theudalllegacysbustour's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Recycling programs around the United States are increasingly shifting to “zero waste” strategies, such as composting, and using plant-based plastics, in an effort to eliminate as much post consumer waste as possible.  While taking recycling to the next level may require more consumer education, increased funding for technology and resources, I’m excited that the trend towards finding new and better ways to reduce our waste output, especially for businesses.

The next major step in the effort to reduce our ecological impact seems to be composting, which may take a while to popularize with the general public, but will make a huge difference:

When apple cores, stale bread and last week’s leftovers go to landfills, they do not return the nutrients they pulled from the soil while growing. What is more, when sealed in landfills without oxygen, organic materials release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as they decompose. If composted, however, the food can be broken down and returned to the earth as a nonchemical fertilizer with no methane by-product.

Since this is the second day of No Impact Project Week, and today’s focus is eliminating trash, I found myself particularly focused on the resources we use and quickly dispose of on a daily basis, many of which are destined for a landfill.  Even when taking conscious steps to reduce my consumption levels, diligently recycle and compost as much as possible, I’ve srill found that there is sometimes trash that is leftover that’s heading to the curb.  While continually working to minimize what we consume and dispose of is important, I’m encouraged to know that we’re finding ways to leave a lighter footprint on the planet.  Use the action links below to find out how you can go”zero waste”.