Category: Sustainability

The issues related to landfills in Florida

Florida, as well as many other areas in the USA suffer from a variety of environmental health and socio-economic problems due to landfills. That’s an even bigger problem as the state grows in population and development.

Environmental Impact

Environmental problems with landfills in Florida, with such unique geography and climate makes the effects of landfills even more harmful, including to the ocean. The state’s high water table and crab limestone that is porous make groundwater contamination with the leachate which can be a toxic liquid formed when rainwater passes through waste quite typical. Once the leachate enters groundwater it contaminates drinking water sources that may cause dangerous health risks to people.

Landfills contribute to air pollution as well. There is more: organic waste, upon decomposition produces methane which happens to be hundred times potent than carbon dioxide and major contributor to climatic changes and global warming. While many contemporary landfills are equipped to capture and use their methane, the systems used for this process can be leaky. Adding to its many other harmful effects, the landfills furthermore confine some quantity of extra unbalanced gases, like volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), that may corrupt air quality and harm human health.

Health Concerns

They contaminate the air with methane, a greenhouse gas that could get 72 times more warming for its weight in our atmosphere over two decades compared to carbon dioxide and closer than they would otherwise be allowed because one by-product of landfills is methane. Communities living close to landfills such as in Orlando, FL have also reported high incidences of issues like respiratory problems, headaches and other health concerns from exposure to landfill gases or dust. In addition to this, landfills provide breeding grounds for pests such as rats and mosquitoes, which can then spread disease.

Space and Capacity

Florida has a rapidly increasing population, which only makes the problem of no more space for landfills even worse. Location of new landfills are impossible to find with the expansion of urban areas. Existing landfills are filling up faster than expected, requiring expansions or new sites. Not only does this use up land that could be put to more productive uses, it is also often opposed by residents on the grounds of external costs.

Recycling and Waste Management

Florida’s waste diversion record has not been great, even with various initiatives to improve recycling and reduce overall waste. However, inadequate recycling infrastructure, low public awareness and differing municipal-level programs making it to easy to send waste material directly into landfills, all contribute to the issue. This highlights not only the importance of better recycling schemes and public outreach to reduce waste volume, but also an industry push towards more sustainable packaging alternatives.

Economic Costs

The economics of landfills is staggering. And, of course, it’s not cheap to build and maintain landfills or monitor them. Further, landfills are environmentally harmful and their presence can have a deleterious impact on surrounding property values as well as local economic development. They add the long-term price tags from cleaning up environmental hazards and caring for diminished populations to already battered state and local budgets.

Community Impact

Florida landfills may create environmental justice issues by disproportionately impacting low-income and minority communities. These communities do not have the political clout to fight landfill projects and face health issues and a degraded level of living.

The challenges of Florida landfills involve in-depth facets covering several environmental, health and economic aspects as well as community impacts. Now more than ever a holistic solution is needed, improved recycling programs and implementing technologies that reduce waste are essential features of modern sustainability. However for equitable solutions we must set the foundation to equitable recycling and landfill locations. Florida must actively work to solve these challenges creating a more sustainable and healthy future for all.

Sadly the coasts of Florida are not what they used to be, mainly because of poor waste management practices that lead to ocean pollution. So all residents of Florida should give it a thought! There are local waste management companies such as Daytona Dumpster Rental HQ, that will help you with their junk disposal and recycling services, as well as give you advice about sustainability.

Definition: What is ocean pollution

Ocean pollution is one of the direct consequences of poor management of human waste and the excessive release of toxic products by industries. Fertilizers, pesticides, plastic bags, various objects abandoned on dry land will sooner or later find their way to the oceans via rivers, surface runoff, rain or winds.

For plastic waste alone, it is estimated that the equivalent of a truck is dumped into the seas every minute. Added to this are other forms of waste but also oil discharges from ships and fishing nets abandoned at sea which trap marine fauna much more often than not.

By promoting the ingestion of waste by animals, contact with harmful substances or the proliferation of harmful species, ocean pollution is the cause of the decline in marine biodiversity and the decline of some of the most essential ecosystems of the planet. A decline that could call into question the capacity of the global ocean to fulfill the functions that benefit us all.

Easily understand ocean pollution

It’s difficult to talk about the environment of Florida without addressing the issue of ocean pollution. What are the different causes of this pollution? Why is it important to protect marine ecosystems and, above all, what role do we have to play? This is what we will try to understand in this new subject.

The wealth of the oceans

First of all, you should know that the seas and oceans cover 70% of our planet and represent 97% of the available water. We will differentiate between a deeper ocean, bordered by several continents, and a sea, generally smaller but where we find greater marine diversity. We often talk about the world ocean since the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic are all connected to each other. On the other hand, except for closed seas, all seas in the world are open to the oceans or connected to them by a strait. What happens in one will necessarily impact the others. So here, we will talk about seas and oceans without necessarily making a distinction.

