Greetings urban dwellers! Welcome back to another post on urban land pollution. So, how do we clear land wastes if we do not want it polluting our environment? Burning them is definitely not an answer as there is a trade-off in pollution: from land to air pollution. Well, the contemporary response to this long-term would be to recycle.

Recycling has been the buzzword in the 21st century in waste management. Cities around the world have began adopting recycling measures to become more environmentally friendly and also clear the wastes accumulated by the inhabitants. In the US, there is an enormous amount of wastes produced due to their highly capitalistic lifestyle and population size. It has been reported that the US alone contributes to 30% of the world’s trash (Now that’s a crazy amount!). As such, cities have began noticing the problem and started their own recycling initiatives.

The municipal authorities governing San Francisco has rolled out several initiatives to transform their city into ‘greener’ environments. From curbside composting bins to diverting trash that were originally headed towards landfills to recycling plants, San Francisco has earned its title of being the most waste recycled city in the US. Additionally, the city has banned the use of plastics and other hard-to-recycle materials in its goal to achieve 0 waste.

Top: San Franciso’s recycling bins scattered around the city environ. Bottom: The trash pit at the Recology garbage transfer station south of downtown San Francisco (https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/11/21/san-francisco-recycling-sustainability-trash-landfills-070075)

However, San Francisco still faces challenges in the pursuit of a 0 waste city. Firstly, recycling by itself is not financially profitable. In other words, the city has to spend generously to construct infrastructures and develop systems to ensure the continuous efforts of recycling. Even the erection of recycling bins on the roadside and sending of recycling trucks to go around the blocks to collect recycled materials are costly. Secondly, public education on recycling is still in its fetus stage. According to academics, people do not fully understand and appreciate recycling as it could impose inconvenience and additional work. A classic example will be the debates of using plastic straws in restaurants and eateries.

As such, this article has provided a succinct case study of San Francisco’s efforts in tackling urban land pollution. Their current actions have definitely improved the environment, but the main question is if the municipal has the financial ability to sustain this kind of expenditure for a prolonged period of time. Only time will tell.

You Live in Urban, You Fight for Urban.

Your metropollution warrior,

BriChua

References:

Rogoff, M. J., & Ross, D. E. (2016). The future of recycling in the United States. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, 34(3), 181–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242×16629599