Conservation, Recycling, and Waste Reduction
Our culture promotes efficient use of resources; not only for the sake of preserving those resources for the uncertainties of the future, but also for the sake of efficiency as its own end. Our citizens find it illogical and unpleasant to waste resources. For this reason goods, services, and management algorithms are constantly being researched and refined. We strive to live good, productive, comfortable lives with a sustainable impact on our natural world.
Efficient product design is the focus of a great deal of research. For example, in twentieth century America, adults commonly used razors which were entirely disposable, and toothbrushes consisting of a plastic handle and a head with permanently attached bristles. Now, we use only disposable razor blades with a refillable handle and toothbrushes that consist of a comfortable plastic handle, with a replaceable head unit. The toothbrush head units, including bristles, are manufactured from a single type of plastic which is entirely recycled. The razor heads are designed to be disassembled through automation to also facilitate recycling of the metal and plastic components. These small improvements decrease plastic use by several hundred thousand kilograms annually while reducing waste at the same time.
Periodically an inventor will design a new, innovated product and wish to have it placed in to use. These designs are evaluated by engineers in the appropriate industry and compared to existing models. To be developed further, the product must meet one of the following three criteria: 1) It must use resources more efficiently (use less plastic in its construction, use less electricity, create less waste), 2) it must function more effectively (easier to operate, more durable, meets the needs of a specific situation better than a current model), or 3) it must be more aesthetic than the current model, without a significant loss in efficiency. If the design meets one or more of these criteria it is produced and evaluated by entering it into circulation at the Stores side by side with the existing model. Users of the new product, as identified by their Swipe Card data, are surveyed and their evaluation data and use pattern determine if the new product will be distributed instead of or along with the current model.
Product engineering in the past involved cutting manufacturing and material costs to produce a cheaper product often at the expense of durability. Today, those considerations are tempered by the realization that durability often serves our conservation goals better. Rather than build a very fragile, easily-broken video tape player that may last six months in household use, we prefer to over-engineer the product and achieve a sixty month product life. In addition, the recycle ability of the product's components are also considered.
Most containers are in some way recycled. All liquids are distributed in standardized bottles which are specific for the class of substances they hold. A shampoo bottle will always be a shampoo bottle; it will never hold olive oil. A floor cleaner bottle will never hold a beverage. This segregation helps to ensure that foods remain wholesome and other products do not become cross contaminated. Even though our containers are standardized, there is considerable variety in the appearance of containers, due to the tremendous number of standard bottle types that are produced. In addition, new labels are continually designed by graphic artists. Of course consumers may, and often do, repackage goods into a preferred vessel in their home. Typical examples of this would be an art glass olive oil bottle or a glass flour cannister.
Similarly, dry goods are packaged in a variety of plastic containers and bags which are specific for the type of goods they hold. Even the smaller family run businesses such as the corner bakery use standardized containers. They merely design and apply their brand label to the container. There is no advertising of their brand; word of a good product will spread and the brand with thrive. Since there is no brand advertising allowed in Stores, there is no wasteful packaging such as a colorful box with three inner cardboard compartments with special printing and a plastic see through window designed to make one product slightly more appealing than another.
All of the Stores provide returnable nylon bags and plastic tubs and carts that can be used for carrying goods home. In addition, goods can be set aside for home delivery, usually within twenty four hours. Many shoppers prefer to place their orders using the Internet, and rarely set foot inside the Stores. Containers destined to be recycled are generally taken to the closest Shuttle Station where they are placed in bins which are periodically returned to the Waste Management Authority. The word "recyclable" is rarely used as it suggests that recycling is an option, which it is not. It is the accepted way of life.
When shipping items cross-country, it is often necessary to package large items such as furniture, artwork, and glassware to prevent damage. There are many types of large, reusable padded plastic transport containers for this purpose. They are generally designed and managed by the Transportation and Delivery Authority. After delivery, the containers are returned to a central distribution center where they are cleaned and prepared for reuse. If a consumer orders a replacement monitor, it would be taken from the Consumer Electronics Store to the closest Delivery Authority Station (most often this is the closest shuttle station) and the Delivery Authority would deliver it to the consumer's home, remove it from the protective plastic crating, and take the crate back to the distribution center.
