Our Understanding of Waste Depends on Where We Live
Our perception of the word waste varies depending on its context. Waste can be defined by the act or instance of wasting: the state of being wasted. Waste is the gradual loss or decrease by use, wear, or decay, and is the rejected material, scraps, or the unwanted by-products of manufacturing. As a verb, waste is the action of spending or consuming carelessly and inefficiently. We also use waste to describe the loss of time, strength, and energy. For example, to waste one's breath is to accomplish nothing by speaking. If used as an adjective, waste is defined by being wild or uninhabited or contrastly ruined and in a devastated condition. Given all the uses for the word waste, it should not be a surprise that waste varies across geographic boundaries, too. Waste culture, a side-effect of consumerism, is the societal norms and collective behavior in response to single-use consumption. We are all taking part in waste culture, and sometimes we might not even notice because it has been embedded into our daily lives.
The European Commision estimated that an average of 31 kilograms, roughly 68 pounds, of plastic packaging waste is generated annually per person. This includes food packaging and materials used to ship packages. Edward Humes, author of Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, writes that containers and packaging make up almost 30% of the total 389 million tons of waste that the United States generates every year. Single-use bags, straws, take-away items, and the damning plastic water bottle, all contribute to a lifestyle that carelessly consumes and discards materials inefficiently. An equally dreadful report from the UN Environment Program, found that roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted. How did we get here?
I can argue that globalization shoulders much responsibility for waste culture. Here is a quick example: think about the Amazon package shipped internationally or the tropical fruit that arrives to the grocer in winter. Thousands of miles are lost in the transportation of both products and the plastic waste generated from the packaging is abandoned after opening. What if the product arrived broken or the fruit damaged? Both products would be deemed useless and while the bruised fruit hits the bin, the package is returned and continues to generate both a loss of energy and a waste of time. Our attitudes towards trash, litter, and leftovers are a result of globalization, which have created waste-generating habits and thoughtless behavior against our planet. At the same time, the cultural dimension of globalization, which is the intensification and expansion of cultural flows across the globe, can bring awareness to inefficient waste practices and careless consumption habits and profoundly impact the way people experience life. There is so much that we can learn from those who did not grow up in the same country as us. Geographic and cultural differences help us understand how our own habits may or may not be supporting a sustainable future. Similarly, adapting globally sourced, sustainable alternatives can change our relationship with how we interpret waste.
I currently live in Barcelona, Spain along with 5 million other people. Barcelona is known for its gothic century style buildings and historic narrow streets; while it’s so easy to get lost in appreciation of this fabulous city, it’s just as easy to look around and see massive amounts of street litter and overflowing garbage bins. I marvel at how bold society was nearly 100 years ago, while simultaneously feeling disappointed that, despite our many advances, we are unable to realize that a throwaway society is stunting our growth as a civilization.
Despite a trash bin at almost every street corner, they overflow quickly and generate street litter, space, and odor pollution. There are five residence containers for waste in Barcelona. The yellow bin is for plastic, cans, and cartons and the green bin is for glass. The blue collects paper and cardboard and the brown holds organic waste. Lastly, the grey bin is for items that cannot be recycled. For these containers to be efficient, residents must use them correctly. This means that the separation of waste has to start inside the home and that household members must have a functioning understanding of waste separation. Family efforts to mold habits about recycling is good, but in Spain only 14% of the plastic waste that is generated is collected for recycling. This percentage is gravely disheartening and boldly contradicts individual and community efforts to recycle. It is also a potential waste of financial resources which have been poured into the city’s waste management system to decrease the 56.7% of items going to the landfill. Are Spaniards sorting on wasted time?
Even though Spain is below the recycling average in the European Union, the country is a leading member of the Barcelona Convention, a committee that adopted the Mediterranean Action Plan under the United Nations Environmental Program. The convention serves to protect the marine environmental and coastal regions of the Mediterranean and most recently passed guidelines in December of 2019 to phase out the use and production of single-use plastic bags in the Mediterranean. The plan demonstrates what will happen if the coastal countries do nothing about single-use waste and emphasizes the economic and environmental advantages of living plastic free.
I study at a Spanish academy in one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona. Really, it was voted the coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out in October 2020. I am in class with students from around the world; they come from Israel, Iran, South Korea, France and Germany. Our attitudes and subsequent behaviors about waste have been shaped by our home countries and carried over to Barcelona for better or worse. I have recorded the experiences of my classmates to better understand our concepts of waste around the world.
