EcoSet works to divert waste generated on your sets as much as possible through composting, recycling and reuse.
As recycling and composting becomes more common in the film industry, it might be easy to take for granted why these methods of waste diversion are important in the first place. Do you know where your trash really goes when you throw it away?
Landfills
In 2008, nearly 500 billion pounds of municipal solid waste was generated in the US and over half of that waste was sent to landfills. (1)
Many cities and countries have mandated recycling and composting simply because they don’t have the physical space to landfill their trash. Although in the Western U.S. there is space for landfills, diverting waste by recycling and composting is still important because one day we will run out of space, and future generations will have to deal with the trash we left behind.
360° View of a Landfill in Leeds, UK © Leeds City Council 2010
Another problem with landfills is that, even though the bottom of landfills are filled with clay, cement and an impervious lining, toxic substances can still leach through these barriers and contaminate the groundwater, the source of most of our drinking water.
When organic materials such as food waste end up in landfills, gases like methane are generated from the decomposition of the food. Methane gas is a threat to human health and a greenhouse gas contributing to the warming of the atmosphere. Composting food waste is a way to reduce methane emissions in landfills.
Composting
Composting, which has existed in nature for millions of years, is the process of breaking down natural materials and turning them into a nutrient-rich, fertilizing soil.
Commercial composting facilities can use high temperatures to break down all types of food scraps, and sometimes compostable products (made from materials like corn starch and sugarcane), soiled paper, and cardboard, turning this waste into soil.
Commercial Composting Windrows (Credit: Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Composting Directory)
At home, you can compost some food scraps like fruits, vegetables, and even newspaper. Many cities sell discounted backyard compost bins and indoor vermi-compost bins to residents. Even cities such as Seattle, Denver and San Francisco have implemented pilot curbside compost collection programs for residents.
Backyard Home Composting Bin © CompostInstructions.com
Recycling
Simply put, recycling is converting waste into reusable materials.
The recycling process uses less energy than producing products from raw materials because recycled materials do not require as much heat to break down and alter. Additionally, recycling helps divert millions of pounds of materials away from landfills. Most plastics will not break down in landfills, so plastics that we consume and throw away today, could be left in our landfills for hundreds of years.
Artist Chris Jordan's depiction of two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes. © Chris Jordan
What can you recycle?
That answer depends on who collects the trash from your home, office building or set. Most residences are collected by the local city sanitation department. Private hauling companies collect waste from businesses, some residences and film sets.
What can be recycled depends on the capabilities of the facility the trash is taken to. Some facilities can separate recyclables from trash after the waste is collected. Some facilities require that recycling be sorted from trash beforehand.
To find out how to recycle where you live or work, see your local city sanitation website, or talk to your building manager or location manager (if on set) about who your waste hauler is. Also check out Earth911.org to find local resources for recycling all kinds of materials. Remember to email or call your elected representatives if you would like your community to offer more recycling or composting services. Your voice matters!
Resources…
Composting:
Compost in your backyard
Compost inside your apartment or home
Home Composting Resources in the Los Angeles area:
LA County Residents
LA City Residents
Santa Monica Residents
Burbank Residents
Long Beach Residents
Recycling:
Benefits of Recycling
Find how and where to recycle locally at Earth911.com
Landfills:
360° View of a Landfill
Learn about Landfill Gases
More about Methane