trashbusters007
kelly493
westbyz80
almal4
saragravesWaste Management is not something i even thought of before my third year of University. Now, I am not only concerned for my future, but for the future of my future children and grandchildren. As the population grows, the landspace grows smaller and the waste accumulates, it makes me fear the future and sparks so many unanswered questions in my mind.
I have learned that most people are lazy. Waste reduction, composting and recycling will never become prevalent unless it is made really simple and easy for all to use. Whatever solution society comes up with for managing our trash, it must be simple, accessible and an easy transition for all members of society for it to be successful. I never thought i would feel guilty when unnecessarily using a straw, taking an extra napkin, or purchasing pre-packaged cheese. However, i know this guilt is for the better. I now go the mall with a big purse, this way when purchasing an item i can ask for “No Bag, please” and simple shove the item into my purse- savings one plastic/paper bag at time!
Since we went down the Composting path, i became even more aware of my trashy ways. My family does not have a garberator, which is one way to eliminate trash and we took down our rat infested compost box years ago. As a family of five we are contributing more than our fair share of curbside trash and we need to think seriously about how we are affecting our planet.
This project has taught me some fantastic research techniques, has introduced me to the world of blogging, and has given me insight on how i can live the rest of my life and feel good about reducing, reusing and reycling.
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“A young boy and his father were walking along a beach, when suddenly they came upon thousands of starfish left stranded on the sand by the receding tide. The young boy leaned over, picked up a starfish and tossed it, like a Frisbee, back into the ocean. Then he picked up another one, and carried it to the water’s edge. “Son, what are you doing? You can’t possibly save them all.” “I guess not. But these uns’ll make it.” The youngster believed that even when the situation seemed hopeless, he could do his part. Composting is like that, too. organic gardening newsletterEvery year, tons of organic materials are thrown away, needlessly filling up landfills. By composting these materials, you can lengthen the life of your local landfill.”
As part of our general research on this topic, we interviewed SFU Surrey students on the topic of “waste management” and “over packaging”. One student replied to the question of “what do you do to cut down your waste?” in a very intelligent, creative and yet logical way. He said, that when shopping for groceries he is overly conscious of packaging in foods right down to the cheese! He was sure not to buy precut cheeses because they add the growing problem of waste.
The food court in Oakville Place, in downtown Toronto, has taken on a great initiative, called 
Today, I went to my sister’s provincial soccer championships in North Vancouver. As I stood atop the mountain-like soccer field, I was amazed by the view as I could see most of Vancouver and the water- so beautiful. Until, my sister informed me that “Inter River Park” (the location of the game) was built on top of a landfill! What does this mean? Are we running out of space? Is this even safe?
What does Vancouver plan on doing with items that cannot be recycled? How can we possibly plan on reaching a goal of ‘Zero Waste’ when items such as light bulbs, plastic, glass and mirrors cannot be recycled? Even if Vancouverites cash in their cans, recycle their newspapers and compost their food scraps, is the idea of diverting 100% of waste from landfills to reach ‘Zero Waste’ feasible?
