Week 1: Workshop Makeup - Waste

During the class discussion, one of the videos that shocked me was “E-Waste Hell” on Youtube. Furthermore, the discussion lead by one of the presenters Vera Wittkowsky about where phones go after they become obsolete was very interesting. A lot of the people in class stated that it goes into their drawers, and I had to agree that the small electronics at my home also are placed into the drawers in our kitchen. Currently, I also have a phone in my drawers at home, and I have always wondered what to do with it.

    Particularly, the video has progressed to make me think about where the waste is taken when we have supposedly recycled them through an e-waste pickup truck. The amount of waste piled up in the video has been a devastating view. With young children walking around to collect copper with the chemical fumes that is one of the causes of cancer has evoked anger and sadness within me.

    The United States has been one of the main factors of waste. U.S. provides over 30% of the world’s waste, but a home to only 4% of the total population. The ratio of waste provided and the number of Americans are unreasonable. As a Korean-American, I am constantly comparing my lifestyle in U.S. to the the lifestyle in Korea. My family currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, so I experience the recycling culture when I go back home during breaks. There is an enormous gap between the recycling culture of South Korea and United States.

    In South Korea, waste is organized and there is a huge recycling culture. People need to buy special bags for trash. Thus, people provide less waste to save money. To throw away compost waste, they need to pay according to the weight of the compost. Plastics, paper, steel and glass are separated for recycling. Moreover, plastics are recycled into different categories depending on what kind of plastics, which add up to around 6 different kinds of bins depending on the apartment complex you live. With this enforcement and recycling culture, people drive to provide the least amount of waste possible to save money.

    The driving factor is essentially money. In United States, there is no law or enforcement for recycling. They are “optional,” so people are less driven. Even on the campus of UCLA, people are tossing their plastics into the trash bin and they pile up rapidly. Not only do they not recycle, but there is also an enormous amount of food wasted. The dining halls are producing a massive amount of waste, around 50 tons of food going to waste every month.

    It seems as if UCLA is a reflection of United States on a smaller scale. A portion of students has food insecurities while the rest are wasting massive loads of food. The change must start from within where students should begin to recycle, produce minimal waste, and set a good example. With students not seeing the consequences, they are unable to understand the damage they are doing to the environment.

 

 

Image result for food waste at ucla

 

Image result for e waste

Image result for south korea recycling

 

Citations

Bradford, Abi. “Trash in America: Moving from Destructive Consumption to a Zero-Waste System.” Trash in America | Frontier Group, 12 Feb. 2018, frontiergroup.org/reports/fg/trash-america.

Friedland, Jonathan. “Reducing Food Waste at Dining Halls Key to Greater Sustainability.” Daily Bruin, dailybruin.com/2016/04/13/jonathan-friedland-reducing-food-waste-at-dining-halls-key-to-greater-sustainability/.

O'Donnell, Noreen. “What Happens When China Doesn't Want Our Recyclables.” NBC4 Washington, NBC4 Washington, 15 Aug. 2018, www.nbcwashington.com/news/business/US-Struggles-With-What-to-Do-With-Tons-of-Recycled-Material-489971551.html?_osource=taboola-recirc.

“Waste Disposal and Recycling in South Korea - South-Korea.” Angloinfo, www.angloinfo.com/how-to/south-korea/housing/setting-up-home/waste-recycling.

Zou, William. “UCLA Not Doing Enough to Eliminate Food Insecurity among Students.” Daily Bruin, dailybruin.com/2018/03/08/ucla-not-doing-enough-to-eliminate-food-insecurity-among-students/.