TerraCycle in Alaska The path to a zero-waste economy

The Issue of Waste

Where is “Away” on a planet?

Extraction Consumption Pollution

Materials Economy Simplified

A movement based on a film simplifying the description of the materials economy, the challenges presented by circular consumption, and the search for a better way.

Linear Materials Economy

Extraction Disposal Distribution Consumption Production

Profits derived from this system

Poverty Pollution Degradation War Death

Closed-Loop Materials Economy

Conservation

Management

Zero-Waste

Production

Local Living

Economies

Prosumerism

Closed-Loop

Reclamation

Zero Waste: A Global Effort

The Terra Cycle

Reduced

Demand

Responsible

Manufacturers

Mainstream

Partners

Engaging

Education

Bringing Value to

Trash

Model for Change The goal is to eliminate the idea of waste by creating

collection and solution systems for anything that today must be sent to a landfill.

Collected waste is converted into a wide variety of products and materials.

With more than 20 million people collecting waste in 14 countries TerraCycle has diverted billions of units of waste and used them to create over 1,500 different products available at major retailers ranging from Wal-mart to Whole Foods Market

The TerraCycle Process In the lower 48 and 14 other countries around the world, 20 million people

are eliminating the idea of waste with this innovative program, while raising

money for their local schools and charities

Groups

register online

$0.02 each for

most collected

item

TerraCycle pays

shipping too

The items are made

into new products

Products are sold

a major retailers

TerraCycle The Corporate Perspective

From what we have been told

by TerraCycle corporate. They

do not have the budget to

open up Alaska to all

programs for any charity so

they maintain the position

Alaska is closed to

TerraCycle.

Therefore ARK has assumed a leadership role to coordinate interested

parties in Alaska to collect items and then we pay the shipping cost to

Oregon. From their our account gets credited and they pay for shipping the

rest of the way. This works for some items, however, not for all 45 items they

currently collect.

A Matter of Economics

Local Living Economies

The primary purpose of a true market economy is to allocate human and material resources justly and sustainably to meet the self-defined needs of people and community.

Our quality of life would be stunningly different if we based economic decisions on life values rather than purely financial values—a natural choice if owners had to live with the non-financial consequences of their decisions.

Full-cost pricing of energy, materials, and land use could expose the real inefficiencies of factory farming, conventional construction, and urban sprawl and make life-serving alternatives comparatively cost-effective.

Economics In Context

Ecological economics includes the study of the

metabolism of society, that is, the study of the

flows of energy and materials that enter and

exit the economic system.

Ecological economics is defined by its focus on

nature, justice, and time. Issues of

intergenerational equity, irreversibility of

environmental change, uncertainty of long-term

outcomes, and sustainable development guide

ecological economic analysis and valuation

Natural Systems

Biomimicry Design Spiral

Organic Conversion

Raw Material Recycling

Industrial

Development

Water Management

Waste Resources

Closed-loop materials flow

Gasifier

Biodigestion

Plastic Mold Injection

High Temp processing

Deconstruction

Vermiculture

Sorting

Grading

Cleaning

Materials

Biomass

Metals

Plastics

Toxins

Energy

Construction

Manufacturing

feedstock

Solvents

Closed-loop material systems diagram

Financing

Resources

Residuals

How TerraCycle works in Alaska

Since we can not bring TerraCycle to Alaska we have found success in

meeting them half way and covering our own costs on shipping to

Oregon.

Over the last year ARK has been developing strategic partnerships with

several local business who have allowed us to put various containers

around to collect TerraCycle items.

A State Campaign for TerraCycle

Over the next six months ARK plans

to expand the TerraCycle campaign to

every major community center in the

state. Our intent is to continue the

dialogue with Tesoro for the purposes

of collecting items and having public

collection containers; where we can

arrange regular pick-ups.

To accomplish this task we are focusing on one

single item (potato chip bags) to use as the herald

of the program. Once there is suitable

participation in this program we can expand as

local communities see best fits their needs

TerraCycle Study To further understand how we can best utilize Alaskan

resources to meet Alaskan needs while creating economic

opportunities for Alaskans, we have commissioned a feasibility

study to understand how best to utilize the TerraCycle

program in Alaska for the immediate future. Working with

local partners we hope to learn three things.

1) What items are cost effective to TerraCycle?

2) What items are not cost effective to TerraCycle?

3) What manufacturing options can we create here?

Size Does Matter

Recycling in Alaska

Centralized industrial process

End product production

I have great respect for the many wonderful efforts of the recycling groups

in Alaska. I know they have worked long and hard to solve a very difficult

issue. To those efforts I would like to add my perspective in hopes of

reaching a common solution.

