This document discusses reducing waste and living more sustainably. It begins with questions about personal and national waste habits. It then covers benefits of reducing waste like environmental protection and cost savings. Reasons for consumerism and waste by individuals, businesses, and governments are explored. The impacts of waste beyond just trash are discussed. Signs of hope in reducing waste trends and policies are presented. A paradigm of a no-waste mindset is introduced focusing on rethinking waste, refusing unnecessary purchases, reducing consumption, and reusing items. Creative thinking tips are shared to generate new waste reduction ideas.

1. The Power of Ideas
Waste Less.
Live Better.
Presented to Smith
Jacquie Ottman ‘77
March 31, 2015

2. Pioneering Green
Marketing Consultant
now‘Waste Reduction
Catalyst’
Dumpster diver, age 4
Author of 5 books
Jacquie Ottman ‘77

3. NYC-based advisors to
industry and government in
green marketing and eco-
innovation since 1989
(www.greenmarketing.com)

4. Our Clients

5. …a global community living‘resource-fully’ today
Conversations and Co-Creation
for Sustainable Living
WeHateToWaste.com

6. The Purpose of Tonight
• Raise consciousness about what we waste, how much
— and why.
• Demonstrate how we can use the power of ideas to
generate creative solutions to waste that can help us
live better.
• Impart creative thinking skills — and give you an
opportunity to generate ideas for reducing waste in
your own life at Smith or in Northampton area

7. Path Forward
• Questions, questions, questions about waste in the U.S.
• Paradigm for living less wastefully:
‘The No-Waste Mindset’
• Co-create ideas for refusing, reducing, reusing at
Smith
• End Thought

8. Questions, Questions, Questions

9. Questions
What is waste, exactly?

10. Questions
What is waste, exactly?
What do we personally waste — and why?

11. Questions
What is waste, exactly?
What do we personally waste — and why?
What do we waste as a country?
How much waste do we generate?
How much gets recycled or composted?
What exactly gets recycled or composted?

12. Source: EPA 2012
U.S. MSW Generation Rates, 1960 to 2012

13. U.S. Total MSW Generation (by material), 2012
251 Million Tons (before recycling)
Source: EPA 2012

14. Total U.S. MSW Generation (by product category), 2012
251 Million Tons (before recycling)
Source: EPA 2012

15. Source: EPA 2012
MSW Recycling Rates, 1960 to 2012

16. Management of MSW in the United States, 2012
Source: EPA 2012

17. Total U.S. MSW Recovery (by material), 2012
87 Million Tons
Source: EPA 2012

18. Total MSW Discards (by material), 2012
164 Million Tons (after recycling and composting)
Source: EPA 2012

19. Recycling Rates of Selected Products, 2012**
Source: EPA 2012

20. Questions
What is waste, exactly?
What do we personally waste — and why?
What do we waste as a country?
What are some benefits of not wasting/consuming so
much?

21. Why Reduce Waste?
Reduce environmental
impacts, including carbon
Conserve materials, energy
and other resources
Create local jobs
(recycling)
Enhance soil, conserve
water (composting)
Save money, time, space;
foster economic resilience
Do the ‘right’ thing
Promote health, wellness
Feel good
Outlet for creativity; fun
Source: Road to Zero Waste, 2013

22. Questions
What is waste, exactly?
What do we personally waste — and why?
What do we waste as a country?
What are some benefits of not wasting/consuming so
much?
Why do we consume (so much) in the first place?
(Consumers, businesses, government)

23. Why Consume?
Meet basic needs (food, clothing, etc.)
Identification
Status
Diversion/ Entertainment

24. Why Do Consumers Waste?
Convenience
Abundance of cheap goods/ Cheaper to buy new
Obsession with ‘new’ / ‘shopping high’
Lack of awareness (recycling, waste, resource avails)
Lack of infrastructure (recycling, composting, repairing)
Lack of skills (mend, repair, repurpose)
Health, food safety
Source: Colin Campbell, Curse of the New

25. How Do Businesses Contribute to Waste?
Short term profits rooted in consumption ‘churn’
Focus on ‘new’, ‘improved’
Changes to operating system or regulations
Ill-attention to ‘after use’ (repair, refurbish)
No secondary markets for some goods
Source: Colin Campbell, Curse of the New

26. How Do Governments Contribute to Waste?
Focus on economic ‘growth’
Weak political support for bans or rationing
Tax structures don’t account for externalities of
manufacturing (e.g., true costs to society, future
generations, biodiversity, or environment)
Politicization of waste works against taking long term
approach
Source: Colin Campbell, Curse of the New

27. Questions
What is waste, exactly?
What do we personally waste — and why?
What do we waste as a country?
What are some benefits of not wasting/consuming so
much?
Why do we consume (so much) in the first place?
What do we really waste when we waste?

