Did you know that the trash we throw away on a daily basis is intimately connected to the ecological threat of global climate change? Most people separate the issues of waste accumulation and greenhouse gas emissions that drive global climate change. The plastics building up in our ocean and the increasing scarcity of landfill space are considered to be a completely separate issue from global warming which is driven by burning fossil fuels for our cars, industries, and electricity generation. However, the waste issue and the global warming issue are closely related. In some instances, the trash we throw out leads directly to the emission of gasses that drive global climate change. In this short article, we outline the connection between irresponsible waste management practice and global climate change. We then offer a few simple suggestions for how residents of San Leandro, California can limit their carbon footprint by dealing with their junk in a more responsible manner.
The Connections between Consumerism and Global Climate Change
Every time we purchase something, that item comes with a history of greenhouse gas emissions that arise from the usually long and complicated supply lines. The raw materials that make up the consumer item were mined from the Earth using energy intensive processes that most likely rely on the burning of fossil fuels. The manufacturing process and the subsequent packaging for the product (most likely from plastic) also adds to the carbon footprint of the item. Depending on where the item was made or produced, it also most likely has a sizeable transportation footprint as it is shipped around the world before eventually ending up in your shopping cart or in front of your front door.
According to a 2015 study, “the production and use of household goods and services was responsible for 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Producing all these things generates climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions.” Perhaps even more worrisome is the fact that of all the consumer items we purchase, only one percent of “stuff” is still in use six months from its purchase. The vast majority of that stuff ends up in landfills where it continues to contribute to even more greenhouse gas emissions.
The Issue of Landfill Gas
Landfills are obviously an unsightly part of our landscape. The waste management companies that deal with our trash spend an enormous amount of money burying and hiding the trash that individuals and businesses accumulate. One of the pressing issues associated with landfills is the growing scarcity of suitable places to essentially bury our trash. In the State of California, we currently have 55 operational landfills, though almost 250 known landfills have already been filled to capacity and closed down. In the immediate future, then, finding the space to continue to bury our trash will be an increasingly urgent issue.
Even if we are able to find the needed space to bury our trash, landfill gas, which is mostly methane, is another serious environmental issue associated with waste management. Landfill gas is a natural spin-off of the decay process and is composed of about 50 percent methane. Methane gas, like carbon dioxide, has the ability to trap the heat of the sun and thus leads to the warming of our atmosphere. The Environmental Defense Fund states that methane emissions are currently responsible for about 25 percent of all human-made global warming that we are experiencing.
Methane gas is much more potent than other greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane has a global warming potential of thirty-four on a 100-year time scale. This rating means that methane gas is 34 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over 100 years. However, methane gas breaks down in the atmosphere relatively quickly, usually over 20 years or so. So, methane has a high global warming potential and can be 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide emissions over twenty years. Most greenhouse gas reduction targets urge nations and industries to drastically cut their emissions within the next two to three decades. In the short run, the potency of methane emissions especially concerns, as these emissions could push us over a dangerous threshold.
Most of the methane emissions from landfills arise due to the combination of inorganic and organic waste. Homeowners who do not separate, compost, or recycle their organic waste such as kitchen scraps or yard waste are thus directly contributing to large amounts of methane emissions emitted from our local landfills. In fact, the city of San Leandro finds that over 1,540 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are caused by trash thrown into landfills.
What Can You Do?
Okay, so if buying stuff and subsequently throwing it away leads to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global climate change, what exactly can I do? Firstly, making an effort to purchase durable items that will last a lifetime is one strategy to reduce consumer-related carbon emissions. Secondly, simply taking the time to separate your organic and inorganic trash can drastically reduce the methane emissions that stem from local landfills. If you don’t have space in your backyard for a small compost pile, the city of San Leandro offers unlimited collection of weekly yard trimmings and food scrap recycling collections (what you put into the green cart).
Lastly, making an effort to recycle the bulky items that we throw away is another way to lower our carbon footprint. Junk King of Contra Costa is the leading company for junk removal in San Leandro. Unlike other waste management and junk removal businesses, we have a huge network of connections with recycling companies, thrift stores, donation centers, and other organizations that allow us to either recycle, donate, or reuse at least 60 percent of the junk that we pick up.
We offer professional, efficient, and environmentally friendly junk removal services for residents of Alameda, Alamo, Albany, Antioch, Berkeley, Brentwood, Byron, Clayton, Concord, Crockett, Danville, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton, Richmond, San Leandro, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.
By working with Junk King of Contra Costa, you can rest assured that we will do everything possible to help you get rid of your junk quickly, efficiently, and in an environmental friendly manner. Besides going the extra mile to recycle or reuse a large portion of what we pick up, we also are proud to say that we have the lowest pricing in the market we serve.
How to Hire Junk King Contra Costa
If you live in the Contra Costa region and need to get rid of your excess junk, simply give us a call at (925) 289-8511 or 1-888-888-5865 (JUNK). You can also book us online by filling out the form found here. Also, you can text us an image of the junk that you need hauled away at 1-737-888-5865 and we will text you back a price estimate.
Once you have agreed to the price we send back to you, you simply have to pick a date and a two-hour window. In many cases, we might even be able to offer same day service. Our junk removal professionals will call you 15 minutes before arrival, and all you have to do is show us where the junk is. We will do all the heavy hauling to ensure that you can efficiently and affordably free up space in your home or business. Call us today to take the first step to getting rid of your junk in a way that allows you to also lower your carbon footprint and do you part in the fight against global climate change.
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