Eco-Act 025: Re-capping Waste

Waste. It’s been a joy to explore this summer but as we take our cue from the seasons and transition into fall, we want to explore some of the things we’ve learned since July.

Here are a few reminders from our journey through waste:

• Where does it go?: The City of Seattle has excellent resources when it comes to waste. Have a question about disposing of an item? Check out their accessible site!

• Recycling: According to Seattle Public Utilities, our city does a great job, though there’s always room for improvement.

• Trying Ridwell: We’ve heard of many Union folks trying this waste subscription company! Though I (Adrienne) had an experience working as a driver that raised some questions, I would affirm that the company does channel all the waste where it needs to go.

• Swaps: There are many ways to switch out single-use plastic, look for alternatives, and support zero-waste (local) stores!

• Join the Circular Economy: What ways are you participating in creating less waste, sharing more, and giving items new lives?

Waste

is what you do with it

• Food Waste to Security: We have more than enough resources to feed those who are food insecure. In addition to the above link, check this post out for more volunteer opportunities.

• E-Waste: Learn more & proceed intentionally.

• Heart Posture: Beyond simplicity and resisting consumerism, we can and must frame our actions and our hope from the lens of justice. Often communities left out of the dominant culture’s centering of care are the first and most impacted by climate change.

• Small acts are communal: beyond supporting the county’s plans (SCAP), we as individuals can make adjustments in our everyday lives that have huge impacts.

So what has stuck for you? Hopefully, you can take one or a handful of these ideas and put some of them into practice this fall. Creativity abounds with every plastic yogurt container: be it in the creation of sculpture art or as a new indoor garden of seedlings.

To bring it back from our first post in July, waste (in all its forms) means a lot for Christians. As waste continues to have devastating impacts for our global neighbors who receive legal or illegal waste generated by the US, for sea creatures and ecosystems, and for the land/air in general that gets polluted with industrial toxins, we’d point to the Gospel according to Matthew:

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (7:12), and

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (22:39)

And that should be reason enough. Do you have any more waste tips or tricks to share, or any new ideas you learned in this waste deep dive? Let us know in the comments below or email Adrienne!

Eco-Act 019: All about e-waste

As we continue our coverage around waste, there’s no way we could go on without breaking down electronic waste (e-waste). Of course alternatives to recycling e-waste include reduced consumption, repair, and reuse, however, we felt electronics are more and more a part of our lives and deserve thoughtful consideration for end of life disposal.

E-waste is created when items with a battery or plug (computers, phones, refrigerators, printers, TVs, etc) become obsolete. Often, e-waste has been collected and exported to overseas countries for disassembly and “recycling” of plastic, metal, and glass components. This work is done in formal or informal markets where regulations can be lacking for workers’ safety and health, as well as the earth’s. Such exposure to heavy metals and other chemicals can disrupt cognition and organ function, as well as leach into water and food systems, impacting already impoverished communities.

Some e-waste facts:

• Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household (Natl. Conference of State Legislators).

• Global e-waste has gone up 21% in 5 years according to the Global E-waste Monitor.

• The excessive amount of lead in e-waste, if released into the environment, could cause severe damage to human blood and kidneys, as well as central and peripheral nervous systems (Phys.org’s coverage of a study done by the Institute of Physics).

• Producing a computer along with its monitor takes at least 1.5 tons of water, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 530 pounds of fossil fuels (Francis O. Adeola).

• Recycling 1 million laptop computers can save enough energy to run 3,500 U.S. homes for a year (EPA).

e-waste

learning more & reducing our impact

We encourage you this week to read up and act on the state of e-waste today globally:

• You can check out The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 which provides up-to-date data on global e-waste, and how international progress fits into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

• You might also watch “Manufactured Landscapes” as “photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing” (IMDb).

And locally:

• WA State Department of Ecology is doing a great job of providing free and accessible e-waste collection and recycling services. Click here for more info on what is accepted by the E-Cycle Washington program.

• Recyclers must meet performance standard guidelines and most recycling is done in the state, reducing the risk of exporting e-waste to less regulated countries.

• Only ~2% of e-waste in WA goes to the landfill (“mostly particle board from cabinet TVs”) according to their FAQ section.

• So far, WA has recycled 419,962,778 lbs of e-waste.

In being good local/global neighbors and living as people of the Way, we hope these resources are helpful for future education and action. Happy e-waste recycling!

Eco-Act 014: Being Part of the Change

Last week, we proposed a challenge: adopt one new behavior in August that will reduce plastic waste. 

One way to think about this challenge is to divide it into 3 separate approaches:

• properly disposing of plastic;  Seattle Public Utilities helps with this approach, and urges us to make sure our recycled plastic items are empty, clean and dry. Companies such as Ridwell help with more difficult-to-recycle items. And sites such as TerraCycle and Where Seattle Recycles identify additional recycling resources we can make use of.

• avoiding plastic in the first place; our “one-new-behavior” goal can be achieved in the grocery store by consciously and consistently choosing metal/glass/paper packaging over plastic, making bulk buys that allow us to (re)use our own containers, or by refusing to purchase single-use plastic beverage containers.

