—have fines capped at $100. Businesses that don't have proper bins face escalating fines up to $500, and those who ignore warnings may face fines of up to $1,000.
Although the precedent for fines exists, the city hopes to utilize them rarely. Due to privacy concerns, city officials have also reassured the public that they will not be “going through” private trash cans, but will rely on any missorting visible at the surface of the can.
But how can Lowell students help? In short, they can take initiative to compost at home, but also at school. There are several compost and recycling bins scattered around the courtyard and the cafeteria, with signs informing students what type of waste belongs in each colored bin. There are also green compost bins in addition to traditional garbage cans in school restrooms, and fliers encouraging students to dispose of their paper towels in a greener fashion.
However, some students may not be utilizing these opportunities to be environmentally friendly in the hustle and bustle of life at Lowell. By taking a moment to think before they throw away their garbage, ten seconds of a student’s time could result in a beneficial change of habit.
Ultimately, people should recognize that adopting a composting program is a simple way to benefit the environment. In addition to recycling, this program will help the city move towards its goal of sending no waste to landfills or incinerators by 2020. After all, if you’re going to throw your garbage away anyways, why not throw it into a green bin?
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