May 18, 2006

Author’s visit puts trash issue out front

By Melissa Schweisguth
Tidings Correspondent

When we throw something “away,” there really is no magical “away” where trash disappears. Americans generate 210 million tons of waste annually, or 1,500 pounds per person, which end up in landfills away from the public eye.

Writer Elizabeth Royte wanted to learn what happened to her trash and recycling after it left her curb. She rode along with trash collectors, kayaked through landfills, and chronicled her findings in “Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash.” The book has attracted wide media attention. The New York Times called it one of the best books of 2005, and said Royte’s journey is one that “everyone should take but few will.”

Risa Buck, of Ashland, helped to arrange Royte's visit. Pam Lott / For the Tidings

Risa Buck of Ashland heard Royte interviewed on public radio, then read her book and was impressed. Sensing a chance to get a public conversation started, she organized the local events where Royte will appear tonight and tomorrow.

“Landfills have become part of the hidden American landscape, and few of us talk about this,” said Buck. “Royte has written creatively about the elephant in our collective living rooms.”

Bloomsbury Books will host Royte for a book reading and signing tonight at 7:30 p.m. She will also be heard on JPR’s Jefferson Exchange Friday morning.

Then, Friday night at 7:30 p.m., Royte will appear at Southern Oregon University’s Stevenson Union. She will be joined by a panel of waste management experts who will talk about the local waste management scene.

Bringing the issue home

Royte’s visit raises questions about how much trash is created here, what happens to it and how to reduce it. Russ Chapman of Ashland Sanitary reports that Ashland produced about 24,500 tons of trash in 2005. Residential customers account for 60% of this, on par with the national average of 1,500 pounds per person per year. Ashland’s trash goes to Dry Creek Landfill off Highway 140. “Our ‘away’ is still part of our community,” commented Buck.

Ashland Sanitary picks up recycling, residential compost and commercial food waste, operates two recycling depots, coordinates special event recycling, holds free leaf recycling twice each fall and maintains free lumber and brush receptacles for Talent Enhancement Week. The city’s commingled recycling travels to SP Recycling in Clackamas, and its compost is processed at Dry Creek’s composting facility.

Chapman notes that, since 2000, recycling has doubled. Public participation is making a difference, but recyclable items still show up in trash bins. The region also lacks facilities to handle some recyclable items such as plastic containers and polystyrene. Chapman would like to see more required “manufacturer take-backs.” For instance, Connecticut has passed a bill mandating that computer companies recycle discarded machines, and Germany requires manufacturers to take back packaging for recycling.

Valley residents can recycle many items not accepted by waste management companies locally. Paige Prewett, of Jackson County’s SMART Business program —Saving Money and Resources Together — plans to release a comprehensive list of outlets that will take packaging peanuts, printer cartridges, batteries and more.

Shrinking the Source

Risa Buck and many like-minded consumers tackle trash before it starts by buying foods in bulk, selecting items with recyclable and recycled packaging, using reusable shopping bags, choosing durable products that can be reused, donating items for reuse and composting at home.

“People are doing the best they can to juggle the complexities of life,” Buck says. “With a little more information and organizing, we could easily reduce the garbage we make. There are things we can change, and this is definitely one of them. Elizabeth Royte’s visit and Friday night’s talk with local experts will help us with this.”