Waste Management

University of Tennessee

A green movement with its own rules

You should know that zero waste is a concept that has existed for many years, even before Western society. That is to say, zero waste applies to all activities of daily life.

In fact, the idea of zero waste is to stick to a minimum of packaging and waste (in the global sense) to be produced. Indeed, modern life leads us to be very dependent on products of all kinds. Moreover, a century ago, people produced their own beauty and hygiene products.

It’s not that the products in question were much more dietary, but the standard was different and more healthy. The objective of zero waste is to eliminate all the waste of daily life for the benefit of a better quality of life and harmony with nature. The favorite movement of consumer actors is based on several principles. Let’s take stock together.

Principle number 1: reduce your waste

To reduce your waste, you must start by changing your consumption habits. For household chores, it is better to use recommended doses, whether for laundry, cleaning or washing dishes. Also favor battery-free products, solar powered for example, or opt for rechargeable batteries. This will prevent you from accumulating batteries in your waste.

Choosing products without packaging or in the form of eco-refills helps reduce the quantity of waste produced. You just need to favor eco-refills and choose tap water over plastic bottles. No more individual portions, prefer the same quantity, a single packaging: a 1 kilo packet instead of 2 packets of 500 g for example.

The basis of zero waste is sustainable and reusable products: reusable bags, tot bags or shopping bags versus plastic bags, refillable razors and pens, etc.

Principle number 2: compost and sort your waste

One of the key players in zero waste: composting. But what is it really about?

Simple as pie, it involves sorting your biodegradable waste and composting it on site, in collective bins or using individual composters. We then speak of organic waste or biowaste, covering several categories such as gardening or cooking. Paper and cardboard are also considered biowaste.

These biodegradable materials are transformed, in the presence of air, water and micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi), into compost. This compost creates a natural fertilizer to fertilize the soil and promote plant growth. This gesture helps reduce our waste and wasted resources.

In recent years, there have been around 200,000 residents of Tenessee who have a specific bin for organic waste at home. Their community organizes the sorting and recovery of this waste as for glass or cardboard. Sorting not only concerns green waste but also plastic packaging, bottles and flasks. It’s called selective sorting, because no, nature does not know how to magically destroy all the waste that pollutes the planet.

The principle is to recover our waste to save raw materials such as wood in order to protect forests. Successfully sorting therefore aims to be able to reuse materials to make recycled products.

Principle number 3: recycle and buy used products

Here we are: recycling, one of zero waste’s best friends. Products at the end of their journey benefit from a second life thanks to this technique. Recycling is a process for treating waste from products that have reached the end of their life, which makes it possible to reintroduce some of their materials into the production of new products. Recyclable materials include certain metals, plastics and cardboard, glass, rubble, etc.

After recycling, comes second-hand purchasing, it allows you to add value to already existing products and avoid exploiting new resources. Giving an item a second life increases the reduction in the number of waste to be processed. For example, regarding second-hand clothing, if the fabric can be recycled when it is put in a clothing collection bin, this action still has a significant ecological cost!

To help you in your mission, do not hesitate to search for flea markets or closet clearances in your region of Tenessee such as Chattanooga
(sites list all the flea markets planned for the coming months around you). You can also go to your local thrift stores and even try selling by the kilo! One more nice gesture for the planet.

Principle number 4: sell or donate instead of throwing away

Conversely, after having sorted and therefore reduced your cupboards and other storage space, consider putting the products that you no longer use on sale via dedicated sites or even at a flea market instead of throwing them away. You can also give these items away, it will always make someone happy.

If you have broken items beyond repair, you need to know where to throw them away. For this, there are several sectors which recover and recycle materials through collection points or container parks. Here we find the principle of recycling to limit waste creation.

Principle number 5: repair instead of buying new

Thanks to the numerous tutorials the Internet is full of, repairing an object becomes easy. These are sustainable practices! If you don’t feel the manual fiber in you, you can always get help from a handyman or in a specialized store, this will sometimes cost you less than buying new. Repair helps extend the lifespan of products and contributes to reducing waste production!…

Kansas City kitchen


Kitchen renovations are suggested with the extent of wear and tear. The kitchen is usually the first area of the house that requires renovation. This comes as no surprise, as the kitchen is one of the major living areas, and is often considered the heart of the home.

It is usually the kitchen cabinet door knobs that wear out first, generally from constant use and movement over the years. The bench tops can also start to look worn out and tired as the years progress, and flooring from high traffic will also generally show wear.

Knobs can be replaced fairly easily and with little expense, but when it comes to bench tops, appliances or flooring, its time for a major renovation. A major kitchen renovation will have a number of positive benefits including increased home resale value, upgraded cooking appliances, and more space for the family to enjoy.

