Still in the Trash

My last post on the topic of trash was back in January.  I decided to do another inventory.

What is changed from January?

Composting fruit/veggie parings and eggshells. The old joint compound buckets we have left from our basement finishing are great for loading up about half full then moving on to fill the next one. I have enough to hold the compost until it is ‘done’ and ready to go on into the chaos garden. I think my strategy will work even during the colder months!

Small pieces of paper and clean foil. I’ve become expert at collecting small pieces of paper in small boxes and putting the whole thing in the recycle when it is full. When I get pieces of foil that are clean (like on dark chocolate), I collect it into a ball of foil until it is large enough to go into the recycle.

Package avoidance. We have made an effort to stop buying food in packaging that is not recyclable. Microwave popcorn is probably our biggest change. We used to eat a lot of microwave popcorn but buy the plain popcorn now and use a Nordic Ware popcorn bowl to hold it in the microwave (this is healthier too). The CSA has also help reduce packaging - clamshells and plastic that sometimes is too messy to recycle.

So - what is still in our trash?

Packaging from food. Messy plastic or clamshells from meat purchases are the most significant food trash right now; we aren’t buying as much meat but the packaging is always plastic/foil shrink wrap or clamshells that are messy with meat juices. There are small items that are made of recyclable materials but are not allowed because of their size or sharp edges; these include the flip tops from canned goods (the most numerous in our household is from cat food) and straws. I am using up the straws I have on hand then won’t buy more.

Kleenex and paper towels. I am going to try using less Kleenex when I am around the house; I’ve dug out handkerchiefs I’ve had for years to put in strategic places and then into the weekly laundry every week whether they are used or not. I’ve already dramatically reduced the paper napkins we used by keeping a stack of cloth napkins on our table. We don’t use a lot of paper towels; mostly they get used for spills on the floor in the kitchen.  I’ve made the old towels more accessible so maybe we’ll forego the paper towels more often.

Used cat litter. This will always have to go in the trash. It probably already makes up a sizable portion of our trash.