28. The Tip of the Iceberg
Municipal solid waste is just 4% of all waste generated
in the U.S. Industrial waste composes the rest.
For every ton of waste buried in municipal solid
waste landfills, about 71 tons of manufacturing,
mining, oil and gas exploration, agricultural, coal
combustion and other wastes are produced along the
way (Source: ILSR)

29. 87.6 lbs. of GHGs
76 gallons of water
126 trees
12 lbs. of solid waste
Source: ReThink Disposable, a project of Clean Water Action
and Clean Water Fund
Environmental Impacts of Using One Disposable
Cup Every Day for One Year

30. Environmental Impacts Created by a Pair of 501s

31. Food Waste
Money: A family of 4 wastes an estimated
$1,600/year
Water: 25% of all fresh water consumed
Energy: 2% of American energy budget
(360 million barrels of oil)
Hunger: 14% of American households don’t
get enough food to live active, healthy
lifestyles
Source: EPA OSW via NYT

32. Tons & Value of Materials Discarded
in Fort Collins, CO
Source: Gary Liss, Road to Zero Waste Plan, December 2013, p. 7

33. Let’s Co-Create a Waste-less Smith
Signs of Hope
Paradigm for Waste-free Living
Idea Generation

34. Signs of Hope
• Other countries in the world create much less waste
than we do.
• The productivity of our resources is growing.
• Consumers love to recycle; awareness is growing for
the benefits/necessities of composting.
- SF and other cities have very high recycling rates

35. Int’l MSW Generation (Kg/Capita/day)

36. Source: EPA 2012
MSW Generation Rates, 1960 to 2012

37. Source: WSJ, The Urban Quest for Zero
Waste, David Ferry, 9/12/2011

38. Signs of Hope (cont’d)
Growth in trends like:
‘Zero Waste’ movement
Maker Movement
Sharing Economy facilitated by digital tech
Growing interest in buying secondhand/pre-
owned
Cities, co-housing
‘Less is more’mentality

39. The Closet to Envy Is Half Full
Source: WSJ 9/4/14

40. Signs of Hope, cont’d
• Businesses are designing more products for
disassembly for recycling (and repair) and making
products from recycled materials and fibers − even
plastics reclaimed from the ocean.
• Governments passing bans on disposables, and
enacting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws,
requiring manufacturers to take responsibility for the
safe disposal/recycling of their products.

41. A Paradigm for Waste Prevention
Source: WeHateToWaste.com

42. FROM TO
Buy on impulse; use disposables Reduce, Reuse, Refill
Buy, inventory, maintain your own Share Rather than Own
Treat water and energy as commodities
in plentiful supply
Save Water, Energy
Food is cheap. All you can eat! Respect Food
The bigger the house, the better. Gas is
cheap so it’s ok to live far from work,
school and play.
Live Efficiently
It’s cheaper and easier to buy new than
to repair
Repair and Repurpose
It’s ok to throw things ‘away’ Recycle or Compost
Source: WeHateToWaste.com

43. The No-Waste LIfestyle
Welcome to a No-Waste Lifestyle
Source: WeHateToWaste.com

44. 8 Steps Towards Reducing Waste
RETHINK
REFUSE
REUSE & REPURPOSE
REPAIR
REDISTRIBUTE
RECYCLE & COMPOST
THROW
AWAY
REDUCE
Source: J. Ottman, Adaptation of The Inverted Pyramid of Sustainability (Dobscha et al., 2012)

45. Focus for Today
Rethink
Refuse
Reduce
Reuse

46. Rethink ‘Waste’
FROM
Garbage
Useless to Me
Value-less
TO
Underutilized Resources
Useful to Someone Else
Value-full
Source: Gary Liss

47. Rethink‘Waste’
FROM
End Product of
Consumption Process:
Disposal
TO
Function of Entire
Consumption Process:
Desire, purchase, own,
use, maintain, repair,
reuse, redesign, recycle/
compost, disposal
Source: Gary Liss

48. Rethink‘Waste’
FROM
Happiness = Stuff
Quality = New
Gotta Own
Too busy to refill, etc.
Defects, stains, tears in clothing
TO
Happiness = Experiences
Quality = New To Me; Used
can be better than New
Gotta Have Access To
New design, materials, techs can
help me live better
Opportunity to celebrate a garment
Source: Gary Liss

54. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCchVQOLXhQ

60. ©2010 J. Ottman Consulting, Inc.

