The Waste Group seeks to master things and processes called "wastes" in the Rural System. It believes that charitable or government programs cannot be stabilized sufficiently to achieve a lasting, stable high quality visual environment for people of rural areas. We have built growing resources for a closely related village waste system including waste facts and figures and links. The objectives for a waste management system need study and careful development. The text for such a recommended waste section of a county comprehensive plan is available.

All surviving biological populations have developed sufficient waste processing systems. Birds remove egg shells and fledgling feces from nests; mice urinate in a corner of their cage; defecation is usually distant from a den. Internally, the liver and kidney process breakdown products. Leaf litter is broken down and included substances reformed for use again by plants. Migration with sufficient delay in return-time is one strategy for dealing with the effects of waste. Air pollution from CO and CO², easily noted within the home environment, is waste not properly tended.

A collection of Facts and Figures

Questions continually explored ...

• What does each act of consumption mean for the neighborhood, the city, the region, the planet?
• How have industrial societies shaped the urban and natural environments to make possible new kinds of consumption?
• How has our understanding of the environment -- as polluted city, boundless source of energy, or pristine site of recreation -- shaped our consumption choices?

What's recycling? A t lease we can answer this one. Recycling is a concept as well as a practice. It means naming and operating the system that temporarily stores, collects, and then separates materials for processing and for re-manufacturing them into new products. It then includes marketing and delivering the products into effective use. It is a system working against waste; it is negentropic.

People tend to process their wastes (but many do not) and some activities of groups of people are so great that no individuals can process the waste streams. Some wastes are very toxic and have effects far out of proportion (as in nature) to their volume or weight.

Time is wasted, and for the time being, the group will work on reducing such waste, the labor of healthy people, ... thus on inefficiencies and ineffectiveness.

Assistance with energy conservation of all types, largely energy waste reduction, is available.

Litter is a problem. The group takes a positive, incentive-driven approach. It advocates a a pro environmental esthetics approach vs an anti-litter or anti-waste approach. It conducts litter programs, does actual cleanup work for a contract fee, sells advertising, sells books on the EQ Index and how it may be used, seeks ideas and involvements through the Earth Quilt. It forms clubs and supports them. It holds a regional conference. It advocates composting and works with Alpha Earth. It sells awards, auto plastic litter bags, card games and other litter prevention materials. It explores baling technology for processing paper into burnable units for factory boilers and heating plants. It presents awards for communities based on the EQ index and to individuals for exceptional efforts.

In areas where cardboard is not processed (limited supplies or high costs of movement to a center) we suggest putting them in on surface mine land soils. (Plow a furrow on the contour and place box pieces upright into the furrow, and re-seed.) The boxes decompose, add organic matter to a depth, reduce ground winds, trap wind-blown sediment, trap CO² for enhancing plants, and provide additional water runoff barriers and puddle intercepts.

It sponsors pick-up boxes for eye-glasses and athletic shoes and other items with a second-use motive. It sponsors repair centers. A local e-trading post allows items to be exchanged, given away, or sold.

All comments and materials within this site are strictly for information and are not intended for consultation or advice. The material here may not represent the opinions or policies of the University or any of its employees. Other sources must be sought for all matters dealing with waste and waste recovery and recycling programs, policies, and any related work.

In November, 2005 there was a grant announcement, an example of something that may be followed up by the enterprise: USDA CFDA Number: 10.762 -- Solid Waste Management Grants Funds may be used to: Evaluate current landfill conditions to determine threats to water resources in rural areas; provide technical assistance and/or training to enhance operator skills in the maintenance and operation of active landfills in rural areas; provide technical assistance and/or training to help associations reduce the solid waste stream; and provide technical assistance and/or training for operators of landfills in rural areas which are closed or will be closed in the near future with the development/implementation of closure plans, future land use plans, safety and maintenance planning, and closure scheduling within permit requirements.