Grace
Duke University
Day 8&9 Green
This is kind of embarrassing. I really don’t want to post the picture of all the trash I accumulated over
the day. I think it’s mostly because our dining hall has been using Styrofoam bowls and plates and plastic
utensils rather than reusable items, but I also seem to eat a lot. It’s horrible because I realize how much
trash I generated in a single day – almost without any thought about it.
I regard myself as a relatively green person. I
try to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I know
what qualifies as compost and I do so
whenever the option is available. Clearly
though, there’s an issue because the
amount of waste I am generating alone –
not to mention the thousands of other
students here – is ridiculous and a little
terrifying.
The most interesting conversation I had
about my bag was less about my bag itself,
and the combination of all of our bag’s
together and how much trash Americans, particularly college students, must generate on a daily basis.
According to the EPA, the average American generates 4.40 pounds of trash a day, with only 1.53
pounds recycled or composted daily. As a nation that generates 250 million tons (TONS) of trash
annually, the United States definitely needs to be prioritizing cutting down waste. There will be no
future at this rate. The planet of WALL-E will be real.
Feasibility: High!
I think it’s realistic to cut down on extraneous waste like Styrofoam containers, plastic utensils, etc. I
don’t think I will be able to do it entirely while on a meal plan, but if I work on bringing reusable
containers and utensils, I can definitely reduce my waste from the current ridiculous amount. I already
recycle my containers. Now that I’ve been forced to confront how much waste I generate just on a daily
basis, I will definitely be actively making sure I am not needlessly wasting more than necessary.