There are significant limitations to the current system of handling household waste in the United States. One of the major issues with the current method is that non-recyclable material and soiled recyclable material are treated in the same way – both types make their way to the ever-increasing landfills. The main issue with this approach is that decomposable organic material gets mixed with the toxic leachate produced from non-recyclable trash. Essentially, making the organic matter a public health hazard and unusable for another cause.

Based on a 2017 Waste Characterization Study, 34% of our waste is decomposable and organic. This includes soiled recyclable paper and cardboard(SRPAC). This waste, if decomposed thoughtfully in an eco-friendly manner, can be used for other purposes such as manure and healthy soil for agriculture, instead of being a health hazard. 

In my Science Fair project, I created four different environments: Compost, Landfill, Combination Food Scrap, and Single Fruit Sample, and tested their efficiency in decomposing SRPAC over a period of six weeks. 

My study showed that we should dispose of SRPAC in a composting environment as opposed to the current practice of landfills. This is most efficient since the composting environment has the best decomposition rates, and is eco-friendly since it will reduce landfill volumes and related hazards. 

So here is what I am proposing,

•        Households should have a 3rd bin to sort out SRPAC together with a combination of food scrap.

•        City/county trash management should collect this 3rd bin waste and dump it into a composting environment instead of a landfill.