[ENVIRONMENT] HOW MUCH DO WE THROW AWAY?

How Much Do We Throw Away?

A lack of data makes it impossible to know how much Americans throw out, and enthusiasm for recycling is waning.

By Josh Clark | Mon Apr 5, 2010 08:21 AM ET

THE GIST:
Researchers find that data on the flow of waste from homes, businesses and industries is lacking.
Lack of data leads to an unclear understanding of how much and exactly what we throw away.
Ideas to reduce waste includes leasing products rather than purchasing them.

Researchers studying the amount of waste we produce don't have enough reliable data to accurately predict how much waste we'll generate in the future, a recent study has concluded.

This lack of data has led sustainability experts to look for better ways to keep what we throw away out of landfills.

The researchers, led by economist David Fell, concluded that the data tracking waste streams is paltry and understanding of consumers' waste behavior is incomplete. In addition, most studies on waste streams -- the flow of waste from homes, businesses and industries -- were speculative.

Only 88 of the more than 1,000 studies the group evaluated used quantitative evidence to draw their conclusions.

"We don't have good accounts of the physical world in the way we have accounts of the financial world, and until we do it will be difficult to make good predictions of the amount of waste there will be in the future," lead researcher David Fell told Discovery News.

Fell, a co-founder of the British sustainability think tank Brook Lyndhurst, surveyed more than 1,000 studies on reducing waste streams in developed nations. His team's research was published in the March issue of the journal Waste Management & Research.

Sustainability researchers also face a mountain of variables in their quest to create accurate predictions about future waste streams.

Take washing machines. Any researcher looking to predict the gross weight that washing machines will add to the waste stream in five years must consider factors like reduced weight and an extended life cycle in future designs. Consumer behavior is tough to pin down as well: Will the future economic climate make consumers more likely to have their broken machines repaired or replaced?

"Multiply this problem by the huge number of consumer products, and multiply again by the fact that we need to think not just about waste from consumers but also waste from businesses, and hopefully some indication of the scale of the problem becomes apparent," explained Fell.

Although data on waste streams is sparse, other sustainability experts argue that any focus on waste reduction will eventually prove beneficial.

"Recycling at a minimum has slowed down the rate at which we throw stuff away," said John Dernbach, a sustainability researcher at Widener University and author ofAgenda for a Sustainable America.

Yet rates have flattened over time; Dernbach says that the enthusiasm for recycling has waned. So researchers are looking at more expansive ways to reduce waste.

One promising proposal came from Rocky Mountain Institute researcher Amory Lovins, who pointed out in the 1990s that consumers aren't interested in the kilowatt-hours or oil used to provide services. They care more about the end product than the process required to make it; as Lovins put it, they're interested in "cold beer and hot showers."

This observation assumes that current business-to-consumer models could be made more sustainable. Lovins proposed manufacturers lease their products to consumers rather than sell them. When that washing machine gives out, the unit would be returned to the manufacturer for repair, reuse or recycling. Under this model, the product still provides its intended service -- washing clothes -- without the waste.

Some industries are trying Lovins' idea. Carpet manufacturers have formed the Carpet America Recovery Effort, which includes a carpet leasing initiative. Member companies like Georgia-based InterFace Flor, lease carpets to consumers, then recover and recycle the used carpeting once it wears out.

Dernbach says this model can be applied to all industries, reducing not only waste but also energy consumption.

"To make an aluminum can, that takes energy. When you throw the can away, that energy is lost," Dernbach said. "When you recycle the can, a fraction of the energy is recovered."http://news.discovery.com/earth/garbage-waste-streams-recycling.html