Shrinking Footprint

This is our trash - for a week.

I've always been a recycler and a yard work junkie, so when we moved in to our new neighborhood I was pleased to find out that there was once a week curbside yard waste pick up, garbage pick up, and recycling pick up. It's pretty intricate compared to other places I've lived because without the separation of these things, well in to the trash everything goes for most people.

In the last few months I've decided to start including our banana peels and apple cores in with the yard waste. I'm a yard work nut so there's always pine tree droppings and the like that I get rid of every week. Well now we mix in most food products like egg shells, unused fruit or veg, and things that have gone bad or unused like bread or cheese. 

This has significantly reduced our garbage needs.

We also recycle religiously. Which in itself recycling is a great way to teach your child about materials and identify the associated types and textures of glass, metal, and plastic. And yes, we recycle everything plastic straws, cup lids if we've stopped and gotten a drink on the go. Anything that we can recycle we will.

It leads to an interesting dilemma though. My garbage bag is less than half full for one week of household waste. That parts not the dilemma though. The dilemma is that the garbage bag is mostly filled with plastic bags from product packaging. I dont believe it's recyclable but I need to find out. I suppose I could start collecting it and put it in the bag recycling bins found at some grocery stores - but I dont know if it will be reused or tossed. 

My next quandary is how to dispose of cooking grease in a way that is more friendly. I usually soak it up with paper towels then throw it in the bin. We're not giving up meat, so I need to find a better way to tackle this issue. Bones from meat are also an issue. I know they are biodegradable but because of our neighborhood cats and raccoons, I'm afraid that they'll knock over the garbage and choke on a bone. My innern einer frau just comes out at the weirdest moments....

After watching a video about a zero waste household, which only produced 1 quart of garbage a year - I though, I can do better.

Zero Waste Family

The family also has a blog on blog spot!

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/