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Adam Plantz's avatar

Adam Plantz

Waste Watchers

"To be a good steward of waste management by creating and encouraging good habits."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 305 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    19
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    88
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    23
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    30
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    16
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    3.0
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    6.3
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Adam's actions

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and POC-majority neighborhoods. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Carry my Trash

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Tour A Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 10 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace, dorm, or elsewhere on campus.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Prevent Recycling Contamination

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 5 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Choose Two-Sided Printing

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided when I have to print documents.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus to reduce pollution in the environment and in local communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES

I will spend 5 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Adam Plantz's avatar
    Adam Plantz 11/15/2021 11:18 AM
    Having recently moved into a new community has made the challenge... well, more challenging. fortunatly there is recycling but the HOA has rules against compost and rain barrels due to aesthetic and pest concerns (e.g., flies, racoons and mosquitoes oh my!) People in my neighboor have tried to throw away perfectly good items (or recyclable items) So i have worked to make sure those items stay out of the landfill. I have created a petition to develop a community garden / composting site. we will seee how it goes!

  • Adam Plantz's avatar
    Adam Plantz 11/15/2021 11:18 AM
    Having recently moved into a new community has made the challenge... well, more challenging. fortunatly there is recycling but the HOA has rules against compost and rain barrels due to aesthetic and pest concerns (e.g., flies, racoons and mosquitoes oh my!) People in my neighboor have tried to throw away perfectly good items (or recyclable items) So i have worked to make sure those items stay out of the landfill. I have created a petition to develop a community garden / composting site. we will seee how it goes!