Zero Waste UW-Platteville

05/17/2021

Hey there, zero-wasters, and happy Monday! I hope that your finals week isn't too stressful for you this semester. Speaking of finals, in lieu of them there will be not Waste Wednesday or Sustainable Sunday posts this week. We hope ya'll are cool with that!

I also wanted to say goodbye to everyone here, as this will be my last time posting on this page. I am a graduating senior this year, so it is time for me to move on from this page, although it makes me sad. It is quite a bittersweet time for me. Don't worry, though! I'll keep participating in zero-waste practices and ideals even after my time here is done!

Thank you all for tuning into my posts, and I hope you all have an amazing summer and whatever comes after it!

See you later, zero-wasters!

-Rowan Wirth

05/16/2021

Howdy there zero-wasters, and welcome to another Sustainable Sunday post! I hope you've all had a refreshing weekend so far. Also, happy Mother's Day to all the Moms here today! Thank you for being, well, you! 🎊💚🎊

I want to talk a bit about recycling today. By now, we all know how important it is to recycle, but have you ever sat to think about what really is recyclable? Surprisingly (and to much disappointment) not everything you believe to be recyclable is. At least not in a way where you can leave it in a bin at the side of the road. Today isn't about the benefits of recycling, it's about how to properly recycle! Here are some important tips and tricks for you to know:

1. Plastic bags cannot be recycled via curbside pickup. And I don't just mean grocery store bags! Food storage bags, bubble wrap, and plastic wrap are also unable to be recycled in this way. A good way to test if plastic can be left in your bin is the 'poke test'. If you can push your finger through the plastic material, you need to recycle it in a different manner. Instead of leaving these things in your bin, you can fill a bag with other plastic bags and drop it off at a local store. You will have to look up the local drop off for your own area, as it is different everywhere.
2. You cannot recycle anything smaller than a basic credit card. These items clog the machines used to process materials.
3. Put bottle caps and lids back on containers you recycle! This not only makes things easier to sort, but also makes small objects (such as bottle lids) recyclable by making them bigger!
4. Make sure whatever you are recycling is clean, empty, and dry. If it isn't, it can damage processing equipment! This means that although you can recycle basic pizza boxes, for example, you cannot recycle them if they are covered in grease. If you can, recycle parts of the box that aren't greasy and throw away the parts that are.
5. Combined materials cannot be recycled. This refers to things such as plastic coated coffee cups or multi-layer wrappers. Although the materials used to make these items may be recyclable on their own, machines are unable to separate the materials to properly recycle them.
6. Not all plastics are created equal! There are 7 types of rigid plastics and materials made of them will be labeled as such. Any containers marked 1 or 2 are easily recyclable. The rest? Well, that depends locally. Generally, the higher the number, the less recyclable the plastic. Check your city's local recycling/waste management websites for more information on how to recycle plastics 3-7.
7. Don't wish-cycle. This means that you shouldn't put things you hope/wish are recyclable in your bins. Sadly, if too much waste material is mixed in with the recyclable materials, the whole load can be land-filled.
8. Educate yourself!! There are other things that are recyclable like batteries, electronics, wood, and clothing. All these things will require separate drop offs, though, and will change depending on your location. Make sure you dispose of these things responsibly by taking the time to learn more!

Source: https://www.earthday.org/youre-doing-it-wrong-7-tips-to-recycle-better/

Whew! That was a long post! I hope you all learned something new that you can now use in your daily life or to educate others. Have an amazing week and we will see you next time!

Recycling is hard.

05/12/2021

Why hello again zero-wasters, and welcome to another Waste Wednesday post! I hope you've all had a nice start to your week and are ready to get over the hump that is today 😓 I myself am so ready to relax this weekend! This post will give you all a bit of a taste of what is to come this Sustainable Sunday, so stay tuned until then:

1. Every 3 months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to create an entire commercial air fleet.
2. Americans throw away enough plastic bottles to circle the earth four times.
3. Every Sunday, about 90% of newspapers are land-filled rather than recycled. The amount of paper wasted is equal to about 500,000 trees.
4. 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone are saved with every ton of steel recycled.

Source: https://thegreenteam.org/recycling-facts/

I hope you all learned something new from this week's installment! If you enjoy what we do here or think our work is important, please drop a like and share. I look forward to seeing you all on our page on Sunday!

