Join Me for The Trash Challenge

Hi, Mandi! Very interesting that you posted this because it is something that my husband and I just discussed last night. Today is our “Trash Day” and we opened the trash container last night and there was nothing in it! We usually have one kitchen bag per week with one additional bag per month to cover all of the trash cans other than the kitchen one. We didn’t even fill or one bag this week though. We are pretty impressed with how quicky you can cut down on the trash you produce when you really try. Good luck with your experiment!

Hi, Mandi! Very interesting that you posted this because it is something that my husband and I just discussed last night. Today is our “Trash Day” and we opened the trash container last night and there was nothing in it! We usually have one kitchen bag per week with one additional bag per month to cover all of the trash cans other than the kitchen one. We didn’t even fill or one bag this week though. We are pretty impressed with how quicky you can cut down on the trash you produce when you really try. Good luck with your experiment!

I wonder where our garbage comes from, too! We recycle and reuse, maybe we need to reduce. (Do I sound like a 1st grade going green lesson? LOL!!!) Our garbage is considerably less than it used to be, but still seems like a lot. Sounds like a good challenge and learning experience. I’ll do my best!

I wonder where our garbage comes from, too! We recycle and reuse, maybe we need to reduce. (Do I sound like a 1st grade going green lesson? LOL!!!) Our garbage is considerably less than it used to be, but still seems like a lot. Sounds like a good challenge and learning experience. I’ll do my best!

I’ll join! We have about one bag of garbage/week for our family of 4 but I know we can reduce it.

What I’ve done so far:
Cloth diapers and wipes
Cloth pads
Cloth family wipes for noses/hands
Cloth napkins
Cloth grocery and produce bags
Reuse all glass jars
Reuse netting on garlic or certain fruit (to keep soap bits to keep using by the kitchen sink)
Cloth un-paper towels
Reusable utensils/containers for lunches
Cloth snack bags
Limited amount of packaged/processed foods
Make own cleaning products in repurposed containers (glass jars, spray bottles, etc.)

What we’d like to do:
Recycle more
Compost all natural food waste (we don’t have any meat waste because we don’t eat meat)
Use cloth for ‘number one’ but toilet paper for ‘number two’ (sorry!–TMI)

I’m ready!

I’ll join! We have about one bag of garbage/week for our family of 4 but I know we can reduce it.

What I’ve done so far:
Cloth diapers and wipes
Cloth pads
Cloth family wipes for noses/hands
Cloth napkins
Cloth grocery and produce bags
Reuse all glass jars
Reuse netting on garlic or certain fruit (to keep soap bits to keep using by the kitchen sink)
Cloth un-paper towels
Reusable utensils/containers for lunches
Cloth snack bags
Limited amount of packaged/processed foods
Make own cleaning products in repurposed containers (glass jars, spray bottles, etc.)

What we’d like to do:
Recycle more
Compost all natural food waste (we don’t have any meat waste because we don’t eat meat)
Use cloth for ‘number one’ but toilet paper for ‘number two’ (sorry!–TMI)

I’m ready!

I think we’ve got at least two bags per week here. I’m still not using cloth diapers for my son (with the move and not having my own washing machine I didn’t think I could handle it), so one bag is diapers (yikes), and one bag is usually half full of cat litter. Even the flushable cat litter apparently should NOT be flushed, actually. So, I can’t get rid of the cat litter thing. It’s a good thing we recycle, though – which can be difficult here, because there is no citywide curb-side recycling program (?!? it’s 2009, come ON crazy backward city), and the dumpsters are few and far-between.

Have you heard of the Garbage Project? It’s one of the reasons we know so much about landfills and what people throw out. Created in 1973 by Bill Rathje, an archaeologist from the University of Arizona:

http://traumwerk.stanford.edu:3455/symmetry/174

I think we’ve got at least two bags per week here. I’m still not using cloth diapers for my son (with the move and not having my own washing machine I didn’t think I could handle it), so one bag is diapers (yikes), and one bag is usually half full of cat litter. Even the flushable cat litter apparently should NOT be flushed, actually. So, I can’t get rid of the cat litter thing. It’s a good thing we recycle, though – which can be difficult here, because there is no citywide curb-side recycling program (?!? it’s 2009, come ON crazy backward city), and the dumpsters are few and far-between.

Have you heard of the Garbage Project? It’s one of the reasons we know so much about landfills and what people throw out. Created in 1973 by Bill Rathje, an archaeologist from the University of Arizona:

http://traumwerk.stanford.edu:3455/symmetry/174

Do any of you not have a recycling facility around? We live in rural Alabama in a very small town and our town doesn’t offer recycling. Other than using less, I don’t know what else to do. I really hate it, because I would love to be able to recycle our paper, glass, and plastic.

Whitney’s last blog post…Showcase Seller: LoonSongDesigns

Do any of you not have a recycling facility around? We live in rural Alabama in a very small town and our town doesn’t offer recycling. Other than using less, I don’t know what else to do. I really hate it, because I would love to be able to recycle our paper, glass, and plastic.

