RESOURCES:
Bike Tour of Ann Arbor's Circular Economy
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And my guest today is Lydia McMullen-Laird, the co-founder of Ann Arbor-based ZeroWaste.org. And we're talking about all things trash, also about a tour that will raise awareness and efforts to reuse and recycle goods in Washtenaw County. Thanks for joining us today, Lydia!
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Thank you so much!
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me about this tour and what people can expect.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: So, this year, it's actually expanded to all of Washtenaw County. So, we have seven different stops that people can go to, most of them in Ann Arbor, but we've also got Ypsi participating as well this year.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay, excellent! Tell me what takes place, if you would.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Sure! So, the idea behind the Trash Talk Tour, our mission at zerowaste.org, is to just reduce waste as quickly as possible and as much as possible. And part of that is raising awareness because I think we've all had this experience where we just throw something away and then who knows what happens after that, right?
Caroline MacGregor: Right!
Lydia McMullen-Laird: It goes to the curb and that's sort of the end of the story. Of course, in the life cycle of that thing that you're throwing away, it's really not. And so, the idea behind Trash Talk Tour is to give people the chance to see what happens to their trash, compost, even clothes that you donate to the thrift store, to see happens after. And so, there's a tour at the Materials Recovery--at the MERF, so at the recycling center of Ann Arbor. And then, there's also a tour of the Michigan Stadium, what they do with all their trash after the big game day. You can go to the Kiwanis Thrift Store and see how they sort everything. And then, there's also, at Kiwanis Thrift store, there's a big party, a fall festival, where you can see also what to do, how to reduce your trash, so how to repair clothing and how to make your own zero waste to-go kit. And there's live music, free food and all kinds of other fun stuff.
Caroline MacGregor: So, it sounds like it's, overall, a very enlightening experience for the public to see what happens because we do all wonder where does this go? There is this sort of mystery that surrounds what really happens to the individual pieces of trash or recycled material.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Absolutely! And Ann Arbor is lucky to have one of the best recycling centers in the nation. They do a really great job, but it's a whole process, right? So, you can go there and kind of see what is happening. And a part of the idea behind Trash Talk Tour also is that that is just one small slice of it. A big thing, of course, is reduction, like not throwing stuff away in the first place. The overconsumption that we have now is such a big issue that we focus a lot on and what exists in Ann Arbor to help you actually reduce it before it even goes into the trash. So, at the Fall Fest on Sunday, there's going to be tons of different community resources of people who are doing great work in this area, like BYOC Co., the local refill store, is going be there. There's a bunch of groups that do food waste reduction. They can teach you how to, for example, like make banana bread with banana and the peel in it. Zingerman's does that. Just these little things that you can do to really reduce the things that you're throwing out in the first place.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, you're listening to 89.1 WEMU. And my guest today is Lydia McMullen-Laird. She's the co-founder of ZeroWaste.org, Ann Arbor. We're focusing on Trash Talk and what happens to your trash, recyclables and compost after you dispose of it. I was intrigued. You know, I was looking at your website, and there are some very valuable ideas for cutting back on waste--simple things that you can have in your possession in your home. Tell me about some of those, if you would.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: I mean, the number one thing really is food packaging, right? So, when you look in your trash bin at home, you're probably going to see a lot of food packaging and also food waste. So, that's a big focus that we try to emphasize. And going grocery shopping, figuring out a zero-waste grocery routine, is really key. Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are really lucky that we have places that make that easier, like Buy the Pound, which has bulk food where you can fill your own containers, the People's Food Co-op. By the way, you can also win stuff from Buy the Pound if you participate in Trash Talk. There are tons of prizes, so that's fun.
Caroline MacGregor: Good to know!
Lydia McMullen-Laird: And so, that is one of the really big things is figuring out a grocery routine and figuring out how you can reduce your food waste. We have lots of resources on that and programs that you can participate in just to not be constantly throwing away those leftovers or the thing of berries going moldy. There's so many things you can do to really reduce that. And then, the second thing that we really focus on is just not buying as much new stuff. New stuff is a sneaky culprit because you might not be thinking about throwing it away, but it is going get thrown away. And more importantly, the production of all that stuff is really what has the big climate footprint. And so, we focus a lot on reuse. So, part of the Trash Talk Tour is a clothing swap where you can bring clothes that you no longer want and then you can also get clothes for free. And that really helps keep things in circulation. Another part, of course, Kiwanis Thrift and all the other great thrift stores, they do a really great job keeping tons of material out of the landfill and helping people to not buy new because we all need certain things, right? So, if you're trying to buy less new, you do need those reuse options. And Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are pretty strong in those, but we want to just give people a better sense of what exists and where they can go.