05/09/2021

Hey there, zero-wasters and welcome to another Sustainable Sunday post! If you thought that we would be talking about diet and going vegetarian based off the Waste Wednesday post, you were right.

As we said on Wednesday, meat production and consumption needs to be reduced in order to properly prevent/mitigate the effects of climate change. Most, if not all of us here have the ability to help contribute to that reduction by adjusting our diet to be more plant based, Mediterranean eating pattern (sparing use of meat) and possibly even going vegetarian (not eating meat, but eating other animal products), or vegan (cutting animal products out of your life entirely). Not only will these changes help reduce green house gas emissions from livestock agriculture, but they can also help improve our health if done correctly! Certain things found in meat, such as saturated fats and cholesterol, contribute to many of the biggest health issues plaguing our society today. Cutting out most red meat and pork, and instead having them a special treats every once in a while, can have major health and environmental benefits as well! These diseases can include heart diseases and type 2 diabetes, two of the most prevalent threats to human health today.

These changes in diet do not need to (and should not) happen super quickly or over night. Rather, slow shifts in diet are preferable, and they give your body and your mind time to adjust. Planning out the steps of your transition can be helpful too, as it gives you goals to meet and accomplish. One might want to cut out beef over the course of one month, then pork, and so on and so forth. Not only will you be making steady progress, but you'll get to celebrate your wins along the way!

Once you begin the process, make sure you are meeting all your dietary needs! These are different for everyone, so it might be a good idea to look up what you need via your body type and weight. Generally, it's just good to have a variety of things in your basket; don't just eat one thing. Get plenty of protein through nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains. Don't just survive off of Oreos (which are vegan, by the way). Creating a food plan for at least one meal block a week can be helpful. Be sure to try some new recipes and also just tweak your favorite old ones to be more plant based!

Sources: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-vegetarian-diet

We hope you learned a little bit about the 'how-to' of bettering your diet not only for yourself, but also the environment in this post! If you'd like to learn a bit more, please drop some comments. Otherwise, please leave a favorite plant-based recipe there instead!

05/05/2021

Hello again, zero-wasters and welcome to another Waste Wednesday post! Similarly to last week, this week's facts are a bit of a precursor to this coming Sustainable Sunday post. I hope you learn something new today!

1. The meat industry is responsible for 14.5% of global emissions. This means that meat consumption must be reduced if we are to avoid global temperature rising by 1.5°.
2. It takes 15,000 liters of water (3962.58 gallons) to produce one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of beef. This is a massive amount when compared to other staple foods such as rice (3,400 liters/898.18 gallons) or potatoes (255 liters/67.36 gallons).
3. The livestock industry is responsible for 60% of the world's biodiversity loss.

Source: https://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/meat-and-the-environment/
Thank you all for checking out the post this week and, please, tune in again next time! See you soon!

Meat and the environment – the facts                   . The rise of intensive livestock production (factory farming) is causing major environmental damage around the world. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said: “The livestock sector emerges as one of the ...

05/02/2021

Hello again, Zero-Wasters and welcome to another Sustainable Sunday! I hope you've all been having a good weekend and are ready to start again on Monday 😓.

This week, I wanted to talk a little bit about cars! Er, well, cars and the importance of public transit. As you all saw in our Waste Wednesday post, we have a little bit of a problem with car-caused pollution. Especially like places like here in the states that are developed but don't have reliable public transit every where. Yet, at least 🤞

If you are like most people, you wake up every day during the week (or maybe even every day), drive to work, work, and drive back home. This in and of itself isn't an issue. Obviously, you need to get to work to provide for yourself and any others that may be relying on you. But, when everyone everywhere in the United States is doing the same thing, the gas emissions and tailpipe pollutants add up. This is where public transit comes in to save the day!

Public transit refers to any form of transportation that is readily available to the public and can come in a variety of forms depending on where you are. Buses, trains, subways, trolleys, ferries, and carpools are all considered public transportation and are all based on the same principle: sharing space and saving energy. When you make the choice to take public transportation, you are removing your car and any emissions in may produce from the roadways. This benefits the environment and the health of living beings by keeping damaging pollutants and Green House Gases out of the atmosphere, our lungs, and our ecosystems. The more people who use public transit, the more sweeping the benefits!

