Rethink the Bins: Your Guide to Smart Recycling and Less Household Waste

by Julia L F Goldstein

Overview

Have you heard that recycling is broken? Let's fix it.

"A helpful, well-written guide to making the most of recycling and composting." - Kirkus Reviews

 

If you want to reduce the amount of waste you generate but aren't sure where to begin, Rethink the Bins shows you how. This book will help you:

• Understand what happens to waste after the bins leave your curb or building
• Implement best practices for recycling and composting
• Feel empowered to start with small changes that make a difference
• Create SMART goals around waste reduction and recycling

"This well-researched guide clears up the many myths and mysteries of what happens to the nearly 8 pounds of trash we Americans each create daily," says author James Dillehay. "It should be required reading to help future generations embrace a circular economy."

When you're done reading this book and completing the waste tracking worksheets, you will:

• Know how to better manage your waste at home and away
• Feel more confident that the items you toss into recycling and compost bins are actually being recycled or composted

Figuring out what to toss where is not as hard as it might seem. Once you have made changes at home, you will probably want to share the message with your friends and neighbors. Please do!

 

One person or one family can make a tiny difference. Thousands or millions of households doing the same can change the world.

Let's pave a path to a less wasteful future and recycling that works!

Product Details

BN ID:	2940165361920
Publisher:	Bebo Press
Publication date:	11/30/2020
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Julia L F Goldstein, PhD is the award-winning author of Material Value: More Sustainable, Less Wasteful Manufacturing of Everything from Cell Phones to Cleaning Products. Her company JLFG Communications creates clear and concise content for world-changing manufacturing businesses. Julia is active in her local writing community and leads the Seattle chapter of the Nonfiction Authors Association. Juliagoldsteinauthor.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The mystery of the missing cup

How to get the most from this book

Glossary

Chapter 1: Where the Waste Goes

Chapter 2: Understanding Recycling

Sorting and processing different materials

Alternative recycling programs

Chapter 3: Understanding Composting

The value of compost

Backyard vs. industrial composting

Composting biodegradable plastics

Chapter 4: Waste Streams

Food waste

Yard trimmings

Paper and paper products

Metals

Plastics

Glass

E-waste

Hazardous materials

Mixed materials

Textiles

Worksheets: Destinations for various categories of waste

Chapter 5: Track Your Waste

Measure it

Control it

My experience

Worksheets: Tracking by volume, weight, and counting

Epilogue: May 2020

Resources

My data tracking results

Useful books, reports, and websites

Editorial Reviews

"A helpful, well-written guide to making the most of recycling and composting." -Kirkus Reviews

"This well-researched guide clears up the many myths and mysteries of what happens to the nearly 8 pounds of trash we Americans create daily. You must have the checklists here because they guide you toward actions that really do help the environment. Should be required reading in schools to help future generations embrace a circular economy." -James Dillehay, author of Start a Creative Recycling Side Hustle

"If you're looking for a resource that demystifies what actually happens to the things we throw away, Rethink the Bins is for you! It's an easily digestible and interactive read. Goldstein's compelling writing style inspires hopefulness and action amid the often confusing task of reducing household waste." -Moji Igun, Founder of Blue Daisi Consulting

"Finally, a book on waste reduction for realists! Julia demystifies compost and recycling, and her worksheets make this guide personal for you and your area." Summer Hanson, Co-owner of Eco Collective

"At a time when we're dumping mountains of food in landfills and filling the oceans with plastic trash, it's clear we need to change how we handle the problem of waste. Rethink the Bins is a great place to start: a clear, practical, and informative guide to the ways our waste systems work (and don't work)."-Susan Freinkel, author of Plastic: A Toxic Love Story

From the Publisher

2020-10-26
A manual delivers an explanation of what happens to household recycling and describes how to reduce waste.

In this green living book, Goldstein takes readers through the process of recycling common household products and provides strategies for maximizing recycling efficiency and reducing overall waste generation. The guide explains how recycling moves from a curbside bin to a sorting facility and the likely paths that paper, metal, glass, plastic, and food waste will follow. The author addresses the challenges created in recent years by “China’s decision to stop buying trash and recyclables from North America and Europe” as well as the problems of contamination and inefficiency that limit the broader adoption of recycling practices. The book’s perspective is shaped by the fact that Goldstein lives in Seattle, which not only has a robust recycling program, but also offers municipal pickup of compost. The author is aware that such services are unavailable to most readers and supplies suggestions for private services and DIY alternatives to accomplish the same goals. While the work was written before the Covid-19 pandemic, an afterword addresses ways in which public health measures limit the feasibility of some of the manual’s suggestions, though Goldstein urges readers to continue to search for ways to reduce the impact of their consumption. A bulleted list of highlights ends most chapters, and readers are encouraged to visit the author’s website for printable versions of the worksheets included in the guide. Goldstein is a knowledgeable writer and does a good job of coherently explaining the often complex world of solid waste. In a largely judgment-free manner, she explains the challenges and tradeoffs of different approaches to recycling and presents solutions for readers who are trying to limit their waste within real-world constraints. There is occasionally a touch of wishful thinking, as in the suggestion that switching to a smaller garbage can “might encourage your neighbors to wonder why your garbage bin is smaller than theirs.” But even readers who do not find themselves discussing waste management with their neighbors will find the book useful and informative.

A helpful, well-written guide to making the most of recycling and composting.

Kirkus Reviews