"Great savings in a circular economy"

Ann Podlipny posted the following commentary in the New Hampshire Bulletin regarding circular economy:

Today’s world laments the production of plastic that began in the 1950s to profit oil and gas companies and continues to pollute, beyond measure, our soil, air, and water. 

This tragic impoverishment continues, ignoring public outcry for an end to corporate greed generating toxic waste.

An April 11, 2023, article in the British journal Nature titled “Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis” describes how researchers are studying more sophisticated policies, smarter recycling, and new materials to stem the tide. 

They conclude: “Of the 8.7 billion tonnes of plastic waste produced between 1950 and 2021, only 11 percent has ever gone through recycling. … In 2019 … more than two-thirds of the 353 million tonnes of plastic waste produced was sent to landfill or incinerated, and 22 percent was mismanaged – meaning that it was left as uncollected litter, dumped in unregulated sites on land or in water, or burnt in the open. … By 2060, rising plastic production will lead to a tripling of annual waste to more than 1 billion tonnes, and … annual plastic pollution (the mismanaged portion) could double, if no new policies are implemented.”

Efforts to reduce plastic waste include bans on bags and styrofoam take-out containers, regulations on reducing plastic in packaging and in restaurants, and “extended producer responsibility” mandates requiring manufacturers to collect, recycle, and responsibly dispose of their plastics after use. 

Sadly, though, people who deposit used bottles for refund at redemption centers are enticed to return them on the false premise that they are recyclable – with the unintended consequence that people use more.

How do we mitigate the harm resulting from our culture of conspicuous consumption to “take, make, waste”? 

Our economy thrives on throwaway goods and planned obsolescence. Ironically, we buy “distressed wood” furniture (deliberately made to look old) and torn jeans rather than patch up old pairs or use hand-me-downs, hardly symbols of fast fashion. In fact, the Atacama desert in northern Chile has become one of the world’s fastest growing dumps of discarded clothes destined to be buried or burned.

Thankfully, a new philosophy is emerging, one that extends a product’s life, thereby reducing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It prioritizes “reuse” – keeping items in circulation to prevent plunder for new materials. 

In New Hampshire, myTurn CEO Gene Homicki helps people create and manage “Libraries of Things” based on the business model of repair, resale, and rental. The enterprises assisted by myTurn provide the added benefits of creating retail jobs and skilled labor (for equipment repair). Building community is a welcome outcome of this circular green, “waste not, want not” economy.

Imagine a circular economy that reduces waste and promotes a sustainable future by increasing the reuse of physical assets. This collaborative approach reduces consumption and the energy associated with manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of new resources by allowing people to lend, rent, and share.

Grassroots “libraries of things” build on the success of local repair fairs and swap shops by developing profitable businesses where “you can get anything you want” (as at Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant) plus a chance, at last, to park your car in your beautifully uncluttered garage. 

It’s hard to imagine a better deal.

Reprinted from New Hampshire Bulletin (April 19, 2023)

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