Reducing the amount of waste we send to landfills is one of the most important and pressing environmental responsibilities that all of us share. For residents of San Francisco, the combined efforts of citizens, businesses, and local governments have made major progress in reducing the amount of trash that is generated on a yearly basis. In fact, according to a recent article published on CNBC, “San Francisco sends less trash to landfills than any other major U.S. city… The average American produces about 4.4 pounds of waste per day. Thanks to bold public policy and educational initiatives, the city diverts about 80 percent of its waste from landfills, or more than 1.5 million tons every year.”  

Eighty percent less trash is certainly a major achievement, and something that other cities and regions across North America should similarly aspire towards. However, the collective effort to make landfills a thing of the past, requires the dedication and commitment from every individual. While public policies, ordinances, and laws can certainly help to move us towards a zero trash future, the decision to generate less waste ultimately lays with individuals, homeowners, and business owners across the city. In this short article, we look at some of the problems that arise with the amount of trash we collectively generate. We will then outline a few ways in which individuals and businesses can contribute to San Francisco´s goal of making landfills obsolete.  

The Problems with Waste Accumulation  

So why exactly should we care about where our trash ends up? For starters, landfill space around the country is growing increasingly scarce. In California, as in most states across the country, the number of closed landfills vastly outnumbers the numbers of operational landfills. Furthermore, many states and regions simply are not able to find sufficient space to open new landfills to take in the waste streams that are generated on a daily basis. Statistically, the United States produces a world-leading 250 million tons of trash each and every year. That amounts to roughly 4.4 pounds of trash per person per day. When the operational landfills that we currently rely on eventually fill up, finding ways to safely dispose of this amount of waste is certainly going to present a pressing problem.  

Furthermore, due to the limited landfill space available, many waste management companies have reverted to burning our trash. While this does create a source of energy (it is debatable as to whether this is an environmentally friendly or renewable source of energy), it also contributes to air pollution problems. In fact, one recent analysis by the Institute for Local Self Reliance finds that waste incinerators which burn trash releases huge amounts of dioxin, lead, and mercury, all of which pose serious health problems to nearby communities. Of course, these incinerators, also create greenhouse gas emissions including both biogenic sources and carbon dioxide and hazardous ash, which could fall on farmland or water sources for even further contamination issues.  

Lastly, much of the waste that we create doesn’t end up in landfills or eventually get burned, but rather ends up in our oceans. Not too far off the coast of San Francisco is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Recent studies have found that this massive collection of garbage that has been swept into the ocean measures more than 1.6 million square kilometers. The ocean currents in the Pacific collect an enormous amount of plastic and other human-generated waste, and air surveys of the patch suggest that the plastics are increasing exponentially, and that there could be 16 times as much as previously thought. 

The Importance of Reuse and Upcycling  

So if you don’t want your waste to end up in increasingly scarce landfills, or to be burned and contribute to air pollution and toxic ash, or end up polluting the ocean ecosystems, what exactly can you do? Recycling has generated a lot of fanfare in recent years, and is certainly one way to help deal with the waste accumulation problem. However, China and other Asian countries have recently stopped accepting the massive amount of trash that the United States and other countries have been “exporting” to them. This has actually led many major cities across the country to cut back on their recycling programs.  

The city of San Francisco, in order to progress its stated goal of becoming “zero waste” is now turning towards “re-using” its trash instead of recycling it. Known as “upcycling,” the idea is to find ways to reuse discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. For example, instead of throwing away your old wine bottles or putting them in the recycle bin, “upcycling” would focus on turning those old wine bottles into something of higher values, such as a unique, artisanal chandelier. Similarly, turning old tires into an outdoor dining table is another solution.  

Practical Steps We All Can Take to Limit Waste Accumulation 

Currently in the city of San Francisco, of the city’s annual 900,000 tons of discarded material, it actually diverts more for reuse than it sends to landfills. Though this is laudable progress, the city is still a long ways away from becoming zero waste. The original goal was to become zero waste by 2020 which was missed by a long shot. However, all sectors of society in San Francisco are helping to do their part to continue to divert waste from landfills, incinerators, and the ocean. 

On a policy level, the city of San Francisco has banned single-use plastic bags and other hard-to-recycle items. It is also continually searching for new markets for recyclable plastics after China stopped accepting shipments. The curbside recycling and composting program continues to be expanded to the population.  

Individuals across the country are also contributing to limiting waste streams. Most residents and businesses owners in the city of San Francisco faithfully separate their trash for pickup: black for trash, blue for recycling and green for compost.  

But what about those larger items that simply don’t fit into one of the three bins? Or what about the dozens of bags of waste items that appear after a deep spring cleaning? Fortunately, Junk King of San Francisco is one local business that is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses in San Francisco responsible deal with their large or bulky waste items.  

The company started in San Francisco back in 2005, and has played a fundamental role in helping the city move towards its zero waste goals. Junk King San Francisco has developed close relationships with dozens of recycling centers, thrift stores, non-profit organizations, and other interested parties in order to help reuse, recycle or upcycle your waste items. In fact, we are able to recycle or upcycle around 60 percent of the junk that we pick up.  

Junk King makes it extremely easy for companies and businesses of San Francisco to responsibly get rid of their large and bulky trash items. Simply call us for a free quotation or send us a text with photos of the items you need removed. We´ll send you a free quote, and once we have agreed upon a price and a two-hour window for pickup, our professional furniture removal staff will send you a text 15-30 minutes before arrival to let you know we´re on our way. We´ll do all the heavy hauling, so you simply have to let us know which pieces of furniture you want to get rid of and we´ll do the rest!  

We offer the most reliable, efficient, affordable, and environmentally friendly junk pickup in San Francisco. We are the pioneers of recycling based junk removal right here in the Bay Area, and can help you reduce your environmental footprint by ensuring that all of your waste gets every opportunity to be recycled, upcycled, or donated. If you need furniture removed today, give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK, or book online today!