Whitney’s last blog post…Showcase Seller: LoonSongDesigns

This is great! We have a much smaller family (my partner, my two cats, my two guinea pigs and me) we produce anywhere between 1 and 4 bags a week depending on who needs to be cleaned.
Here’s what we’ve been doing to cut back:

Reuse Reuse Reuse!-whenever we get something in a jar, especially glass, or a glass bottle we rinse it out to reuse it at our local co-op that has an excellent bulk section.

Buy in bulk-not only does this almost always save us money but we aren’t using as much packaging material (and if we’re getting from the co-op, no packaging!)

Cloth rags and towels for cleaning-it’s more eco-friendly and they usually work a lot better

Re-usable pads-it sounds gross at first, i agree, but now that I’ve switched I could never go back. They are more absorbent and easier to clean than I thought.

Stainless Steel Water Bottles for water-we own two (one for each of us) and every time we go on a trip I take at least one filled with us.

BPA free Water Bottles-I don’t like the water tastes in plastic (I’m weird lol) but I keep these for juice, iced tea, or anything other than water. I usually pack one of these for me as well. We own about 3 or 4 of these.

I also try to donate as much as I can instead of just throwing stuff away. Even if something is broken, I post it on Craigslist (with whatever issue it is) and I’ve always had replies to come get them. There are a lot of people that buy broken electronics, fix them up and sell them.

We both do our best to buy beyond our means. I do partake in couponing and go after sales, but on a very small scale with the things we need and use. I find that by not having too much we waste less.

****

To Whitney:
If you are interested in Reusing items, you should check out crafster.org
They have a lot of really neat projects made from plastic bottles, plastic bags, etc. Hope that helps!
Erica

Erica’s last blog post…Capacitor and Resistor Chandelier Earrings – Upcycled and Uncharged

This is great! We have a much smaller family (my partner, my two cats, my two guinea pigs and me) we produce anywhere between 1 and 4 bags a week depending on who needs to be cleaned.
Here’s what we’ve been doing to cut back:

Reuse Reuse Reuse!-whenever we get something in a jar, especially glass, or a glass bottle we rinse it out to reuse it at our local co-op that has an excellent bulk section.

Buy in bulk-not only does this almost always save us money but we aren’t using as much packaging material (and if we’re getting from the co-op, no packaging!)

Cloth rags and towels for cleaning-it’s more eco-friendly and they usually work a lot better

Re-usable pads-it sounds gross at first, i agree, but now that I’ve switched I could never go back. They are more absorbent and easier to clean than I thought.

Stainless Steel Water Bottles for water-we own two (one for each of us) and every time we go on a trip I take at least one filled with us.

BPA free Water Bottles-I don’t like the water tastes in plastic (I’m weird lol) but I keep these for juice, iced tea, or anything other than water. I usually pack one of these for me as well. We own about 3 or 4 of these.

I also try to donate as much as I can instead of just throwing stuff away. Even if something is broken, I post it on Craigslist (with whatever issue it is) and I’ve always had replies to come get them. There are a lot of people that buy broken electronics, fix them up and sell them.

We both do our best to buy beyond our means. I do partake in couponing and go after sales, but on a very small scale with the things we need and use. I find that by not having too much we waste less.

****

To Whitney:
If you are interested in Reusing items, you should check out crafster.org
They have a lot of really neat projects made from plastic bottles, plastic bags, etc. Hope that helps!
Erica

Erica’s last blog post…Capacitor and Resistor Chandelier Earrings – Upcycled and Uncharged

So glad to hear you’re back to cloth diapers!! I have to start knitting #3 some more shorties here pretty soon. But trash, yes…I think we do a bag every other day. And I too cannot stand the junk mail!!!!!!!!!! (See all those !!!….I mean business!)

Britt’s last blog post…Apple Bread

So glad to hear you’re back to cloth diapers!! I have to start knitting #3 some more shorties here pretty soon. But trash, yes…I think we do a bag every other day. And I too cannot stand the junk mail!!!!!!!!!! (See all those !!!….I mean business!)

Britt’s last blog post…Apple Bread

It’s funny, but I DO wonder how we have so much trash. We are the only house on our street that recycles (we have to pay for that service), yet our trash can is still overflowing with bags every week, while some of our neighbors with the same size families have way less.

It’s funny, but I DO wonder how we have so much trash. We are the only house on our street that recycles (we have to pay for that service), yet our trash can is still overflowing with bags every week, while some of our neighbors with the same size families have way less.

Thanks for the link! Looking forward to following your blog… just checked out your posts and I’m likin’ your style!

Cara’s last blog post…Another use for jar lids: Dip tray

Thanks for the link! Looking forward to following your blog… just checked out your posts and I’m likin’ your style!

Cara’s last blog post…Another use for jar lids: Dip tray