Ever since I took my first archaeology class I have been fascinated by the subject of garbage. You see, garbage is huge for archaeologists because so much of what they dig up is, well, garbage. It’s a window into past life. It can show the ebb and flow of a civilization — like the tree-rings for human activity. Some anthropologists even look at modern garbage to understand today’s world, such as our diet and health, because unlike surveys and questionnaires, garbage doesn’t lie. And as archaeologists study garbage dumps over the last 50 years, they see a change in the landfill mix, specifically the shrinking of the amounts of items such as glass, papers, metals, etc. That’s because our culture has been (slowly) adopting recycling, diverting some types of waste out of the landfills. But it’s not nearly enough, and our landfills are getting full.

Currently, Ulster is considering the latest proposal for siting a new landfill within the county since the one we’ve been using at Seneca Meadows, a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, is going to close soon. And since no one wants a landfill in their back yard (New York State hasn’t opened a new one in 20 years), for now it appears to be “every county for itself.” Ever since China stopped taking our garbage in 2017, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, and other nations, outsourcing the problem onto others is harder than ever. This presents a huge challenge for everyone, but it’s also an opportunity.

In 2022, Ulster County created 263,027 tons of waste. Of that, 86,446 tons were recycled. In 2023, 5,000 tons of organic waste was recycled with a new program. The county wants to divert up to 85 percent of all waste by 2050, up from the current 30 percent. (The national average for recycling is 32 percent). As of now, very little of our recycled garbage is reused in Ulster County — it’s shipped out around the nation.

While there are many issues and details involved in the subject of garbage, landfills and recycling, I wish to touch on the idea of “zero waste” landfills, and the business opportunity of turning recyclables into products right here in Ulster. Zero waste refers to a policy of diverting as much garbage as possible away from landfills through sustainable practices such as reducing waste generation, recycling and reusing materials. Its goal is to effectively make landfills irrelevant by reimagining everything we currently call waste. Learning the science and methods to achieve zero waste is essential for our future. Even the future proposed by everyone’s bête noire, billionaire Elon Musk, of going into space and colonizing Mars, garbage will have to be recycled and reused. Space journeys can’t be trailed by a continuous stream of debris — they would become future projectiles that can puncture subsequent spacecraft. So, before we go anywhere else, let’s first get this done right here on Earth.

The reuse of recyclables is a business opportunity, and a chance for Ulster to further the Green New Deal, generate local jobs, diversify our local economy, add new tax revenue, show leadership on landfills and waste and do the right thing for future generations. While the county seeks an acceptable location for a new landfill, why not also consider purchasing adjacent land — for reuse enterprises? Establish a type of commercial zone for scaled reuse industries to make useful and valued new products? By clustering these enterprises and landfill, it makes it easier to realize opportunities for collaboration, innovation and market development.

Any landfill proposed will need to have various issues vigorously reviewed and satisfactorily addressed, such as traffic, geology, water and air, as well as availability for staffing — all similar issues any small-to-medium-sized industry and manufacturing operation faces. Why not get the landfill and land for reuse manufacturing approved at the same time?

Reused materials could be incorporated in many ways locally, especially if smaller-batch manufacturing can be established. Why couldn’t we turn our glass waste into new bottles for microbreweries, wine bottles or maple syrup? Or how about making outdoor furniture out of plastics or using it in insulation, or create corrugated cardboard for local shipping? And of course, organics can be reused right here in Ulster’s agricultural industry. A retail space could also be set up where artists, farmers, craftspeople and contractors could come and get materials for their own projects at a much-discounted rate.

If we cluster the landfill and reuse-type manufacturing, and potentially a new sustainably-powered Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) — where machinery and people separate garbage, like the one the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency currently operates — transport and fuel costs could almost disappear, achieving further environmental savings. And very importantly, UCRRA and independent businesses and enterprises would be able to easily coordinate on the very important need of Recycling Market Development (RMD): the process of creating and maintaining markets for recyclables and reused products.

These and other ideas like them already exist in other locations in the U.S. Boulder, Colorado is a good example. The city implemented what they call the eco-cycle initiative. Its goal of zero waste is done by bringing together government, independent agencies, business and community groups to solve their growing garbage challenge with waste reduction and waste reuse strategies, all clustered together and coordinated for maximum efficiency.

As proud Ulster citizens who care deeply about the environment, we can and should “own” our own garbage, not ship it out of sight. By recycling and reusing it here in creative, innovative ways, and working towards the ultimate goal of zero waste, we can achieve greater resiliency economically and environmentally. We can foster new green industries, new jobs and added taxable streams of revenue, and assume a bigger leadership role in the rapidly growing field of recycling. So even as the stars beckon, we must work towards a zero-waste reality so that future archaaeologists are not digging up landfills on Mars.