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:
Institutions Pursuing Waste Goals:
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Clermont, Kentucky
California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco Bay Area, California
California Botanic Garden
Claremont, California
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
St. Michaels, Maryland
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver, Colorado
Denver Zoo
Denver, Colorado
Duke Farms
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Ganna Walska Lotusland
Santa Barbara, California
Green Bay Botanical Garden
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Holden Forests and Gardens
Kirtland, Ohio
Horniman Museum and Gardens
London, United Kingdom
Houston Botanic Garden
Houston, Texas
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Austin, Texas
Madison Square Park Conservancy
Manhattan, New York
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, California
Morton Arboretum
Lisle, Illinois
Museum of Discovery and Science
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, New York
Norfolk Botanical Garden
Norfolk, Virginia
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden
Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
England, UK
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Science Museum of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota