Here are 7 Ways To Minimize Your Trash Footprint
Any idea what to do with these nonrecyclable bits? Now there’s a solution!
Have you been thinking lately, especially after listening to Greta Thurnburg’s recent speeches? Guilty about how much you’ve been consuming and how much you throw away?
I know that feeling. I’ve been on guilt trips to Despairland many times, feeling like a selfish consumer chewing up the world.
You’ve perhaps been afraid as well. Afraid that your life of convenience is pushing your children’s health into a danger zone. You might have felt a twinge of guilt pinching at your heart. For the world that you wanted to keep just as beautiful as you had found it in your childhood.
It’s such a dilemma, isn’t it? You want to give your kids the best that the modern world has to offer for joy and comfort. And also the best of the past. In the middle, you have these garbage bags that you helplessly wish weren’t so full so quickly.
Buying items without a plastic wrapping is a rare find, like these Good Soaps.
Well, there’s hope. With these seven steps, you can cut a good deal of trash out of your way to an almost zero-waste house.
- Buying less stuff, and that too with less packaging: Refusing to buy stuff with fancy packaging needs a dollop of courage and then some practice to battle temptation. That’s all. In a matter of days, it becomes second nature to see them and keep them back on the shelf. Saves both money and time. Let’s be honest, we buy more from the pleasure of buying than a compelling need.
- Buy in bulk refill packs: Large containers take time to finish and can also save on packaging. The smaller the jars and boxes, the quicker they’re done and out. This also saves money — double advantage!
- Ask yourself a few questions: Looking at the item you’re about to toss in the garbage, ask yourself, “Could this be useful to someone else? Could an artist use it at least?” For artists, things don’t have to be new or in one piece. I even donate broken dolls or partner-less earrings to Texas Art Asylum in Houston. I live at the other end of town, but a trip once every other month compensates for all the landfill space it saves. Contact the local school or college’s art department to see what they might love to have from you.
- Go beyond your curbside recycling service: The curbside program doesn’t take all kinds of plastics. Only a few categories of hard plastics — usually #1- #5. However, there are drop-off centers organized by the grocery chains, City offices, and other organizations. You can drop off specific items, like aluminum foil, laundry bags, the not-so-easy-to-recycle plastics, electronics, hazardous chemicals, medicines, glasses, batteries, and books. And much more! It’s safest to call them before you go.
- Start composting in your backyard: It’s the easiest thing to do. Don’t worry about the bugs. They’ll never leave the 24/7 decomposition party to come into your house. There are several things you can add to the compost besides kitchen scraps. Like all-cotton cycle dryer lint, hair and nail clippings, and soggy paper towels.
These Terracycle boxes made of heavy-duty cardboard can hold more than we can imagine.
- The last frontier — Terracycle: If all the above couldn’t dwindle your trash to zero, this company will take in for a small fee your goldfish pouches, washed-out toothpaste tubes and brushes, sugar sachets, and practically anything besides perishable food and batteries. If you order the collection boxes(www.terracycle.com), the last traces of gilt around trash will leave you.
- And there’s the unbeatable urge to reuse: This habit is the ultimate creative savior. It can make any box, pouch, string, or lid wrap in a possible second use, third use, or forever-use in your household. You don’t have to be ingenious. Google, Pinterest, and Facebook have enough reuse ideas. You’ll be amazed how little things can substitute for items you needed to buy. More money and time saved, less trash in your bin.
Shoe boxes and other boxes can add another layer on your book shelf.
Does this seem scary? It seems overwhelming, doesn’t it? At first, I thought I’d never squeeze out the time to do so much. Darned wrong. What started with baby steps picked up speed and went deeper — to the point I began to enjoy the challenge.
Soon, with tons of time saved from not-having-to-shop-around, I was a happy camper right at home, trying out the process.
Wait a few days till each one becomes a habit before you start another one. Imagine how wonderful it will feel when you become a pro to teach others this amazing low-trash-no-guilt lifestyle.
First published at: https://medium.com/@balaka.ghosal/guilty-about-your-garbage-bags-filling-up-too-soon-e4ec6c053589
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