It's not very often these days that I find myself feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, and normally it would never happen as a reaction to a new government legislation. Last month I was thrilled when Nashville's new ordinance took effect that bans cardboard from trash collection for both businesses and homes.
Yeah, yeah, I know that probably doesn't set your toes to tapping, so why am I so excited? It's a huge milestone for a sustainable Nashville. Even better, it's not just a "green" milestone for the environment, it makes excellent financial sense. For most of us, the new ban on cardboard just means placing it in a separate container. But that small step will contribute to the city in a big way. Paper and cardboard account for nearly 30% of the nation's municipal waste. That's a huge number and surprising because paper and cardboard are some of the easiest resources to recycle. So here's where the new ordinance will bring a smile to your face, too. Banning cardboard from our waste stream translates into huge cost savings for our city. How much? Each year, Metro spends $32/ton to put material in landfills, ($4.7 million in 2012). Metro receives $20/ton for cardboard, plastic containers, paper, metal and aluminum cans. So by cutting 30% of our current waste, the cardboard ban could net Nashville $52/ton or $3 million/year (landfill avoidance plus recycling revenue). If we recycled everything, we'd save the city $11 million/year. Of course, we can't recycle everything, but the cardboard ban is a great start. We aren't alone in this, many other local and state governments use bans to save money and resources. For example, the state of NC has banned 15 items from their landfills including batteries, electronic waste, motor oil, and beverage containers. Other simple steps would be to expand recycling to businesses in Metro or composting all of our food waste, either of which would save another 30% of landfill space. Recycling paper, cardboard, and food waste would earn the city over $5 million annually, more than we currently spend on landfills. Composting food waste also has other benefits, like providing natural fertilizers and bio-gas. You can see why recycling makes sense, and cents. Money and resources can go to other things, including more initiatives to make our tremendous city even better and to keep taxes low. Think about it...if your neighbors and businesses you frequent aren't recycling, they're taking money out of the city coffers. Encourage them to set out their valuable materials in the recycling Curby rather than trashing them. Best, |