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Playing catch up
In spite of its image as a haven for environmentalists
and green company start-ups, Colorado is
among the lowest 20% of states when it comes
to recycling. In late 2007 Governor Bill
Ritter adopted a Climate Protection Plan
to facilitate the adoption of carbon reduction
practices in Colorado. This strategy designates
solid waste diversion an integral part in
the state's master plan to apply the brakes
to global warming. Many Colorado municipalities,
companies and nonprofit organizations are
taking the initiative by implementing and
expanding local recycling programs.
The scoop on the scope
The
fact that 39% of Colorado's 1.8 million
households own at least one dog is a testament
to the high value residents place on canine
companionship. The downside of dog ownership
is disposing of the waste. Colorado's 700,000+
dogs generate an average of ¾ lb.
of waste per day each. That translates
into 525,000 lbs (262.5 tons) per day and
191,625,000 lbs. (9,581 tons) per year.
It stands to reason that upcycling just
a fraction of that material will take a
polluting and potentially dangerous substance
out of circulation.
What
is "upcycling"?
"Recycling" is a process that
changes or reconditions an item that is
no longer useful back into the system for
further use. Much of recycling is "downcycling,"
that is, turning the material into a substance
with less value that it originally possessed.
Plastics and mixed metals are examples of
items commonly downcycled. "Upcycling"
is a process that transforms the item into
something more valuable than it was at
the start. An upcycled material not only
pays back, but pays back with interest!
Working toward zero waste
San Francisco has been upcycling its dog
waste into an alternative energy source
since January 2006. The city is depositing
tons of the material into an anaerobic digester,
which uses bacteria to convert organic waste
into methane gas. The gas is then captured
and burned to produce energy in the form
of electricity and natural gas. Dogs in
the Bay Area produce an estimated 6,500
tons of waste - nearly 4% of total landfill
waste - every year. This project is helping
the city reach its goal of diverting 75
percent of its waste from landfills by 2010
and achieve zero landfill waste by 2020.
An inexpensive alternative
An
easy, low-cost way to upcycle organic material
is to simply compost it. To work its magic,
composting requires only biologically derived
matter, air, a bit of warmth, moisture,
hungry organisms, and a person skilled
at the practice. Composting dog waste is
a creative and elegant solution to an inelegant
dilemma.
Read more
Clean
Energy and Clean Shoes in San Francisco,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Powered
by Pooches, San Francisco Chronicle, February
21, 2006
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