Quite simply, the oceans are an absolutely prodigious resource. They alone represent 90% of the Earth’s natural habitat and are home to tens of thousands of species, most of which have yet to be discovered. They also help regulate our climate, enable the transport of resources across the planet, and provide us with oxygen and food. Today, it is considered that half of the world’s populations depend on fishing products and that the ocean generates more than 30 million jobs.

Faced with all this wealth, for centuries, man has exploited and consumed as if marine resources were inexhaustible and dumped colossal quantities of waste into the oceans on a daily basis. And today, they are suffocating. Like many natural resources before them, the oceans have also reached their limits.

Some data on ocean pollution

Ocean pollution includes materials and harmful pollutants that end up in the seas, often via rivers, such as industrial or agricultural waste, chemicals, oil spills, plastic waste and other types of junk. Of all these facts, there is one constant: most of the pollution in our oceans begins on land and is caused by humans.

When it is not fishing which overexploits 30 to 40% of marine species, it is oil, nuclear or plastic pollution which undermines the good health of aquatic ecosystems. Whether floating, stranded or submerged, visible or invisible, waste is very poorly digested by the oceans and resists time even better than it does on Earth. Because no, waste does not simply disappear once it leaves our home. Nature will benefit from it much longer than us.

Every year, 8 million pieces of waste, mainly plastic, are dumped into the seas, to the point that for some time now we have been witnessing the formation of what has been designated as the 7th continent. Located in the North Pacific, between Japan and California, it is actually a floating mass composed of several thousand visible debris and plastic microparticles, extended over more than 3.5 million km².

The equivalent of eight times the territory of Florida. The area has since become one of the symbols of the catastrophic impact of our human activities on the oceans. The phenomenon is no longer exotic. A plastic island made up of billions of tons of waste was discovered off the coast of Corsica in 2019.

Using dumpster rentals to limit ocean pollution

Dumpster rentals offer a practical solution for managing waste more effectively, thereby possibly helping to limit ocean pollution. By providing an accessible and organized way to dispose of large amounts of waste in one go, dumpster rental services provide a way to contain and properly manage our trash. This reduces the likelihood of waste finding its way into rivers and oceans in Florida.

When communities and businesses utilize dumpster rentals, they can handle bulk waste from construction projects, local events, and neighborhood clean-up efforts more effectively. This might prevent illegal dumping and littering, which are major contributors to ocean pollution, as such waste will first end up in rivers and then in the ocean. Container rental services often include sorting and recycling options, further reducing the environmental impact by ensuring that all recyclable materials are not hauled to local landfills or the ocean.

By promoting the use of dumpster rentals, we can all encourage responsible waste disposal practices, ultimately protecting our marine ecosystems and contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.

Modern cities like Sarasota are often seen as concrete environments devoid of greenery, but urban gardens play a crucial role in preserving the environment and creating more sustainable places to live. These enjoyable green spaces in the cities of Florida provide numerous ecological, social and economic benefits, thus helping to improve the quality of life of residents and to limit the harmful effects of urbanization on our planet and poor waste management practices.

Biodiversity in urban areas

Urban gardens are havens of biodiversity within often monolithic urban landscapes. By cultivating native Floridian plants, trees and flowers, these green spaces encourage the presence of a diverse wildlife, including pollinating insects, birds and even small mammals. Biodiversity is essential to maintain the balance of our urban ecosystems, promoting the pollination of crops, the regulation of pests and the preservation of natural resources. You will find out more if you try to contact a landscaper.

Improved air quality

Urban gardens play a crucial role in improving air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) and emitting oxygen through photosynthesis. Additionally, plants and trees act as natural filters, trapping:

• fine particles
• air pollutants
• harmful gases

This helps reduce pollution levels and protect the health of city dwellers.

Sustainable water management

In urban environments like Sarasota, water management is a major issue, particularly because of the risks of flooding and drought. Urban gardens play an important function in modulating the water cycle by absorbing precipitation, reducing runoff and promoting water infiltration into the soil. In addition, plants help filter contaminants present in rainwater, thus helping to preserve the quality of local water resources and reducing local pollution.

Reduction of the urban heat island effect

The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon resulting from the accumulation of heat in densely built urban areas, resulting in higher temperatures compared to surrounding rural areas. Urban gardens play a crucial role in reducing this effect by providing shade, evaporating water through transpiration and creating cooler microclimates. This thermal regulation helps to mitigate heat peaks, improve the comfort of residents and reduce dependence on air conditioning systems, which results in significant energy savings.

