Wasted

An Oregonian article by Scott Learn today says that waste reduction generates the third highest reduction in carbon emissions behind fuel-efficient cars and renewable energy. This statistic is surprising to me because I thought residential and commercial energy efficiency measures presented the biggest potential for carbon reduction.

In any case, waste reduction has a huge potential carbon savings. Recycling a ton of phone books, for example, prevents 0.72 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from being produced. But not producing that ton of phone books in the first place saves 1.72 MTCEs, according to the EPA.

Seriously, when will phone book deliveries be optional?