The Value of Creating Less Trash

Since the mid-2000s, zero-wasters have been carrying around reusable containers, keeping compost piles and fitting all the trash they make in a year inside single Mason jars. Earlier, this might have been considered hippie behavior, but public attitudes toward zero waste have shifted in recent years. It’s a growing movement to avoid creating trash, and it’s slowly making its way into mainstream culture.

Each American generates around 4.5 pounds of garbage per day, a significant increase from the 2.7 pounds in 1960. Less than half of that garbage is recycled. And America is only a part — albeit a colossal one — of the world’s trash problem.

Space for landfills is running out. Headlines about climate change and pollution scream danger. A video of a plastic straw wedged painfully up a sea turtle’s nose went viral.

The environmental crisis isn’t just about climate change. It’s also about the excessive physical waste created by humans every day. It’s unsustainable, and we’re starting to feel its effects.

 A conversation with Liberty University student Cate Schall, who is reducing her footprint by skipping single-use plastic.

So zero-wasters refuse plastic cutlery and straws, make their own toothpaste and deodorant and bring their own cloth bags to the grocery store in attempt to fight the crushing tide of plastic. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is slowly catching on.

The sea turtle video sparked public outcry against plastic straws, prompting companies like Starbucks to pledge to stop providing plastic straws in stores. There are over 2 million posts tagged #zerowaste on Instagram. A community is rising up to protect the earth through lifestyle change.

At Liberty University, a private Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, environmentally conscious students seem few and far between, but they do exist.

Sophomore Addi Tarr brings her own reusable straws, cups, cutlery and grocery bags when she goes out to reduce waste. She uses social media to inform her peers about sustainability.

“I think that raising awareness is the first step to making a change. That’s why I’m passionate about educating people in a respectful way on how they can make little everyday changes in life that can make a huge difference in making our world a more sustainable home,” Tarr said.

At Liberty, one of the biggest environmental issues is the amount of plastic waste produced each day. Although Liberty provides compostable plastic cups and cutlery, students do not have access to compost bins to put them in. Since they are not recyclable, they go in the trash.

“On one hand, they’re supporting companies that make these products, and that’s a good thing, but they’re not using them properly,” sophomore Cate Schall said.

Avoiding single-use plastic is often the first step to a zero-waste lifestyle, or at least a more environmentally conscious one. Every year, around 8 million tons of discarded plastic enter our oceans. Over time, plastic crumbles into small pieces called “microplastics,” contaminating bodies of water and the organisms who live in them.

“Plastic itself isn’t necessarily an evil, but single-use plastic is terrible,” Schall said.

Despite the recent increase in public environmental consciousness, most Americans are unaware of or indifferent to the harmfulness of single-use plastic. Even those who know what needs to change can find it hard to stay motivated in a sea of people who churn out trash without a second thought. For Liberty students like sophomore Michaela Goins, resisting single-use plastic requires adopting a new mindset.

“I spent a long time thinking that just one person could not make a difference, but I’ve decided to do as much as I can personally to make a positive impact on the environment,” Goins said.