(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By Joseph A. Curtatone

Our country generates staggering amounts of waste. In fact, the average American produces more than 4 pounds of trash every day, which means that, collectively, we are creating 700,000 tons of garbage not every year or every month, but every single day. Sure, part of that waste gets recycled, but recycling is no longer enough.

Like many others, I’ve long been under the impression that I was doing enough by recycling cans, plastic, and paper – dragging my full recycling cart to the curb once a week. And while recycling is better than throwing things in the trash, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we can all do more. At the end of the day, recycling is still waste. So, to get to the root of the problem, we need to reduce the amount of waste we create in the first place.

Like many other municipalities, Somerville has long approached waste from a disposal perspective. Our focus has been on how we pick up waste, recycle what we can, and then move it to the right place. But now with the very real threat of climate change along with changing market conditions in China, which has traditionally imported our recyclables, we are forced to look more closely at both the environmental and economic sustainability of our waste management plan.

This narrowed focus has made us recognize that there is an important role for communities like ours to play farther upstream. Now we must ask ourselves not only how we get rid of the waste we do create, but how do we seriously limit generating waste. We’ve long done well with the “recycle” part of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” But now it’s time to focus more on the other two R’s:  reducing and reusing.

The good news is our residents are avid recyclers. As a percentage of Somerville’s total waste picked up curbside, recycling continues to increase in our community. Currently, 30.1 % of Somerville’s waste is recycled. But with our total recycling currently at 7,500 tons per year, there’s still room to reduce and reuse even more. There are some immediate steps we can all take to reduce the amount of waste we put out on the curb every week, and it starts with what we’re buying in stores.

We can reduce the amount of waste we create by being more strategic with our purchases. There are plenty of helpful websites like www.greeneducationfoundation.org with good tips. They include advice like stop using plastic straws if you are able, buy food and drinks in bulk rather than single-serve containers and bottles, use a reusable shopping bag, don’t use plastic tableware at home and don’t let it be packed into your take-out bag, pack your lunch in reusable containers or bags, and avoid frozen meals that have a lot of packaging.

The EPA suggests using reusable sponges, mops, and cloths rather than disposable paper towels. They also advise donating or selling usable items you no longer need. Many waste reduction tips will also save you money, such as the EPA’s advice to “clean and properly store tools, toys and outdoor furniture to protect them from damage and keep them out of landfills.” So many suggestions are truly simple such as the tip in our own Sustainability Guide to carry your own water bottle or reusable coffee mug to avoid all those wasted bottles, cups, and lids. And then there are the looming questions such as what to do about all the packaging that comes from online shopping.

These things might seem small, but when applied by the 324 million of us across the country they can add up and make a big impact. Likewise, in addition to what individuals can do, cities and towns also have to be right there leading the way. We too need to reduce and reuse more while also starting the broader conversation on how to address this on a national scale.  And when it comes to climate change, waste disposal only makes a small difference—but we can make a big difference when we consume fewer products that take a lot of energy to produce and ship.

Just like with any big shift, education and culture change is paramount. But just as we worked hard together when we switched to single-stream recycling about seven years ago, we can work hard to tackle waste reduction long before the plastic, aluminum, or paper ever hits the blue bin.