Better waste management

The urban gardens of Sarasota help with better waste disposal and sustainability. In particular composting is promoted as household organic waste can be reused as compost, thus limiting the need for dumpster rentals for send all the food waste to local landfills. But dumpster rental companies like Dumpster Center Sarasota still get busy with other waste disposal projects such as contruction debris removal or yard waste discarding.

Promoting health and well-being

In addition to their ecological benefits, urban gardens also offer a multitude of social and psychological benefits. Studies have shown that the presence of greenery in urban settings is associated with reduced stress, anxiety and depression, as well as improved concentration, productivity and creativity. Community gardens and public green spaces of Florida promote social interactions, strengthen the feeling of belonging to the community and provide residents with a space for relaxation and leisure.

Urban gardens certainly play a vital role in creating sustainable and resilient cities. Their contribution to preserving biodiversity, improving air and water quality, regulating the urban climate and promoting health and well-being makes them essential players in the fight against the environmental challenges that our societies face. It is therefore imperative to promote and support the development of these green spaces in the heart of cities like Sarasota, in order to guarantee a greener and healthier future for future generations.

Tips for learning to reduce your waste

We know that we produce far too much waste today. 19.8 tonnes of waste per person per year in the United States. This is why it is high time to reduce our waste and the pollution it creates.

Obviously, you will think: what can I do about it, me, a regular average citizen? But small efforts multiplied by 7.7 billion inhabitants on the planet is a lot. So there are no small ideas. If everyone does their part, we are convinced that we can achieve great things! A small act here can have consequences on the other side of the planet. And we must help our planet.

That’s why today, we’re giving you the top tips to start or continue to reduce your waste.

The advantages of becoming a zero waste family

Even if you only see constraints for the moment, it has its advantages! Already, being a zero waste family – or almost zero waste – is swag. You follow the movement, and the good one. But of course, beyond the trendy effect, it means first and foremost taking care of your loved ones and the environment.

The impact on your life

So yes, it will take effort. Yes, it will take you a few more minutes per day. Yes, it will change your habits… But for a good cause! First, by consuming better and less, you will have better health. No more harmful products and other plastic packaging in your home. Choose zero waste stores, this will help you in your approach.

Plus, you’ll feel good in your sneakers! Because participating in the collective effort, doing good deeds and having strong convictions makes you happy.

The impact on the planet

It’s very simple: you will help make our planet less sick. And right now, it’s more than a priority. There is already far too much waste produced to add new ones!

1. Think recycling and reuse

This is our first tip, probably the simplest. The idea is to avoid – or even ban – overconsumption. To do this, simply favor reusable products, and therefore buy fewer of them.

Also buy recyclable products! Ecological objects that will not end up in an open landfill or on our beaches. Obviously, you will generate less waste… but there will still be some, at least at the beginning. Sort your waste, to allow its proper treatment and transformation.

2. Consume responsibly

Second tip for you: buy quality, in reasonable quantities. Basta the slashed prices to buy more. Stop waste and opt for a change in consumption patterns. Buy less, but better products that will last you longer.

This also applies to food. Consume organic and local products. Better for the planet, but also for you!

3. Recover kitchen waste

Compost! We are talking about your food waste here. Bring them value by transforming them into a real feast for small insects which are essential for biodiversity. We see you coming: no, I can’t do that. But even people who live in an apartment in the city center can do it! Numerous reports now prove to you that it is possible even for city dwellers!

4. Opt for the menstrual cup and buy less

Well, for this one, these gentlemen are not concerned. We talk about it in our dedicated article: the women’s cup is a good way to reduce waste. Have you ever calculated how many sanitary products you have thrown away since your first period? Surely a mountain! With the menstrual cup, put an end to it and, what’s more, prioritize your health and comfort.

5. Adopt Oriculi to buy better

Also called an ecological ear cleaner, this stick will replace your cotton buds…for life! Not bad in terms of Zero Waste, right? And what’s more, it prevents the formation of blockages. Get the Oriculi for your whole family! It is suitable for both adults and children.

6. Zero waste = zero waste throughout your home

Zero waste is not just limited to one room in your home. It’s a way of life to develop throughout your home. And you will see, you will save! Concretely, what does that mean? You can reduce your household waste and make your own, less abrasive products. Or donate your clothes, sell them or recycle them rather than throwing them away.

7. Choose zero waste stores

Who says living Zero Waste, says buying Zero Waste. For this, many brands are emerging little by little and offering this type of alternative. For American residents, there is even a zero waste map which locates all the Zero Waste shops! Great, right?

