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Waste Reduction Coordinator

Interviews

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When you really care about the environment, working as a waste reduction coordinator can be very gratifying.

Alec Cooley is the solid waste reduction manager for Humboldt State University in California. He says the most enjoyable part of his job is "the satisfaction of raising peoples' consciousness" about the environment.

This can also lead to the most frustrating part of the career -- when people don't care about conserving and preserving the environment as much as you do. That's according to Kim A. Kidd Kitagawa. She is a waste reduction coordinator.

"I think that many people may think that garbage collection or recycling collection is just an easy thing to handle. That is, residents set out waste. It's picked up. Some of it is sorted, and then either disposed of or sent to market. It is not that simplistic," says Kitagawa.

A huge part of the job is communicating with people. You have to convince people to participate in the recycling program. You also need to make it easy for them to do so. Otherwise, people will find it too bothersome.

If they find it too difficult, they may not participate. They might not prepare and set out all materials that are recyclable.

Do glass jars need to have the labels removed before placing them in the recycle bin? Perhaps some residents will forget. Or they may decide it's easier to "hide" a few jars in the regular garbage collection.

Materials that aren't placed in the recyclable collection will end up in landfills.

"Trying to provide residents with clear and easy-to-understand directions on preparing and setting out recyclables properly is a challenge," says Kitagawa.

"People tend to think of recycling aluminum cans or newspapers as being the end-all, be-all solution," says Cooley.

"But as the job title 'waste reduction coordinator' implies, there is much more to it. We need to reduce the amount of resources we consume in the first place."

Both Cooley and Kitagawa agree that many people are resistant to change. A great challenge of the job is persuading people to change old habits.

"Even if we recycle the packaging that comes with a product, it took energy and resources to create that packaging. By buying the product with little or no packaging, we would be better off," says Cooley.

"So the misconception that needs to be corrected is that wasteful consumption is OK as long as we recycle some of it when we are done."

As the Earth's population grows, resources will become increasingly scarce. As resources become scarce, the emphasis on conservation will increase.

Part of conservation is sustainable resources. That means using only what is necessary. Recycling and reusing items are keys to sustainable use.

Our society's consumption of resources has to come into line with what resources are available for the long term. That means waste reduction and smart recycling will grow in popularity.

This could mean an increase in the number of waste reduction coordinators. It also means the field is rather young. That means constantly changing or improving methods of collecting, tracking and adding to recycling and waste reduction programs.

New environmental management standards have been put into place. The standards are used to measure an organization's environmental management system (EMS). ISO 14001 is a certification registration many municipal recycling centers are preparing to meet.

Kitagawa's area was "the first municipal waste management facility to achieve ISO 14001 registration, so I find it rewarding sharing our experiences with other companies and organizations interested in seeking registration," she says.

"I administer the day-to-day operation of our ISO 14001 registration," she adds.

"I am always learning something new. I enjoy improving our controlled documentation, streamlining our procedures and policies and training staff."

The public still has much to learn about waste reduction and recycling in general. Waste reduction coordinators will continue to be needed and continue to be challenged, agree Kitagawa and Cooley.