Producing No Waste Madyson Whitlock

Reducing Waste Starts With You

In recent years, the environmental impact of waste has been a growing concern. From the mountains of e-waste gathered by outdated electronics to the overflowing landfills filled to the brim of textiles, it's clear that our over-consumption habits need to change. College students who are the start of the new generation can start the change of this in just a few simple ways. By changing some of their normal habits they can reduce waste and display more friendly eco-conscious lifestyles.

Fight Against Technology & E-Waste

One of the largest types of waste from society today is electronic waste, or shortened e-waste. This includes things like old phones, computers, and other devices that go untouched. College students, who are most likely upgrading their technology to the newest version every few years to keep up with their studies or online trends are major contributors to this. What people don't realize is most of this e-waste ends up in landfills, it can take where it can take hundreds of years for these items to decompose but even after it decomposes it still releases harmful toxins into the environment.
To challenge this issue, students can take these simple first steps into reducing e-waste. First, students should try to repair or fix their devices rather than replacing them. Many students might not realize they could fix their devices with sometimes just a simple YouTube tutorial, or even repair cafes can help with this. These are community safes where people can learn to fix broken items. From Permaculture Principles, "When old clothes are the best clothes," Gerard has been wearing the same work pants for the past ten years, and his wife repairs them when needed, this shows the value of repair over replacement. This can easily be applied towards electronics as well, it reduces waste and saves money. Two great things that more college students certainly need to do. Or even better if you truly do need to buy a new device there's the option of buying used or refurbished products which will be at lower prices as well. This will highly lower your e-waste footprint.

Clothing & Textile Waste

Another big issue is textile waste, which gets linked often to the fast fashion industry. According to a report done by Boston University, the U.S. alone creates more than 34 billion tons of textile waste a year, and each person alone is responsible for over 100 pounds of clothing each year. Most of this waste sadly ends up in landfills. It decomposes slowly and releases harmful chemicals into the soil and air. With the impact of fast fashion being a bigger topic than ever, college students can play a huge role in reducing the textile waste.

One way to start fighting against textile waste is by shopping secondhand. Thrift stores give affordable and eco-friendly alternatives to fast fashion. One reason people purchase fast fashion is due to the lower prices, it's simpler to buy with such a low price but when it comes to thrifting it's the same price with probably better quality that you would find in fast fashion. By buying things secondhand students can help with the demand of more clothing to be created, which takes much resources to make in the first place.

Upcycling old clothing into new, fashionable items can be a fun and creative way to reduce waste. College students are turning to DIY projects to transform outdated clothing into new pieces. For example, turning an old t-shirt into a reusable grocery bag or cutting up jeans to create shorts are a creative way to reduce waste. Boston University again said, only 15% of used textile are recycled and most of the clothing is shipped to the south where it causes environmental and health damaging issues due to the poor waste management.

Reducing laundry is another great method to cut down on waste. Over-washing clothes not only gives them wear but it also helps with microplastic pollution since fabrics shed tiny fibers during washing (CNBC). College students can help do this as well by washing clothes in cold water, using a clothesline instead of a dryer, and avoid the use of single-use dryer sheets, which often do contain harmful chemicals. By moving our eyes to secondhand shopping, upcycling, and having better laundry methods, college students can play a huge role in the fight against textile wastes. Doing this they can also leave a dent in the fast fashion industry from buying less from them.

Valuing What Is Yours

From Permaculture Principles we see the power of valuing what you have, David Cameron has had the same car since his 18th birthday, he’s been able to keep it running all these years, he even passed it onto his six children. It was long lasting with regular checks. A well done lesson of valuing and caring for what you have, not just waiting for it to break.

Water Bottles and Plastics

Another resource, One Tree Planted says, "Investing in something as simple as a quality reusable water bottle can make a big difference in how much plastic we see in our oceans." Plastic waste is another major issue that college students can help with. As Columbia University explains, the use of a single-use plastics such as water bottles and bags is a big environmental pollutant. The university says you can save 156 bottles per person per year doing this.

Conclusion

By doing small different changes like this reducing e-waste, supporting secondhand fashion, and minimizing single-use plastics, college students can make a meaningful impact on the environment. All of this may take time to adjust to but it's the easy steps that come first that set start for a better way to take care of life.

Credited Sources

Permaculture design principle 6: Produce no waste. Permaculture Principles. (2024, October 17). https://permacultureprinciples.com/permaculture-principles/_6/

AndreaKsWorld. (2018, November 14). What I learned from adopting a “zero waste” lifestyle (it wasn’t as easy as I thought) . CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/14/how-to-start-a-zero-waste-lifestyle.html

Rukovets, O. (2024, April 9). Protecting our planet: 5 strategies for Reducing Plastic Waste. State of the Planet. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2024/04/08/protecting-our-planet-5-strategies-for-reducing-plastic-waste/

The aftermath of fast fashion: How discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the environment. SPH The Aftermath of Fast Fashion How Discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the Environment Comments. (2022, September 22). https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2022/the-aftermath-of-fast-fashion-how-discarded-clothes-impact-public-health-and-the-environment/

One Tree Planted. (n.d.). How to reduce waste: 21 ideas for Zero waste living. https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/how-to-reduce-waste

Credits:

Created with images by Farknot Architect - "A woman picking up garbage plastic bottles into a box and plastic bag for recycling concept" • saravuth - "garbage dump pile in trash dump or landfill,backhoe and truck is dumping the gabage from municipal,garbage dump whit old garbage truck and dark clouds or rain clouds ." • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "back view of students with backpacks walking on street" • Farknot Architect - "Closeup image of a woman's finger pressing on the enter button of laptop computer on the table" • chandlervid85 - "Building tools repair set on wooden background. Top view. Copyspace" • Prostock-studio - "Smiling girl bying clothes in showroom" • siewwy84 - "Modern fashion women clothes hang on stanless steel hangers rack at department store." • brostock - "Colorful women's dresses on hangers in a retail shop" • Nomad_Soul - "Woman choosing clothes in clothing store" • borabalbey - "Reusable water bottle on a concrete background" • Viacheslav Yakobchuk - "Pleasant cooperation. Joyful positive nice volunteers standing around the tree and caring about it while working in team"