• repurposing plastic that’s already out there; we know that vast quantities of plastic have been and continue to be dumped into the world’s oceans, creating massive floating garbage patches, or gyres that endanger sea life, the earth—and ultimately humans. But what modest step can any of us, as mere individuals, take to counter this despair-inducing situation? How about … buying a bracelet?

shopping with intention

Shops like 4Ocean recycle and repurpose plastics

Next time you need a gift for someone, or just want to treat yourself, check out 4Ocean, where you can pick up a bracelet made from plastic recovered from an ocean, river or coastline. According to the company’s website, 4Ocean recovers a pound of plastic for every item purchased.

Actually, it turns out that today an encouraging number of products incorporate recycled plastic (and other recycled materials, such as wool). Visit World Wildlife Fund for one list of such items, which include sportwear, sneakers, rugs, yoga mats, dog collars, blankets, building materials, backpacks, and more. Some other products? How about Nike and Adidas shoes, Allbird shoes (a favorite of Barack Obama), Bionic Yarn, cutting boards, outdoor furniture—even Pilot pens. 

The take-away? There really are things we can do—a lot of them. Can we make plastic disappear from the environment tomorrow? Will any one of us be the tipping point that triggers this rescue? No, of course not. But could we see positive changes, worthwhile improvements, in our lifetimes, or even sooner? With hope, we say yes. And with purpose, intention and commitment, we act.

Eco-Act 012: Try Ridwell

Live lighter:

find a place for all your waste!

To continue in our waste series, we are excited to share this eco-faith invitation from a member of our Union community. Kay Olsen shared this local waste company when we first launched the Eco-faith initiative and says:

I don't know if this is too “commercial” of an idea, but a few months ago, I subscribed to a local service called Ridwell, which picks up and redistributes or recycles many products that our local recycling service won’t take. One example is the plastic film used for many forms of packaging and I sometimes find unavoidable. In addition to bi-weekly pick-ups of light bulbs, batteries, plastic film and clothing, Ridwell includes a pick up from a rotating list. 

And that’s pretty much what Ridwell does! You can pay a small fee for pickups every two weeks to avoid the hassle of making multiple trips to various collection sites in your quest to produce less waste. In addition to the above regular categories of waste, you can also add on larger items that Ridwell sends to partner organizations — e-waste gets recycled by strict standards, latex paint gets re-mixed and tinted, and styrofoam/plastic wrap is used to make composite decking and new trash cans, as well as renewable fuel sources.

Feel free to look around on their very simple website for more info about items they collect, their local story, and their blog — this one on 5 Great Reads About Waste was very helpful. You can also learn more about partner community organizations that repurpose bottle caps for art and kitchenware for Refugee Women’s Alliance.

To conclude, we invite you to follow Kay’s lead and let us know how you are reducing waste, or if you decide to try out Ridwell! The Notkins recently started a service with them after hearing about it from Kay and also give glowing reviews.

We leave you with John 6:12-15, after Jesus miraculously and abundantly feeds the crowd with loaves and fishes:

When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. 

Eco-Act 010: Exploring Waste

knowing our waste

and where it goes

For the next subtopic within our eco-faith initiative, we are taking a deep dive into waste (of all kinds!) — and simple things you can do to learn more, act, and reduce waste. This post and eco-act invitation is really just an introduction to waste. Later, we will delve more into plastics, e-waste, toxic waste, consumerism, and maybe even sprinkle in a few more ideas about food waste and compost! Ultimately, we also hope to offer ideas on how you can live a lower waste lifestyle (any things you already do??).

So to start, let’s get a lay of the local systems and municipal offerings. We are privileged to live in a city where residential and commercial compost is taken by Seattle Public Utilities (or other commercial providers), people are (mostly) cognizant of sorting waste, and zero or low-waste lifestyles are encouraged (reusable water bottles or mugs, etc). Wherever you are located, it’s important to get acquainted with the resources your city provides! Here are a few great Seattle resources to get started:

• Where Does It Go? List: This detailed tool gives a breakdown of where to toss everything from dryer sheets to asbestos by Seattle Public Utilities.

• Buy Nothing Project: Started in 2013 on Bainbridge Island, two friends created what has now become a global gift economy phenomenon! Read more here, and be sure to check their group locator page, as well as Covid-19 statement.

• Eco-Collective: This is an amazing zero-waste store in Ballard that has many home essentials and a bulk bar (full of oils, shampoo, cleaning solution, spices). They do rigorous product testing and give detailed product info about end-of life disposal as well.

Finally, what is the importance of waste for Christians anyway? As waste continues to have devastating impacts for our global neighbors who receive legal or illegal waste generated by the US, for sea creatures and ecosystems, and for the land in general that gets polluted with industrial toxins, we’d point to the Gospel according to Matthew:

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (7:12), and

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (22:39)

And that should be reason enough. We hope you’ll join us by sharing some ways you are reducing or reusing waste. Let us know in the comments below, or email Adrienne!