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Waste
In 2018, municipal solid waste (MSW) or consumer waste totaled 146 million tons of trash. Once thrown in a landfill, trash goes through aerobic decomposition. After the first year of being in a landfill, anaerobic conditions are established and bacteria begin to release methane as they decompose. Waste can release a significant amount of toxins and can be extremely dangerous to the surrounding environment by polluting the air, soil and waterways.
Gardens, zoos and museums have an opportunity to reduce their personal, packaging and product waste significantly by reducing the amount of single-use items purchased, composting organic materials and recycling products as much as possible.
Click below to read more about each goal and explore further resources. If you need more support, please email the Climate Toolkit at climatetoolkit@phipps.conservatory.org.
Resources:
- National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling
- Wastes
- Landfill Gas
- Single-Use Plastics 101
Institutions Pursuing Waste Goals:
Anchorage Museum
Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and Leslie Science & Nature Center
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
Blank Park Zoo
Botanical Garden Teplice / Botanická zahrada Teplice
Brackenridge Field Laboratory
California Academy of Sciences
California Botanic Garden
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center & Botanical Gardens
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Zoo
Duke Farms
Dyer Arts Center / National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF)
Ganna Walska Lotusland
Gardens of Golden Gate Park
Gothenburg Museum of Art
Green Bay Botanical Garden
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden
Hitchcock Center for the Environment
Holden Forests and Gardens
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Houston Botanic Garden
Houston Zoo
Illinois State Museum
Inala Jurassic Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Leach Botanical Garden
Longue Vue House & Gardens
Madison Square Park Conservancy
Missouri Botanical Garden
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Museum of Discovery and Science
National Aquarium
National September 11 Memorial and Museum
National Tropical Botanical Garden
Natural History Museum of Utah
New York Botanical Garden
Norfolk Botanical Garden
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Planting Fields Foundation
Racing Magpie Arts Center
Roseville Utility Exploration Center
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Horticultural Society
S.C.R.A.P. Gallery – The Art Museum for the Environment
San Jose Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University
Science Museum of Minnesota
Science North
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
The Morton Arboretum
The Param Science Experience Centre
The Tech Interactive
The Wild Center
University of Padua Botanical Garden
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Presented by
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
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