Recycle. But More Importantly Reduce

By Jana Rieger | Director of Operations

Over the past few years, I have become a somewhat of an environmentalist. I partially attribute this to moving from Kansas, land of unpopulated space for landfills, to San Diego. Like a lot of California cities, we are heavily populated, and recycling becomes more of a necessity rather than an add-on service. I was unimpressed with the recycling program in Kansas or lack thereof. It was voluntary, you had to pay extra, and people, frankly, didn’t seem to care. I tried to reduce my trash as much as I could but to be honest, it wasn’t on my mind because the town I lived in didn’t make it a priority.

Recycling Availability

While I saw recycling bins next to trash cans, there was no signage about what can be recycled. I would say most people have a general understanding of what’s recyclable and what’s not, but we have a lot of tourists and every city and country is different. When unsure, the default would most likely be landfill. Also, composting isn’t easily available in San Diego. There is a composting program for households with a voucher to get a discount on a bin at participating retailers. Businesses are not required to compost and it’s about as much work as maintaining a garden so I understand why people wouldn’t consider it. San Francisco requires compost to be separated from recycling and landfill for every resident.

Reducing Waste

I brought my own bottle to fill throughout the day. I typically carry silicone straws in my purse but today I went without. It got me thinking about how businesses can encourage you to bring your own reusable bottle, straw, mug, etc. It saves you 10 cents at Starbucks and has become the norm for me there but for some reason, it’s not a common practice for San Diego citizens and businesses.

I did my research before the baseball game and learned I could bring my empty bottle in my purse to fill at the water fountains. I asked the bartender to fill it up with ice so I could pour my Paloma (from an aluminum can) into my own vessel rather than use one of their plastic ones. I understand why glass would be problematic at a baseball game, but I had to do some research ahead of time and search the fine print to make sure I could bring my own bottle. Why not make that common knowledge? As we were exiting the game down the escalators, there was a large trash bin where I witnessed several people throwing away plastic water bottles. Where was the recycling bin you ask? In a partially hidden corner by an exit. While Petco Park offers recycling, the bins need to be next to each other to be effective. The MLB awards what they refer to as the Green Glove to one team every year. The San Francisco Giants have held the title for 10 seasons, excluding 2017 when the Mariners won out. The Giants diverted 94% of all waste from the stadium from landfills to win the award.

These are just a few examples of things I observed and things we can improve on in San Diego to reach the goal of zero waste by 2040. I appreciate that recycling is mandatory but making an effort to reduce our own waste is the first step to a healthier, cleaner city.

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