Recycling will never be enough to solve the waste issue therefore I am

looking at the recycling system from a production standpoint. From this

vantage I see two primary challenges to solving the problem of waste in

Alaska.

Reclaimed Industry of China

In China waste is big business

Workers (usually women) actually earn

better wages then college grads and have

better choices of job options.

Greater job security than a mechanical

engineers

They're recycled completely, providing

a relatively clean alternative to mined,

virgin materials.

American throwaways are critical to

China's vast and thriving scrap metal

industry (which accounts for roughly 25%

of Chinese aluminum production, 40% of

copper production, and 15% of steel)

Only In Alaska

We have all these villages that are failing. Cultures being lost because of

a lack of economic infrastructure and high cost of energy. Why not help

them eliminate their own waste by turning it first of all energy and

fertilizer so they can grow their own food and make the rest into things

they can use or sell. Creating local living economies as unique as the

communities themselves.

Distributed Solutions In the lower 48 a centralized plant where items

are brought from around the state is cost

effective and feasible with rail and road. In

Alaska, transportation of goods is a huge issue

so the solution, as I see it, is to develop scalable

technologies capable of addressing a defined

inflow.

Attracting High Tech Industry

By focusing on creating feed stock

from the waste rather than end use

products we open up not only the

opportunities on how to find value in

these items but also provide a critical

component to lure manufacturing.

With an investment in education and

infrastructure there’s no telling how

far we can go!

The Future by Design

The Transition Our world is changing and to thrive

in this change we must have the

courage to examine our

methodologies and practices.

To use the systems developed by

science mimicking nature to simply

build an technologically advanced,

peaceful and prosperous society.

In nature everything fits into the

surrounding environment as it

interacts with a complex living

organism of which we exist in a

symbiotic relationship.

Institute for Industrial Ecology

Natural principles applied to Industrial practices

Fundamental Focus

Principles

◦ Synergy

◦ Energy

◦ Resource

Management

◦ Building

◦ Transportation

◦ Economics

• Core Technologies

– Biodigestion

– Eco-fuels

– Community manufacturing

– Agriculture

– Temperature processing

Educational Components Introductory Age appropriate 5-13

◦ Field trips

◦ School projects

◦ Class presentations

Fundamental Studies Age appropriate 13-18

– Six week courses

– In-depth studies

– Fundamental focus

Job Training Age appropriate 18+

– Basic soft skills

– Technical specialization

– Employment assistance

Agricultural Components Vegetable Production

Hydroponic Gardening

Nutrients for plants diluted in water

Pros: Increased Yield, more control of nutrients

Cons: high levels of infrastructure, difficult to maintain

Raised Bed Gardening

Alaska native soils not suitable for high yield production

Pros: wide variety of material; low costs,

Cons: Limited yield ratios, labor intensive

Greenhouse Gardening

Greenhouses are essential here for highest yields

Pros: controlled environment, extend growing season,

increased diversity of product.

Cons: high cost of infrastructure, energy and labor intensive

Agricultural Components Vermiculture Production

Organic Animal Feeds

Insects not only serve the ecosystem as macro

decomposers but with high protein content they could

provide a diversity of locally producible animal feeds

Soil Amendment

Worms are great for a lot of things but as macro-

decomposers they turn our table scraps into soil to

grow more food in a beautiful dynamic cycle of life

Carbon Sequestration

Humanity often overlooks the filtering benefit of healthy

ecosystems where tiny bacteria gorge on CO2 and

produces oils we can use in a variety of ways

Industrial Components Biodigestion

Anaerobic digestion

Unlike biomass combustion this conversion process

allows the user to extract the usable fuel while

maintaining the integrity of biomass for further usable

processing.

A solution for the ages

Methane gas has been and is being used around the

world for heating homes and cooking. It can also be

refined to run in vehicles. Its combustion method is

interchangeable with propane.

Going Low-tech

You will notice a number of the primary casing for our

designs are 55 oil drum barrels. Our interest is in

helping people develop local solutions with local

resources that can be locally maintained.

Industrial Components Reducing/refining biomass

Gasification process

This process allows us to process the lowest grade

biomass into usable substances while reducing in volume

the local waste stream

Contained Combustion

Although simple technologies they allows us to collect

both the gas vapors (which are traditionally off-gassed)

and the bio-char (which traditionally ends up in the

landfill)

Local Energy

Both to reduce operating costs and as a consumer

product the end results of this process are two forms of

clean and locally renewable fuels. Again using

technologies common in developing nations.