In comparison to Barcelona, Seoul and all of South Korea adhere to a strict recycling program that imposes fines on those who don’t follow the rules and rewards those who report residents that are mishandling waste. With a population that is double that of Barcelona, Seoul cannot afford not to be serious about waste management. My classmate Sophie spent most of her life living in Seoul. Growing up, Sophie learned about recycling very early in life. She was taught how to separate trash in primary school and, at home, the same importance and rigorous nature of organizing waste applied. Today, Sophie continues to sort garbage in the same way at her home in Barcelona as she did in Seoul. She reflects, “It’s easier to throw out trash here than in Korea. For example, I used to separate vinyl, but there is no trash bin for vinyl here so I throw it out with the general waste because it’s not as strict here.” Although it’s easier to sort through garbage in Barcelona than Seoul, the convenience comes with a price. The long term effects of improperly placed waste could make waste solutions difficult to obtain and manage.
Similarly, Germany also rewards consumers who recycle. Labeled on various plastic, can, and glass bottles is the tag “Pfand” or deposit, which represents that the bottle can be recycled and that the consumer will be taxed for its consumption. The tax is anywhere from 0.08 to 0.25 cent. After use, consumers are expected to recycle their bottles in the many collecting machines found at supermarkets. Upon collection their money is returned. This strategy has been around since the 1920’s, and, according to my classmate Robin, it works. Robin explains, “basically it’s effective because [we] get our money back. Even if you don’t care and leave your bottles on the street there are always homeless that will grab them.” While it’s an added benefit of Pfand that those in need can make money with disowned bottles, we should try to understand why free money isn’t enough to get people to care about recycling.
My classmate Liron grew up in Jerusalem and although she thinks children now have more opportunities to learn about the importance of respecting nature and its limited resources, she believes that this kind of education should start as soon as possible. Since becoming a mother, Liron has taken a more conscious approach to waste. She wants her daughter’s relationships with the products they own to have meaning and not be taken for granted.
For Masha, growing up in an area of conflict did not provide space for sustainability to be taught. According to Tehran Times, half a million tons of plastic is consumed annually in Iran. The increase in consumption in recent years is due to its low price and the lack of regulation and support from the Iranian government to encourage recycling. Masha explains that she did not receive any formal education on waste separation and that even if waste is organized properly, there is no recycling program. Plastic makes up 28% of Iran's total waste production, but it’s not being separated from the 8,000 tons of trash sent daily to landfills. Environmental groups however have been encouraging a ban on plastic bags in Iran since 2012. Every year on July 12th, environmental advocates distribute biodegradable bags and offer educational and cultural programs that explain the human health and environmental benefits of ending single-use plastic bags.
Prior to moving to Europe, I had formed wasteful habits that were damaging to my personal growth and carbon footprint. I had never composted before living in Spain because my neighborhood in Texas does not offer composting bins. Similarly, I had never used a clothing rack to dry wet clothes prior to living here because the majority of homes don’t have a dryer machine. My preconceptions of my own environmental awareness are constantly challenged here as I’m required to do things differently not because it is the sustainable approach, but rather because it is the cultural approach. Traditionally houses here are small and space is limited. I’ve come to embrace my modest bedroom and shared common areas because the space is used to its full capacity and the objects that take up space all have a purpose. What’s even greater is these newly adopted habits have brought a greater sense of presence to my life. I’m not just flinging scraps into the garbage bin or thoughtlessly moving clothes from the washer to the dryer anymore. Instead, I am acting with intention because each habit is a process that takes time and focus. The extra time it takes to hang my clothes or move a filled compost bin to the garden is time used to reflect on why forming habits like these are necessary for my growth and important for the planet.
All of my classmates have preconceived ideas about waste that have been tested since living in Barcelona. Their experiences have aided in my own discovery of understanding waste and how it’s meaning differs across the world. Together, we have helped one another open up to new perspectives that have led to positive change in our lives. It is my hope that by sharing the personal stories of my classmates, readers can reflect on their own understanding of waste and the cultural and geographical influences that have shaped their attitudes and behaviors. While waste is an unavoidable part of our ecosystem, I encourage my readers to think about the unnatural waste in their life that is being generated. How can that waste be managed or even completely redesigned in your life? The ancient practice of Mottainai demonstrates that our possessions are multipurpose and when an object can no longer do its initial job, we can find another use for it. I encourage you to take this one step further. In addition to repurposing objects, I ask that you adopt a new habit from outside of your country that removes the waste that you were generating in the first place. By adapting to the practices of other cultures and countries, together we can integrate wasteless concepts into the lives of our families and communities.
Citations
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