61. ©2010 J. Ottman Consulting, Inc.
Product energy usage from a life-cycle perspective

71. Creative Thinking Tips
Question assumptions
Start with a‘wish’
Ask‘open’ questions
-How to? In what ways might we?
No idea is a bad idea (Build)
Go for quantity (Rule of Ten)

72. Refuse
Refuse to buy or take what you don’t
need
Avoid single use disposables…
packaging at the store
to-go packaging
at home
at work, school
on the go

73. Refuse
Refuse to buy/take what you don’t
need
Avoid impulse purchases and offers
(What’s in your cosmetics case?)
Avoid unnecessary food purchases;
practice portion control

74. Reduce
Love what already exists
Respect heirlooms; Revel in vintage
Maintain stuff in good working order
Preserve food; #EatEverything

75. Reduce
Buy durable, quality products designed
to last
Slow down the fast fashion
Buy products with multiple uses

76. Reduce
Dematerialize
Own stuff virtually
Go electronic
Give alternatives to material gifts; regift
Buy‘source reduced’ products and
packages (with less materials and toxics)

77. Reuse
Reuse
Borrow items from institutions and others
Buy (sell) secondhand from thrift, flea markets,
dedicated retail chains and internet sites (e.g.
Craigslist, ebay, Yerdle)
Set up a Free Box; shop on the curb; dumpster
dive

78. Repurpose/ cont’d
Repurpose into another product
Convert metal, wood, textile products into
new products e.g., Etsy
Makeover the leftovers
Upcycle into a more valuable product
Buy re-manufactured (e.g., Apple laptop)
and certified pre-owned

79. Recycle
‘Close the loop’by buying products made
from recycled materials

80. The Biggest Opportunity of All

81. Influence Others
Be a role model, leader in your community
Share your ideas for solutions
Teach/ inspire children, friends, family, co-
workers
Keep learning
Try out new habits, practices, products –
and let others know what you think, your
experience
Ask questions

82. Influence Businesses
Buy from companies with positive
sustainability/ environmental/ waste
records
Boycott wasteful products and brands
Write letters and support grassroots
campaigns, (Change.org)
Invest in less wasteful companies and
concepts (Kickstarter)

83. Influence Government
Support policies that help to reduce waste
and make highest and best use of materials
Cooperate with programs and initiatives
that help to reduce waste
Vote for candidates who support
enlightened, long term waste reduction
policies

84. Influence Local Community
Support ‘zero waste’ initiatives and policies
Raise awareness for how much waste is
generated in and managed in your
community
Support state and national initiatives and
policies that promote waste reduction (EPA
Food Too Good To Waste)

85. Waste Career
Kill the Cup.com

86. Smith Challenges
#1 If every house on
campus organized one
waste reduction project,
what would your house do
(and why)?
#2 How might Smith
harness the collective skills
of students, faculty and
administration to reduce
waste?
#3 What else might
Smithies do to help
reduce food waste?
#4 How to better define/
utilize Neilson Library?
What else can Neilson
Library loan beside
books?

87. End Thoughts
Waste is a big issue with implications for
environment, health, resource avails, costs
We don’t have to generate as much waste as
we do
Creative opportunities exist to help reduce
waste and manage materials and resources
more sustainably
A global issue with local solutions — starting
with YOU!

88. Copyright © 2015 J. Ottman Consulting, Inc.
No part of this presentation may be photocopied,
transmitted or distributed without permission.

89. Bibliography
Campbell, Colin. “The Curse of the New: How the accelerating pursuit of the new is driving
hyperconsumption.” Waste Mangement and Sustainable Consumption, Karin M. Ekstron, editor.
Routledge, UK 2015.
Taherzadeh, Mohammad j., and Karthik Rajendran,” FoctorsAffecting Development of Waste
Management: Experiences from Different Cultures”, Waste Mangement and Sustainable Consumption,
Karin M. Ekstron, editor. Routledge, UK 2015.
The Closet to Envy is Half Full by Elizabeth Holmes, Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2014 p. D1
The Inverted Pyramid of Sustainability, (Dobscha et al, 201`2, as seen in , Waste Mangement and
Sustainable Consumption, Karin M. Ekstron, editor. Routledge, UK 2015. , p.178
When Food is Wasted, Many Ills Comes to the Fore, Letter to the Editor by Mathy Stansllaus, Assistant
Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA, Washtingtod DC. New York Times
March 9, 20-15
Road to Zero Waste Plan, prepared by Zero Waste Associates , for the City of Fort Collins, December
2013
The Urban Quest for Zero Waste, David Ferry WSJ Online, September 12, 2011

90. Redistribute
Donate uneaten food to the needy (people,
then animals)
Donate used items to thrift, consignment
stores or sell on ebay, CraigsList, Yerdle

91. Recycle
Cooperate with collection programs in your
community
Encourage retailers to take back products
that are not recycled in your community
Work with independent recyclers to collect
materials not recovered in your community/
curbside, (e.g. car seats, e-waste)

92. Repair
Repair rather than replace
Check out Repair Cafes and Fixit
Collaboratives
Repair things yourself

93. Compost
Compost discarded food and contaminated
paper in your own backyard composter or
via community composting efforts
Encourage the initiation of composting
programs and encourage pilot composting
programs for food waste by schools and
relevant businesses