The Materials Management Authority is responsible for overseeing all aspects of waste collection, redistribution, and disposal. Domestic waste is stored in four separate bins in the home and most institutions; organic waste (food scraps), paper and fiber products (very little paper is actually used as there are no longer printed newspapers and very few printed documents distributed), plastic containers, and mixed waste (rare bits of mixed/inseparable materials). Construction debris is disposed of by special arrangement. Organic waste is taken to municipal composting facilities where it is converted to soil enrichment agents and soil extenders. In addition, many individuals compost their vegetable waste themselves for use in their gardens. Paper and fiber waste is taken to regional paper reclamation facilities for use in the manufacturing of new paper. As mentioned above, plastic containers are collected, cleaned, and redistributed to the appropriate industries. Mixed waste and construction waste is crushed and sorted. Ferrous metal is reclaimed. Dense rubble is used for aggregates in road and building construction when possible. The remaining waste is burned, producing electricity, and then sent to a landfill.
Human waste is still handled by means of a commode, but the device has been greatly improved over previous models. The current system uses no water. The toilet device employs a pneumatic plunger to simultaneously clear waste from the cylindrical stainless steel collecting reservoir and clean the reservoir. The waste is pushed into a storage reservoir which is periodically emptied by a Waste Management Technician, and taken to a processing facility where it is sterilized and processed for use as soil enrichment agents.
Water is conserved physically and philosophically in our culture. All faucets have automatic shut-off devices and household water lines have built in leak detection devices. Showers have low flow heads. In our schools, our children are taught to conserve water (and all resources) from the earliest age. They are taught to rinse food in a pan of water rather than running water. They are taught to wash and brush their teeth without using a running stream of water. Adolescents are taught to wash dishes with minimal water and soap. They are taught to shower efficiently. Waste water is recycled in urban settings and in areas were water is in short supply. In rural areas septic systems are commonly used.
Laundry is washed in a high efficiency washing machine. This device spins clothing at very high speeds and small amounts of soap-enriched wash water is applied in a fine spray to the clothing and forced through by centrifugal force. The clothes are then similarly rinsed and spun at ultra high speed for near drying. A brief drying cycle in the same machine completes the process. A typical load of wash can be cleaned with a few quarts of water, heated by the machines internal water heater when selected.
We have very few ongoing sources of air pollution. We do not burn fossil fuels or wood except in certain circumstances. Petroleum is only used for strategic travel- emergency vehicles, and in airplanes where other fuels cannot be currently substituted. However, air travel is extremely limited as it is dependant on the use of a non-sustainable, polluting energy source. Wood is burned only when it cannot be converted to useful products or when it is contained in construction debris which is burned to produce energy. Factory smoke stack emissions are carefully monitored.
Energy is produced from a variety of sources, including nuclear power, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, solar, tidal, and other experimental methods. We do not burn fossil fuels or food, in general, to produce energy. All energy-using appliances are highly efficient and those that are not designed to run continuously are required to have automatic shut-off timers. Household thermostats are computer controlled, and water heaters run on timers and are placed at the point of use to limit heat loss. Our children are taught in school from the earliest age to conserve energy.
A fair amount of our crop producing land is dedicated to oil seed production, because of our demand for biodiesel fuel. This fuel source was developed at the end of the twentieth century, but knowledge of its existence and practicality was obscured by giant, selfish oil companies who wished to avoid huge financial losses. For those applications where only a combustible liquid fuel is practical to deliver the horsepower required, this fuel is used. It is readily created by the reaction of vegetable oils and alcohol and is a suitable for powering internal combustion engines. It is also the ideal method of reclaiming the millions of gallons of used cooking oil that are produced everyday at restaurants, food processing factories, and in homes. It is also a far cleaner fuel than burning fossil fuels, with no sulphur or carbon monoxide emissions, and the pleasant exhaust aroma of fresh donuts.
We conserve trees, and that land on which they grow. We do not use much paper or cardboard in our daily lives, and certainly any that is used is recycled. In this way we can produce the wood we need for construction and we have replanted many millions of acres that once grew pulp wood with hardwood trees for use in the manufacturing and crafting of furniture and fine wood products.
As a society, we recycle almost everything. Unneeded home furnishings are returned to the Furniture Bureau. Extra clothing is returned to the Clothing Supply Store. Almost anything that a citizen might not need, some other citizen will need.