Simple Changes

Garbage day in our household has us rushing around the house collecting garbage from various rooms in order to get it out on the street before the garbage truck comes by. Only this past week was different.

After our usual running around collecting, my husband called out from the garage that there just wasn’t enough garbage to put it out on the street. We typically have 1 large green garbage bag of garbage each week but this week we had the equivalent of 2 small kitchen bags which only took up about a third of a large green garbage bag.

We actually reduced the amount of garbage in our household to the point where we didn’t have enough to put out on the street. We, by the way, are 2 adults, 1 teenager and a dog.

Here’s how we did it:

Shopping friendly

• buying items that have minimal or no packaging
• using cloth bags at all stores (except where raw meat is concerned – I’m a bit nervous about that one)
• use whatever plastic bag we do collect for picking up dog waste

Recycling – everything and anything that can be recycled goes into cardboard boxes in our pantry and eventually to the Recycle Depot. That includes:

• all paper products including cardboard, newspaper, advertising, stationary and packaging
• all acceptable plastics and any lid
• metal cans, lids and aluminum pie plates
• all glass jars and bottles
• other stuff such as egg cartons and batteries

HINT: For a handy list of what is accepted contact your local Recycle Depot

3. Composting

• all vegetable, fruit and egg shell waste goes into a small closed bucket under our sink
• once a week that waste goes into our composter in the back yard (more on composting soon)

One of our New Year’s resolutions this year is to find ways to have more and more “no bag” garbage days in our household. I challenge everyone to find it in their hearts to do the same this year. What a gift to the environment that would be!

Originally posted in the Airdrie Echo January 9, 2008

Filed under: Earth | Tagged: Environment, New Years resolutions, Recycle |