Waste reduction

In this installment I will be going through two, two day cycles. The first two days I will record and measure household waste. The second two day period I will take additional steps to reduce waste and record and report my progress. This could be a little boring because I think I do a good job already! The following is what I do now, and what I want to start doing.

Waste reduction strategies,

what I already do:

• First I try to reduce consumption, if I don’t need it I don’t buy it (Some exceptions due to subliminal messages) This includes vegetables from the farmers market, no packaging!
• I recycle everything I can. I have three cardboard in which I separate paper, glass/aluminum, and plastic/etc.
• I wash all most of my recyclables to insure introduction into the recycling stream. I pay attention to what is and is not recyclable for city turn in.
• I compost all non-meat, and non-dairy food waste, I make awesome soil!
• I reduce plastic bag usage by using re-usable bags.
• Recycled paper products (toilet paper), I don’t use paper towels.
• I re-purpose everything, if it can still be used for something, I will figure that “Something” out.

Some of the things I need to start doing

• Buy in bulk, re-use containers.
• I want to invest in some rechargeable batteries.
• Do a better job using durable items until they are completely un-repairable. Try not to buy new stuff just because it is neat.
• Buy a sewing machine and teach myself how to sew so I can repair things.

My Results:

- How much waste did you produce during the first three-day period? How much of that was made up of recyclables? What types of items were contributing most to your trash production?

Most of my waste is either junk mail paper, which is recycled or miscellaneous plastic wrappers from food packaging. I usually re-use any plastic bottles or glass jars but still a fair share of plastic containers ends up in the recycling. In there now I have a vegetable oil bottle, a plastic cup from somewhere, and to much random plastic wrappers! For my first period I filled up about an eighth of a paper box in plastic/ random stuff and paper.

- What types of waste-reduction strategies did you find?

I really want to buy into some re-usable batteries! Also I read a cool idea: put a plastic bucket in your shower to capture splashes, then use that to water with. Awesome. Also, I really want to learn how to use a sewing machine, any body want to teach me!?

- Which of the above strategies did you implement? How much waste did you produce during the second three-day period? How much of that was made up of recyclables? What types of items were most difficult for you to eliminate from your waste flow?

I really didn’t change my habits, I could not really find any quick fixes I could make. I feel like I have it dialed in. With myself and my girlfriend (Part-time resident) I produce about one big recycling container full a month, sometimes a bit less. And about one half of a garbage bin. Its amazing how much waste you can reduce by paying attention to what you buy.

- Which of these trash-reducing strategies are you willing to continue?

I will continue with what I am doing. I want to shop at the farmers market more, and buy rechargeable batteries. I think mostly it all comes down to refusing to purchase things that are over-packaged. I wont shop at Trader Joes because they are so bad at over packaging, my tomatoes really don’t need to be in a plastic tray wrapped in plastic, thank you. I can buy those same tomatoes for the same price or less from a local organic farm, all I have to do is make it to the market downtown on Saturday or the sears parking lot on Friday.

NOTE: I reduced this from three days to two days for two reasons, the holidays and my waste output, I was pressed for time and I knew I wouldn’t be able to reduce to much unless I just stopped doing anything!