The best time to undertake a kitchen renovation is during the warmer months of spring and summer. With outdoor living being largely popular in Kansas City during this period, the kitchen is rarely used as a result of exterior BBQ’s and external entertaining.

Most kitchens are built in a modular format, with the longest part of the renovation process being the removal of the old kitchen cabinets. Once this is completed, the installation of the new cabinets, appliances, and bench tops can be achieved in a short space of time, with minimal disruption.

We suggest having a plan in mind prior to commencing your kitchen renovation project. One of the most important factors to consider before starting is your budget. Understanding what money you have to spend will not only ensure you stay within your constraints, but also assist the designer to develop a plan that fits within your expectations and desired outcome.

The five most important factors to consider when planning for your kitchen renovation are as follows:

1. Budget

We’ve already touched on budget, but ensuring you understand exactly what you have to spend and what you wish to achieve from your kitchen renovation will enable the best result for your circumstances.

2. Time

With demands of work and family life these days, choose an appropriate time of the year to undertake your renovation. As we’ve suggested, the best time to approach a kitchen renovation is during the warmer months of the year when most families enjoy outdoor living.

3. Style

Try to have your desired style in mind, including layout and particular appliances prior to seeking reference from professional designers. This way, you will be better situated to make choices with the help and guidance of the designer that best suit your requirements and lifestyle.

4. Usage

Is your kitchen the main hub of your home? Think about how often you use your kitchen for both meals and gathering, and consider your design and layout to accommodate for this. Many people like to entertain guests, so creating a design that will allow for additional people and still have room for cooking and preparation is therefore essential.

5. Preparation

Be prepared for the renovation process, as there is likely to be some disruption to your standard daily routine. If you decide to change and redo your entire kitchen, you may need to rent a dumpster to discard all the construction materials. You will need to schedule Kansas City dumpster rentals so that they remove the junk for you.

With the right preparation, your family will not be severely inconvenienced, and the job can be completed without issue.…

Investment opportunities in recycling


Investing in recycling means investing in communities and economies across the country. That’s the powerful, simple truth that keeps green bankers passionate about their work. They believe that everyone should have access to curbside recycling, and that investment in closed loop funds will help make this a reality in communities across the country.

The waste and recycling industry offers several opportunities for someone looking to start a small business with a modest investment. You just need to find one or more waste materials that are being discarded that can be reused, resold, or recycled.

Recycling comes naturally to America’s beverage companies. They are designing our plastic bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. They are making them this way for a simple reason: so our bottles can be remade into new bottles. But there is always more to be done, such as in recycling of aluminium cans. You can choose to invest in the recycling of aluminium cans. Even if you don’t have the needed capital to go into it full scale, you can still make money by collecting the cans for big recycling firms.

Because recycling programs are often thought of as a “nice to do” rather than a financial investment, they are often not given priority for budget allocation. In reality, however, effective recycling programs can generate revenue for an organization and payback the initial investment in as little as 2 years.

Interest in recycling is looping back around. That’s evident from the launch of the Closed Loop Fund, a budding $100 million effort by a group of large companies to invest in recycling infrastructure and, in the process, put more recycled materials into manufacturing supply chains. A company specialized in dumpster rentals in Waco has recently invested in the fund as recycling and waste management go hand in hand.

Recycling provisions in private equity funds is part of this initiative. Recently while Professor David Wessels presented his excellent venture capital and the finance of innovation research, we were reminded of one of the fund terms that often ended up being carefully scrutinized and negotiated by limited partners: the recycling provision. Due to underdeveloped recycling and waste management sectors in the region, it is worth a closer examination of the effect these important bans might have on investment opportunities in the United States.

What do companies do when recycling rates are hitting a plateau, but a demand for recycled manufacturing goods is on the up? It’s called the Closed Loop Fund. In just the past few months alone, nine major companies have put $5 to $10 million into the fund, an effort to accelerate the growth of recycling infrastructure by getting more recycled materials into the manufacturing supply chain process.

State agencies can commit to recycling 50% or more of construction debris in all state-sponsored building projects. This will help reduce waste in the construction industry as well as stimulate investments in construction recycling facilities for aggregates (concrete, asphalt, brick) as well as clean lumber, metal, and cardboard.

Such investments in plastics recycling may become increasingly common as the hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic scrap that formerly headed to China no longer make that ocean voyage. The political, economic and cultural climate in the U.S. makes it an appealing place to make investments in the waste and recycling industry. These reasons help explain why the sector is estimated to be worth $21 billion and employs over 450,000 people, while continuing to grow quicker than the rest of the economy. Politically, the USA is committed to hitting both domestic and international targets.

Houston, Texas based Waste Management, Inc. (WM) has formed a strategic investment with Recycle Rewards, Inc, a subsidiary of Recyclebank, which rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from businesses. According to WM, the investment brings together all players in the economy, from low-income households to huge corporations.…