According to a
nationwide study, Louisiana has got a serious need to clean up its act in the
garbage disposal department. LawnStarter has recently published
a study detailing the best and worst states regarding waste management, and
Louisiana has not ranked favorably. With an admittedly pathetic ranking of
20.07 on a scale that goes up to 70.56, it is clear that our waste-disposal
systems are outright ineffective.
However, even though Louisiana was trashed in the rankings, we still didn't
rate at the very bottom of the barrel. A variety of top-five rankings, including fewest large waste
facilities per 100,000 residents or fewest recycling centers on the same
metric, were provided, and Louisiana, thankfully, did not place among any of
them. That said, we also did not place among any of the top fives of good
qualities, which are inversions of the previously mentioned statistics (think,
most recycling centers and the like.)
One of the most cited causes for the recent decrease in
proper waste management is the source of most of our woes in recent months:
COVID-19. The recent lockdown and ensuing health regulations have forced us all
to rely on paper, plastic, and other disposables even more heavily than we
already do. Unfortunately, discarded facemasks or similar items are now a
common sight when walking even a mildly populated street. The increased waste
stream resulting from our largely increased time indoors has only exacerbated
the problem.
Louisiana has made great strides in recent years in waste
management, with recycling regulations and a large number of civil services
aiding the cause. Our entire state has a very consumer-based economy with an
emphasis on food, which will inevitably lead to a large amount of paper and
plastic waste. We just need to figure out how to better dispose of it. Hopefully,
once we get through the pandemic, we can begin to climb the rungs of the waste-management
ladder and ameliorate our currently undesirable placement.
