Rural Waste Research
This past year Lydia worked with Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center on an Ungraduated Research Project for the University of Minnesota Duluth. Feel free to check out the study using the link below.
https://sites.google.com/view/ruralwastesurvey/home
A brief background
The waste stream around the world has recently been brought to the forefront of environmental pollution issues. Globally, 3.5 million tons of solid waste are generated each year. On the local scale, 70,000 pounds of plastic enter Lake Superior annually. Improper collection and disposal of waste can result in harm to human health, the environment, living organisms, and the economy, consequently causing a setback in sustainable development.
The mission of the study
The purpose of this study is to document how the rural residences of St. Louis County tend to their waste. This includes the items being recycled and composted. From this study, the intention is to identify and eliminate any existing barriers to help shape a healthy and safe environment in the rural community.
This survey will help guide sustainable waste management implementations for St. Louis County residents. This includes introducing Zero Waste into the current waste management system. Zero waste is the idea of sending as little waste as possible to landfills by using reusing, repurposing, recycling, composting, and taking long-term actions to prevent personal waste.
