Product Stewardship and Manufacturers Responsibility

Reusing sounds like the answer to reducing pollution and the amount of trash we put into our landfills but it isn’t working. Manufacturers have built in product obsolescence for more than fifty years with the idea of the more we use the more jobs we’ll have. Recycling plays an important role in reducing waste; however, here in the U.S. recycling is failing miserably. Consumes are confused and believe that anything they put into a recycle bin should be recycled. It might be a good thought but recyclers are only removing the items that have market value…the rest goes into the landfill. Keep in mind that even if you reuse something or recycle something sooner or later it will end up as trash. Our landfills in this country are mostly the “Dry Tomb” type of landfill. Dry tomb landfills are nothing more than large pits that have been lined with a protective bottom and as each layer of garbage is bulldozed level it is compacted and covered with a thin layer of dirt. Biodegradation does take place with a dry tomb landfill but at a slow pace. The idea behind the dry tomb is to hide garbage from our sight and smell.

 

There is a better design for a landfill which is called a “Bioreactor landfill.” Bioreactor landfills are designed to enhance biodegradation and create biogases (Also called landfill gases). LFG’s are being used to produce clean energy. Additionally, Bioreactor landfills have a longer life then the traditional dry tomb site and that means we need less land for garbage disposal.

 

If we are going to help our environment and leave our planet a healthier place for future generations we’re going to have to start thinking “Cradle to Cradle” with every product that is produced. We as consumers need to demand that manufacturers take stewardship for the products they make. They should be willing to take back packaging which by some accounts is more than 25 percent of all garbage. They should be willing to take back products for recycling or disposal once a product is no longer serviceable. Manufacturers who take stewardship for their products will be more inclined to design products which are better for our environment.

 

Fixing our environmental problems isn’t going to be easy, but I believe we humans have the capacity to do the right thing. Being environmentally friendly doesn’t mean we have to do without. Being environmentally friendly can mean we start thinking about the products we use and their impact on our planet.

 

Max