Caroline MacGregor: So, perhaps thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, things like that, as far as choosing the secondhand goods. And many of those can be in very good condition.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Yeah, absolutely! Another thing that we kind of recommend to people is to have a zero waste to-go kit. So if you're like out and about and you have your own reusable water bottle, your own mug, your own cutlery, then that can be really helpful. And so, part of the fall festival on Sunday, you can, for free, make your own zero waste to-go kit. So, Kiwanis has donated a bunch of stuff that you can assemble it yourself. And then, you can kind of feel a little bit more prepared for any situation you might be in where you want to reduce your waste.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, I'm speaking with Lydia McMullen-Laird, co-founder of Ann Arbor-based ZeroWaste.org, and we're talking about what happens to your trash, recyclables and compost after you throw it away. And we'll also mention some tours that are taking place to educate the public on these practices. Now, to just quickly talk about some of the events coming up, I believe, on October 3rd, there's a community cleanup, there's a clothing swap on October 4th, on the 5th, there's bike tour of Ann Arbor's Circular Economy, a Trash Talk Tour at the Michigan Stadium. Tell me a bit more about these individual things. I mean, we touched on them initially, but there's quite a few things going on that can really help educate the public about reducing trash.
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Absolutely! So, the way the tour works is you just pick whichever stop you're interested in and works for your schedule, so it's self-guided. Maybe you're a huge football fan, and you want to see what happens with all that waste after the games. And Michigan Stadium is unique in the sense that they really try to make it at zero waste as possible, which is a huge undertaking for the level of waste generated at any sporting event. So, that's a fascinating process. And then, if you want to kind of get involved and meet people and be part of the solution and clean up the community, that's a great event to go to because it's important for us also to build that community together with other people who care about this. And that's another part of Trash Talk Tour is just meeting other people who care these issues and building those connections. And then on Sunday, we have the tour of the recycling center. They are not really open to the public any other time of the year. So, this is really the only time that you can get a behind-the-scenes look of how that all works and also ask all the questions you have about recycling. Maybe there's something that you've wondered about, like, "What do I do with this?" or "Should I be doing this? Should I be cleaning stuff out before I throw it away?" Like, what's happening? The recycling center tour really gives you the answers to all those questions. And then, of course, the fall festival. It's just a really big party, and it's family friendly. There's going to be David Zinn, who is legendary for his chalk drawings. He's going to be there teaching people how to do chalk drawings. Gemini will be there with live music. There's going to be tons of prizes, lots of games, because part of the idea behind zero waste is also focusing less on consumption and more on experiences that you can do and connect with other people.
Caroline MacGregor: I know that your brother, who is the executive director of ZeroWaste.org, mentioned that there are a handful of states that have policies in place that say local governments are not allowed to regulate plastic bags. This was apparently in response to Washtenaw County putting in place an ordinance that said we'd like to put a price on plastic bags. It sounds like while there could be some federal rollbacks regarding environmental practices, he mentioned that, in Washtenaw County, there are a lot of waste management programs that get handled at the local level. So, he mentioned it's a great place for action and advocacy, and Washtenaw County is really a leader and has been a leader in waste management in the state of Michigan for a long time. What are some of the shortcomings that we still face here?
Lydia McMullen-Laird: So, what we focus on is mainly the cultural piece, so shifting patterns from consumers and culture and that kind of thing. And we have seen an increase in interest in waste reduction over the last 10 years that we've been doing this work, and zero waste has become a lot more mainstream. A lot of that infrastructure has to be built over time, so the reuse economy, things like BYOC code, that kind of thing has to be built. So, we've definitely seen that increasing. That being said, the pandemic was a huge setback for this type of culture and building this kind of momentum in Ann Arbor and everywhere, I would say, across the country.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay! Well, thank you for that! It's wonderful to know that people on a very basic level can make a difference in the environment by considering what happens to trash, and these tours that you mentioned sound interesting for people to understand what happens with their trash and recycled goods. You've been listening to my conversation with Lydia McMullen-Laird. She's the co-founder of ZeroWaste.org, Ann Arbor. And our conversation has been about Trash Talk. Thank you for joining me today, Lydia!
Lydia McMullen-Laird: Thank you so much!
Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti.
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