Sadly, public transportation is not yet available everywhere in the United States, which is extremely uncharacteristic for a developed country. In fact, most developed countries around the world have highly developed and integrated public transit systems. One way for folks in areas lacking in options to cope is to begin their own 'public transportation' system with friends and family. Do you need to run to the store to grocery shop? Ask a friend or two if they need to as well! Another option is to use human-powered transportation, such as biking, skateboarding, walking, or canoeing, whenever able.

Although both these solutions are good habits to have, they are only a small, temporary fix to a larger, systemic issue. Clearly, there needs to be a shift in our governmental priorities when it comes to transportation not only because it benefits our environment but also because it helps oppressed and impoverished people. By providing an inexpensive means to move, impoverished people may be better able to find jobs while oppressed folks may be better able to connect with other minority people. Choosing to prioritize public transit not only benefits the environment, but also our society as a whole!

🌱🌟🚎🌟🌱

04/29/2021

Good afternoon, Zero-Wasters and welcome to our new members! I hope you've had a great start to your week thus far and are ready for some more concerning waste facts! This Waste Wednesday's theme is directly related to what we will be posting about on our page's Sustainable Sunday post. See if you can figure out what it is (I'm sure you can)!

1. Although there are relatively few heavy duty vehicles on the road today (only account for about 5% of total cars on the road), they produce about 25% of climate changing emissions.
2. Battery-electric buses are the best carbon option in all areas on the USA.
3. Air pollution doesn't just damage your lungs. In fact, it can cause problems at every stage of life and damage entire communities. Some problems brought on by air pollution include:

COPD
Coronary heart disease
Lung Cancer
Stroke
Early death
Increase in vector borne illness occurrence (such as malaria)
Sea-level rising
Flooding
Drought
Famine

Sources: https://cleanair.camfil.us/2018/02/09/diseases-caused-by-air-pollution-risk-factors-and-control-methods/
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/cars-trucks-buses-and-air-pollution

I hope you are all feeling a bit concerned after reading our facts for today. Can you guess what our Sunday Post will be on? Let me know in the comments!

Air pollution leads to environmental damage, but it can also harm the health of people. Some of the most common ailments in the world are...

04/25/2021

Hello again, Zero-Wasters and welcome to another Sustainable Sunday post! This Sunday, we will be continuing last Sunday's post about composting. Welcome to vermiculture!! 🌟

Vermiculture refers to using worms, most often red wrigglers, to compost. Composting this way allows you to keep your compost in a more confined space, so it is better for those with apartments or small no backyard. You can buy a premade vermiculture composting bin or make your own! Here is what you need to make your own bin:

1. Two plastic tubs. One has to be bigger than the other so that they can rest inside each other. The shorter one should be about 15 inches deep, 25 inches wide and 5 inches high. The larger one should be around 15 inches deep, 20 inches wide and 15 inches tall.
2. A drill
3. A one inch diameter and a one-eighth inch diameter drill bit
4. Non-metal window screening material
5. Waterproof glue
6. Enough shredded paper to fill the bin 3in deep (you will need to add shredded paper every time you feed the worms)
7. About a pound of dirt
8. Water
9. A pound of red wrigglers or earthworms (red wrigglers will consume food faster)
10. A trowel
11. A container for food scraps, such as a gallon bucket with a lid

After you get your hands on all these things, you can begin the process of making your own compost bin! Here's what you need to do:

1. Drill a 1-inch hole about 2-inches away from the top of the taller bin on one side. On the opposite side, do the same. Then, drill 4 1/8-inch holes on the bottom corners of the bin. Don't drill any holes into the smaller bin.
2. Cover all of the holes with the window screening and waterproof glue. Make sure the glue is completely dry before you move on to the next step.
3. Place the smaller bin into the larger one.
4. Combine the dirt and shredded paper, then add water until the mixture is moist.
5. Put the damp mixture into the tall bin.
6. Add your worms to the mixture and allow them to adjust to their new home for about a day. You can begin feeding your worms in 24 hours!

To feed your worms, take your collected food scraps to the bin once a week and use your trowel to dig a hole to put them into. Before you put them in, though, put a hand full of shredded paper into the hole. Once your scraps and paper are in the hole, cover with dirt and paper. Make sure that none of it is exposed, as that can draw pests to your compost bin. Put the lid on the bin and sit back as your food scraps are turned into compost!

Make sure to keep your bin clean, as not doing so can draw pests and parasites to your worms' home. Clean up food scraps that your worms refuse to eat and dispose of them properly. Scoop out the liquid gathered in the shorter container, but don't dump it! Instead, use it as fertilizer on your plants and gardens! Try to feed your worms on one side of the bin for a few weeks to make gathering compost easier. Then, switch feedings to the other side and gather your compost once all the worms have moved!

