Tennessee marked its fifth annual Zero Waste Day Monday, urging residents to recycle, reuse, and rethink what they throw away.
UCDD Solid Waste Planner Lilly Hall said the ultimate goal of Zero Waste Day is to cut down on landfill waste and promote a cleaner future. Hall said cutting down on waste seems much easier than building more landfills.
“It also reduces space that needs to be taken up,” Hall said. “So that’s a big part of it, and that’s why we need to continue trying to achieve that zero waste goal, because if we don’t, we will run out of space, and that’s a big issue.”
Hall said most people struggle with waste because they don’t know what is recyclable and what is not. Hall said knowing which plastics are recyclable will make it easier on your local solid waste departments.
“Every single plastic bottle that comes in has a little logo on the bottom or on the side with a little triangle that shows you what number that plastic bottle or that piece of plastic is,” Hall said. “A lot of these pieces of plastic are not always recyclable. So, one thing, people just kind of throw them away, thinking oh, it’s plastic, I can put this in this container and take it to the recycling center or whatever. And so a lot of places cannot handle every single plastic material, so by checking that number, the little logo, you can determine, Hey, this can be recycled.”
Hall said another way to limit waste is to reuse materials. Hall said reusable grocery bags are a common way people have reused materials. Hall said water bottles are a good way to reduce or reuse plastic.
“If you drink a lot of water and you don’t want to go through tons of plastic, having your own water bottle to keep with you at all times is a good way to reduce your plastic,” Hall said. “And even if you just have a plastic water bottle, you can even refill that.”
Hall said another goal of participating in Zero Waste Day is for people to start good habits when it comes to disposing of waste.
Hall said the Upper Cumberland has done well when it comes to limiting waste. Hall said all fourteen counties in the region are meeting the 25 percent rate of diverting landfill waste that was set as part of the 10-year plan with the state.