8. A gift to give? Opt for a Zero Waste present

And why not convert your families and friends? There are many zero waste gift ideas available today. Whether it’s beauty, fashion or accessories, many brands are getting into it. Some brands offer zero waste boxes and eco-friendly ready-to-wear brands… The choice is yours! Of course, another thing that works is Do It Yourself gifts. Economical and ecological, the perfect combo!

9. Get inspired by Zero Waste books

Finally, our last tip for you: the zero waste guide. You won’t have trouble finding some. These are works that flourish in bookstores. A good way for you to glean advice here and there to facilitate your zero waste transition.

As you will have noticed, there are several ways to start reducing your waste drastically! And this throughout your home. You can therefore more and more easily become a Zero Waste pro and lead your family in this transition! No need to want to do everything at the start. Take it little by little and soon you won’t be able to do anything else.

An organization may decide to adopt, to integrate safety, quality and/or environmental criteria into its products or services, an approach allowing it, ultimately, to certify its products or services for sustainability. The certification of a product or service offered by an organization is proof that the product or service meets previously established specifications. The certification of a product or service results in the delivery of a label, which is a sign of identification of quality meeting a set of criteria defined in specifications and controlled by an independent third party organization and approved by the public authorities.

As official signs of recognition, we can cite ecolabels which attest to the environmental benefits of the products that carry them. Each country has its own procedures.

The NF Environnement mark certifies that the products on which it is affixed have a less negative impact on the environment, while guaranteeing a quality of fitness for use at least equivalent to that of other similar products on the market. It concerns both the product and its packaging. It is a voluntary brand, based on a multi-criteria ecological approach applying from the extraction of raw materials to the elimination of products after use. It applies to products intended for consumers as well as intermediate products. Pharmaceutical and agri-food products, services and the automotive sector are temporarily excluded from the scope.

Regarding the methods of evaluating the impacts of a product on the environment, the best known of which is life cycle analysis (study of the impacts of the acquisition of raw materials or the generation of natural resources to their elimination final product): ISO 14040 standards, ISO 14041 standards, ISO 14043 standards; the labels or certificates affixed to the product after such an evaluation:

• ISO 14020: its objective is to present the principles to be applied for the development and use of an environmental marking or declaration
• ISO 14021: it presents the vocabulary, assertion, symbol and graphic aspects linked to this type of declaration. It also provides a general evaluation and verification methodology
• ISO 14024: it presents the recommendations for official ecolabels
• ISO TR 14025: this ISO technical report presents the state of the art at the international level on type III labeling practices (quantified environmental information on the product life cycle, given by a supplier)

Do not confuse label and CE marking. The CE marking is not a mark of quality. It is a regulatory marking, mandatory for products covered by a European “New Approach” directive. It guarantees compliance with regulatory requirements in terms of safety and health and gives these products the right to circulate freely in America. The conditions for affixing the CE marking are defined in each directive and only involve the intervention of a third party for products presenting serious risks. As compliance with standards is not made compulsory under the “New Approach” directives, CE marking does not necessarily attest to compliance with European standards.

Quality management system

An organization that wishes to adopt a quality approach based on an existing framework generally turns to ISO 9000 standards because they are applicable to all sectors. There are other quality standards but they concern specific areas of activity and apply to control and testing laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, clinics, public assistance, etc.

The ISO 9000 standards were developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a global federation of national standards bodies from some 140 countries whose mission is to promote trade in goods and services and to develop cooperation in the areas intellectual, scientific, technical and economic. These standards are presented in more detail below.

Quality management consists of coordinating the activities of a structure towards compliance with customer requirements and expectations. According to the approach defined by the ISO 9000 standards, it is first necessary to clearly identify these requirements and expectations and then define the objectives that the structure sets in terms of quality. The objectives are then deployed at the level of the structure’s various processes and monitored using quality indicators.

In order to embark on the path of continuous improvement, the structure monitors these quality indicators, analyzes the data, and carries out corrective and preventive actions. This approach is naturally accompanied by a formalization of processes (written procedures specifying what must be done) and a definition of organizational and technical interfaces (who does what).

Environmental management system

The certification of an environmental management system is based on two standards:

• certain standards from the ISO 14000 series
• the federal regulation

In both cases, the recommended environmental management system consists of the following steps:

• first step: take stock of the situation and see what the impacts of an activity are on the environment, including regulatory compliance
• second step: define a course of action with regard to this inventory (improvements to be made, means to be implemented)
• third step: define the organizational, human, financial, legal and communication means that will make it possible to achieve these objectives
• fourth and final step: set up a control and monitoring system, making it possible to avoid deviations or improve the system if there are changes in the organization or the activity carried out

The key to an environmental management system is to constantly ask yourself: is the state of the place always the same? Should we update it, adjust the policy and actions, revise the objectives? Environmental management is based on a logic of continuous improvement in order to constantly progress in achieving environmental performance.