Trial Challenges
1. Bury waste in our products in one half of a small trial landfill spot. Manage the space for a year till it is filled, then do the same in the other half. Return to the first half at the end of the second year and record what percentage of the first half is reusable and what organic material could be harvested for use as fertilizer. Determine the reduction of harmful pesticides that could be replaced and the associated morbidity, mortality and costs that would result if done on a national level or if the practice was commercialized in a scalable manner.
Take a look:
- What other benefits would be realized with respect to scarce resources - land, water use, energy costs, machinery costs, labour costs and environmental pollution?
- What impact would the use of scarce resources to harvest packaging material to replace petrochemical-derived resins have on the environment and the economy?
- How would that practice impact the management of waste - and what would be the costs - since the organic resins are indistinguishable from conventional PE and PP and therefore inherently non-degradable and if composting of starch-based derivatives is not practicable?
- Consider the doubling of pollution effect this practice would have on the environment regarding pollution by petrochemical resins that are left unused because of harvesting resins through agriculture - which would mean that the petrochemical resins would have to be disposed of by flare off.
- Consider how such resources could otherwise be allocated to other sectors of the economy.
2. Encourage the disposal of organic domestic/school/farm food and vegetable waste in our bags directly into a managed compost environment. Record the quantity and quality of compost and the effect on garden plants. Determine the reduction of harmful pesticides and the associated morbidity, mortality and costs that would result if done on a commercial scale or if the practice was commercialized in a scalable manner.
Take a look:
- What is the impact on underground water resources and worker healthcare of chemical fertilizers?
- What other benefits can be derived from the replacement of chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers?
- Is there an economic advantage?
3. Devise a scheme where mandatory separation of domestic organic waste placed in an oxo-biodegradable bag could foster entrepreneurial activity leading to the use and export of organic fertilizer as a commercial revenue source.