The hill just keeps getting bigger
Trash -- and what to do with it -- is one of those issues that probably doesn't get enough attention (we all generate garbage). So we were interested to read Jordan Carleo-Evangelist's piece in the TU about the possibility of a massive, new regional garbage authority in the Capital Region. The Albany landfill, which serves a bunch of local municipalities, will be full by 2020. Earlier on AOA: That is a lot of garbage | How does pay-as-you-throw smell?
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"Yet the 900 to 1,000 tons of trash -- about five pounds, per person, per day -- trucked there daily from Albany and 13 of its neighboring cities, towns and villages still must go somewhere."
That sounds ridiculous. Can anyone explain how that's possible?
... said B on Jan 31, 2011 at 2:52 PM | link
The national average of waste generated in 2009, according to EPA, was 4.34 pounds per person per day. Methodologies differ across the country, but that would put us right in the ballpark. Recycling and composting was put at 1.46 pounds per person per day. One issue with these figures is that most recycling occurs in the lightest portion of the wastestream: plastics.
... said Carl on Jan 31, 2011 at 4:22 PM | link
Thanks Carl. I still don't quite understand, unless there's some amount of consumption chain waste being included that figure is mind boggling. Even before I started composting -- which had a huge impact because I cook a lot -- I wasn't coming close to 4 or 5 pounds per day. I'm really interested to know if there's some part of the equation that I'm just missing. Maybe this includes commercial waste as well?
... said B on Jan 31, 2011 at 7:25 PM | link
@B I think a lot of people throw out a lot of stuff on a regular basis. Don't ask me what it is. But when we contracted with our trash company, they advised us that for a family our size, we would want an X (I don't know the volume, so lets work with variables) sized bin.
It was monstrous, and I don't believe they were just trying to up-sell us. We quickly converted to a 1/2X bin and even that would take us a few weeks to fill. Mind you, that was even with an infant in disposable diapers.
... said Daniel B. on Jan 31, 2011 at 9:39 PM | link
Well, remember, that's an average, all waste. Amount to landfills or incinerators divided by population. I put out half a pound of coffee grounds every day. And you have to count all the things you consume not in the home -- fast food junk, etc. I'm doing a small rehab on my house right now -- I'll throw away several hundreds of pounds of material, maybe a thousand, just with that rehab. I've got a sink to get rid of that weighs 100 lbs., easy.
... said Carl on Feb 1, 2011 at 12:27 AM | link