It's Earth Week. And I SWEAR that it's just a coincidence, but I have recently become obsessed with changing my habits and living a greener lifestyle. I might be getting a little carried away actually, but that's ok.
A few things have been leading up to this revelation of mine.
1. By example Jason has made me think twice about being wasteful and creating trash. He ALWAYS takes leftover food home from a restaurant and if he doesn't eat it he feeds it to his dog (this, I don't necessarily recommend) or throws it in the field for other animals to eat. He has the luxury of living on 10 acres, so this too I can't recommend for everyone, but it still makes me think. I now just send my leftovers home with him if I'm not going to eat them. He recycles what he can, and all other trash he burns. I can't do the same thing where I live, but I'm much more cognisant of what I throw away these days.
2. I read an article in Yoga Journal titled Carry That Weight that affected me more than anything I've ever read in a magazine. It was short (there's much more info through the URL I posted) and I didn't have my "aha moment" as soon as I finished reading it, but I couldn't shake the message. All week long I was very conscious of everything I threw in the trash. Could I be recycling this somehow? How long does this stick around in landfills? I always reuse my plastic grocery store bags to line my bathroom waste basket and to throw away cat poop...but duh! It still ends up in a landfill that way. I'm not a stupid girl, so why is this just occurring to me now?
3. I was driving behind a garbage truck one morning this week. At the stop sign, the driver got out of the truck to empty a city trash can (the one in front of Boogie Fever for those of you who like mental pictures) so I was kind of stuck behind him. As I was waiting I was looking at the trash in the back of the truck. Not too much was visible...maybe a pile about 4 feet wide by 2 feet tall. Definitely not a full dumpster worth. In that pile I counted 8 plastic water bottles, 5 Styrofoam cups, tons of paper and cardboard. All OBVIOUS recyclables. I was dumbfounded. My mom has been recycling for as long as I can remember. It's second nature to me, and I thought that most other people recycled at least the bare minimum...glass, aluminum, plastic. Apparently not. After doing just a little bit of research after this ordeal I realized I was throwing away things that I could've been recycling, so apparently I have a lot to learn as well.
This week alone I have already made some changes and bought some supplies to start living a greener lifestyle. My first goal is to create less trash. Instead of taking my garbage to the curb every Sunday night, I'm going to try to make it every 2-3 weeks. In addition to the recycling I've always done, I will be collecting my organic materials for compost pickup instead of throwing it in the trash. I already have a hearty collection of banana peels, strawberry tops, lemon rinds, and old asparagus that I forgot to eat. If I can successfully keep my trash dry and odorless, I won't need plastic garbage bags anymore. One step at a time, right?
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Hurray for composting! I use this compost pail in my kitchen, and I line it with these compostable bags. The same site also sells this countertop compost pail, which is prettier than mine (I think) and includes charcoal filters that absorb odors. Empty the pail often enough, though, and you won't have an odor problem. Anyway, I don't know if your city will accept the bags, but they're great. They're made mostly of vegetable oil & cornstarch.
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