Is It 2026 Yet? Sustainable Living and Waste Management in University Heights
What a crazy year it’s been, full of distractions and challenges from every quarter, but also joy. We’ve got a lot more cars on our neighborhood’s streets now, and many new neighbors enjoying our lovely Old Trolley Barn Park. No data is forthcoming on local bus ridership (currently at about 95% of pre-pandemic numbers) and whether all the new high-rises “within a mile of transit” have brought more commuters to MTS. That sort of lifestyle change doesn’t happen without coordinated planning and intelligent marketing by leadership, so ….
Many of us are now paying a lot more for waste management after an obvious but ultimately effective grift by our elected officials. Please note that “Lid Lifters” are out and about on trash days, inspecting our bins to make sure we’re sorting our refuse correctly. UH gardeners who pick up free compost from the Greenery at the Miramar landfill no doubt appreciate our efforts to deposit only organics such as plant clippings, heads of brown lettuce, and eggshells into our green bins instead of sending those materials to the dump where they break down and produce methane, hastening climate change. And let’s always make sure we never toss any sort of battery into any of our bins because they can and often do start fires inside waste hauling trucks, which is extraordinarily dangerous and destructive. Check wastefreesd.org for battery disposal options (like Staples and Lowe’s in Mission Valley).
Our blue bins are about to take their yearly holiday beating as lots more stuff arrives in cardboard boxes during this festive season. Grouping all our online purchases into one order, as opposed to buying an item or two every day, can help reduce the carbon footprint of our shopping habits, as can choosing slower delivery options like Amazon Day (if Amazon is your thing). Planning an extended local shopping day, with a stop for lunch at some place fun and relaxing, is also a great choice and helps keep the local economy healthy while giving the blue bin a breather.
Those of us who like to spend time together DIYing holiday decor should definitely eschew glitter, one of the most insidious microplastics sources around, responsible for harming aquatic ecosystems in ways we’ve only recently started to fully understand. Happily, there are other sparkly things, like Epsom salts, that we can use to zhuzh up a votive candle holder or pine cone, making them look all wintery and wonderful. Happy holidays, and thanks to everyone who tries hard every day to keep our neighborhood healthy and thriving!