04/22/2021

Hey there Zero-Wasters! We have some amazing news!!

Today at the Earth Day celebration, Chancellor Shields was presented with his own personal copy of our coalition letter calling for a commitment to zero-waste by 2035 shortly after his speech. The exciting part?? He put ink to the letter right then and there!

Campus has officially committed to zero-waste by 2035 everybody!! 🎊🌎🎊

We want to thank you all for your support, without you there is no way we would've succeeded in this shared goal. Thank you for taking a powerful stand for a sustainable future here at UW-Platteville!

04/21/2021

Hello again, Zero-Wasters and welcome to another Waste Wednesday! This Wednesday, we will be continuing the theme of last week, food waste, as a part of an on-going series about composting and food waste mitigation. If you'd like to learn more about the composting side of this series, please go check out our page: https://www.facebook.com/ZeroWastePlatteville/ ! Here are a couple more concerning facts about food waste:

1) In the United States, food waste is the largest contributor of methane gas emissions
2) About 63% of people do not know the difference between 'best by' or 'use by' dates according to a survey by Respect Food. Foods with 'best by' dates can be eaten after said date, they just won't be at their highest quality. 'Use by' dates should be followed, as these food items are perishable and could make you sick after said date.
3) About 25% of the world's fresh water is used to care for food crops that will never be eaten.
4) Over half of all produce in the United States is thrown away because it is simply 'too ugly to eat'. This refers only to appearance and not to the actual quality of the produce item at hand.

Source: https://earth.org/facts-about-food-waste/

Thank you all for tuning in again! We hope to see you all next Wednesday for more concerning waste facts!

Food waste negatively affects the environment, the economy, food security and nutrition. Here are 20 facts about food waste that you need to know.

04/18/2021

Hey there everyone and welcome to another Sustainable Sunday! As promised, we will be talking a little bit about composting today.

Composting is an important part of the zero-waste process and refers to the act of recycling food waste into usable fertilizer. Not only does composting keep unnecessary food waste out of landfills, but it also benefits your garden and wallet! No more buying fertilizer for your garden or decorative plants!

Only certain things are able to be composted. Grass clippings, leaves, coffee grounds, newspaper, hair/fur, egg shells, cotton, wool, and fruit and veggie scraps. It may be more helpful to tell you what you can't put into your compost pile:
Animal Products (meat, cheese, milk, egg)
Coal
Grease, fats, or oils

The are two popular ways of composting. Today, we will be talking about aerobic composting, which is what most people think of when they think of a compost pile: a literal pile of compostable material that is turned often. Anyone with a yard is able to create this form of compost pile, as it does require a bit of space.
1) First, store your compostable material while you wait. A cheap way to do this is to store it in a bucket with a lid. Once the bucket is full, you can add the materials to the compost pile.
2) Choose how you want to create your pile. This will depend on your needs and the amount of space you have. You can create a naked pile or on inside a cheap plastic bin.
3) Choose a spot for your pile. It might be a good idea to have the pile a ways from your home in a shady, dry spot. If you are making a bare pile, be sure to keep it away from walls, as it can stain them!
4) Create the initial pile. To do this, you will need either a pile of straw, sticks, or a wooden panel at the base (this will keep your pile aerated without needing to turn it as much). From there, you can add your compostable materials in layers: browns (dry compostables) on bottom and greens (wet compostables) on top. Moisten the pile as you add material. For your initial pile, you will want at least 3ft of material in the pile!
5) If you've made it this far, you've completed your base pile! Now, all you have to do is upkeep. Keep adding new material as you create waste in your home, burying fruit and veggie scraps deeper in the compost to speed along the decomposition process. If you want to speed up the process of composting, mix up the pile every 3-5 days. If you'd like to keep your pile extra moist or are in a dry area, try covering the pile with a plastic tarp to keep in water!

In about 2 to 12 months, a rich, dark layer of material will develop at the base of your pile. This is your garden-ready fertilizing material!

Sources: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/07/828918397/how-to-compost-at-home
https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/composting/

That's going to be all for this Sustainable Sunday! I hope you all learned something new about composting or were inspired to try creating a pile of your own Please, tune in next week to learn about another type of composting that is popular among those of us with less space: vermicomposting!