Put it where?

We've started a small experiment at our house.

A little background info first. In our family, we're conscious of reusing what we can, recycling, composting and not buying things with crazy amounts of packaging (or things we don't need). I was thinking one day - as the trash truck drove away — how easy it is to throw things in the trash, set the trash can out on pick-up day, and watch that magic truck gobble up the trash and make it disappear.

OK, so it doesn't disappear. We all know that. I think. But isn't it easier to throw things away when you don't have to deal with the end product? Where is "away" anyway as my good friend's bumper sticker asks.

Back to our little experiment. Instead of saying throw it "away" or "in the trash," in our family we've started saying "put it in the landfill." Try it. If you've ever seen a landfill in the middle of an otherwise beautiful landscape — or even if you haven't — I bet you'll stop and re-think your decision. Sometimes I'll forget and say "trash bin" and my son will ask "you mean put it in the landfill?" It stops me in my tracks every time. First because an image of an overflowing landfill enters my mind, but the simple question/statement also forces me to make a conscious decision for an otherwise mindless task.

I do understand that humans are going to create trash, that we need some landfills and that we can't re-use or re-purpose everything. I get it. I also know that I, and most people, can do a much better job of buying only what we need, creating less waste, re-using items and just being aware of our impact on this planet.

I know my Mom's generation and especially her parents' did this without question to conserve resources and to spend less money. Somewhere along the line our society starting over-consuming, overeating, over-doing about everything. Let's, together, reverse that trend. Try this small experiment and remember to put it in the landfill (but not really!)


Action Item: Try to reduce the size of your weekly trash collection. Try my experiment or create your own method. Just cut back a little each week. See if you can produce less trash (and recycling) week to week. I'm still working. I slip up and get lazy at times, but still pushing forward.

Your ideas?: How do you cut back on your waste? Buy less? Re-use, re-purpose, donate?

For Further Reading: How Much Trash Does America Produce?, Environment: Waste Production Must Peak this Century and Trim Your Waste.

It's Magic

Since I mentioned food waste the other day, I am following up with a short article about food waste in restaurants and how you can help. If you have a minute, read The American Meal: The Massive Waste it has Become.

Here's another idea to reduce waste (and save money). Use food scraps to regrow vegetables! Has anyone tried this? It's on my list; I'll keep you posted when I attempt it. I'm pretty bad with gardening, but I think this just might work for me! This graphic came from www.cookingstoned.com (his last name is Stone if anyone is concerned and not intrigued by that name.)

Share Your Leftovers

When Ron was out of town, I noticed how quickly leftovers piled up in our refrigerator. It got me thinking about one- or two-person households and why people sometimes choose not to cook many meals or try new recipes. Though you can reduce a recipe, you can still end up with leftovers galore.

Some recipes you can freeze perhaps, but others you don't want to be eating for days on end. And you really don't want to pull them from the back of your fridge, covered with mold, after a few weeks. Then I thought... how about a Food Share?

We have time shares, job shares, why not a Food Share? You can so easily do this on a small scale. Have a family member close by? A like-minded coworker or someone in your church? Connect with someone and take them your leftovers after making a big batch of soup. And they'll do the same for you when they cook their beloved Indian dish. Win. Win. No food waste, you're not eating the same meal for days and there's at least one night you don't have to cook! Be sure to use re-usable storage containers; we don't want to create another type of waste.

Food waste is a huge problem in our country; a food share can be just another way to limit your waste while eating healthy and helping others. If you can't find someone to Food Share with you, perhaps you know a single parent, elderly person or someone facing challenges in your community... share your leftover lasagna with him or her! Your home may be like ours and leftovers get eaten quickly, but I think we all have times when there is extra food (think parties and holidays).

Does anyone do this already? Let me know how it works and how you got started.


Action Item: Find a Food Share friend today!

For Further Reading: Reducing Food Waste Basics and Share Your Meal (this website looks like a similar idea, but on a larger scale).