While many Philadelphians struggled with growing piles of trash during the recent eight-day strike by sanitation crews and other city workers, zero-waste enthusiasts largely carried on with their daily routines unaffected, writes Meir Rinde for Billy Penn at WHYY.
City residents focused on zero-waste and sustainability have found ways to maximize composting, recycling, and reuse, allowing them to avoid accumulating much trash. Many also bring their own mugs to coffee shops, purchase food and shampoo in refillable containers, and shop in person for clothing to avoid excess packaging from deliveries.
Most say it requires little extra effort and only a modest added cost. The payoff, however, is well worth it — for both the environmental benefits and the reduced mess at home. And, as the recent weeks have shown, there is the added perk of staying largely unaffected during a once-in-a-generation trash strike.
“It’s very easy to look at your trash situation, and just get very discouraged by it, and just be like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is so overwhelming,’ ” said Kristin Skyrm, a sustainability specialist. “I’ve implemented little things over a long period of time, and now it’s paying off for the eight days that we had this trash strike — which is great.”
Read more about the zero-waste initiative in Billy Penn at WHYY.
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