Copula Furnace

This process allows us to process soft metals and form

either molds for new material or manufacturing

feedstock which is the primary use of most material.

Pieces and Parts

Industrialization on any scale requires access to parts or

the ability to take broken parts and use them to make

new parts. This closed loop system is critical to the

stability of any remote community.

Equipment

Even the simplest technologies will break and wear out.

In simpler times access to the forge was often key to

planting and/or bringing in the crops.

Industrial Components Reducing/refining soft metals

Low-temp plastics

Unlike metal refining the process of melting down

plastic could readily be identified with using a glue gun.

Low temperatures and steady pressure create a stream

to be pelletized or molded into usable objects

Infrastructure

Successful agriculture requires well maintained

infrastructure. The ability to reshape plastic resins into

the components to build greenhouses is an essential

requirement from everything from simple valves to

shelves, beams, and sheeting.

Replication manufacturing

In order to facilitate the rapid advancement of

community gardens and CSA programs in the interior a

proven readily available source of building material will

always be helpful in reducing costs.

Industrial Components Reducing/refining plastics

Deconstruction

Construction is a planned, sequential, and methodical

process. In order to salvage the material the

deconstruction of a building should be equally detailed.

Reclaimed Material

Successful businesses operate in many parts of the US

offering these salvaged pieces of architecture and

building material to a blooming green building industry.

Today’s “Green” house

You can build them out of used bottles and tires if it

suits your taste but today’s sustainable home designs

look very much like every other house on the block

unless your looking at the power bill.

Industrial Components Processing construction material

Community Benefits Economic foundations

When employed, biophysical (or ecological) economics

allow us to recognize our fiscal responsibility to nature

balance sheet and provides a solid and sustainable

foundation of job growth and healthy production.

Social paradigm shift

Education is a powerful tool for change because a small

change in perspective can change how you see the

whole world. This is the spark of innovations which

create solutions. Do you see the young lady looking

away? Or the old lady looking down?

Environmental stewardship

In the brief spark that is our lives, we hold in trust those

precious resources handed down from our forefather's

and which are the legacy to our children. As intelligent

beings our roles as stewards should be taught along

with the alphabet , mathematics, and the arts.

Self Reliance as a Tool for Security

Alaska Energy Authority has provided the location of several remote

communities who could benefit from this economic development program

Growth: Step by Step

The Future Is In Our Hands

To honestly achieve a “sustainable” economy,

humanity must step through a paradigm shift

When Copernicus showed that the earth

as profound as the transition in the sixteenth century

was not the center of the universe

An Educational Campaign

Alliance for Reason and Knowledge Planting the seeds of a sustainable tomorrow

3580 Vanhorn Rd, Fairbanks AK 99706 (907) 799-7045

www.a-r-k.us

Local Mission

Provide individuals with enriching experiences that educate and empower them to

manifest the change they wish to see in the world.

Global Vision Unite the sustainable movement in support of the mainstream adoption of the

sustainable industry.

About the Author Robert Shields is a simple farm boy from the backwoods of southern

Indiana. After graduating Lathrop High school in Fairbanks, Alaska (1994) he went on to earn an Associate degree from Sterling College in Vermont and has spent the last 10 years working in the sustainable basin of Portland, Oregon.

There he was involved in multiple community campaigns, founded the Sustainable Today TV program, and started the clean energy construction company, Sustainable Solutions Unlimited. In 2010 he returned to Fairbanks where has founded the Alliance for Reason and Knowledge (ARK) and Real Smart Developments to bridge the gap and close the loop on the materials economy in Alaska.

Roberts vision is simple- to build a working model of a self sustaining and sustainable city as the template for environmental stability, social justice, and economic prosperity. The individual efforts and actions of ARK and RSD collectively work toward this objective.

General Terms Zero Waste aims to transform industrial processes and products, so that material

flows replicate natural systems.

Closed-Loop Economy is the concept which expresses a desire to move away

from a linear process of resource extraction, manufacture, consumption and

disposal towards a system where resources remain in use almost indefinitely.

Industrial Ecology seeks to understand the way in which industrial systems

interact with the biosphere. Natural ecosystems provide a metaphor for

understanding how different parts of industrial systems interact with one another,

in an "ecosystem" based on resources and infrastructural capital.

Cradle to Cradle Design models human industry on nature's processes in

which materials are viewed as a holistic economic, industrial and social framework

that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free.

Biomimicry is the discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates

these designs and processes to solve human problems. Nature has already solved

many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the

consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and

most important, what lasts here on Earth.