2013-2014 Project CREATE Challenge #2
Solid Waste Reduction & Reuse
Our landfills are over used and we are running out of places to dispose of the tons
and tons of garbage (solid waste). We are also running out of our finite natural
resources that we are putting in our landfills. This challenge will require research
into why landfills are being filled so fast and what we can do to reduce what goes
into them. Look into how construction debris, which makes up about 40% of
landfill space, can be recovered from construction sites and reused, so it does not
need to go into a landfill.
Some of the construction waste is left over scraps from construction and other
waste is from the demolition of buildings, bridges, roads, etc. In the PBS series
“design: e2, Episode 4, Gray to Green” it is shown how some of the waste
concrete and steel from a bridge demolition was able to be used to build a
contemporary home. It was shown that the key is to consider ease of demolition
and reuse when structures are initially designed and constructed.
Don’t forget to look at ways we can reduce producing waste in the first place by
reducing the amount of packaging. There are even those who believe that we can
recover and reuse waste that has already been landfilled. This is called landfill
mining. And, of course, the recycling you do in your own home is also an
important part of the equation to reduce what goes into our landfills and
conserve our finite natural resources.