tombrennan.org

You can take these few steps and cut down on the amount of trash you and your house throws out. If you pay for garbage collection, this will help on your bill. If you get a municipal pick-up (aka pay through taxes) this will help the earth.

I have two small kids, a wife, and a dog. Our weekly trash can fit into a tall kitchen bag. That includes the baby’s diaper table waste and bathroom waste. We’re not perfect, but the amount of garbage we get rid of is a lot less than our neighbors.

Here’s a few helpful hints. You can take them, leave them, or go beyond them. They’re just some ideas to get your creative juices flowing on how to cut down on waste.

1) Recycle. I know this sounds silly but people still don’t recycle. Reuse cardboard boxes for tossing in your paper goods and other packages you get at the grocery store.

2) Buy in bulk. Head to the bulk-foods section of your local supermarket. Buying bulk seeds, flour, grains, nuts, etc will cut down on the packaging you find in other sections of the store and may even save you some money.

3) Use cloth diapers. I know this is a big one and not applicable to everyone who reads this. Cloth diapers mean there’s very little waste you create with your little one. The only thing you’re throwing out from you baby is the wipes. You will also save a lot of money.

4) Reuse. There’s no reason why you can’t use regular plates instead of paper in most situations. You can also get cloth napkins and toss them in the wash when the meal is done. In my county 41% of the trash in the county dump is paper goods. Granted that also includes newspaper and such, but I’m sure paper plates and napkins are in there too.

5) Compost. If you through all of your organic waste in a compost heap you will make awesome fill dirt or potting soil for when you work on the yard. You’ll also cut down on the smell associated with a garbage filled with old coffee grinds, egg shells, and the like. Here’s a quick guide on composting (external link)

6) Make your own meals. If time allows making your own meals saves you money (depending how many of you there are) and also cuts down on waste. Throwing out that pizza box or chinese food bag with 4 containers adds to the weekly garbage.

7) Watch out for individual servings. Do you really need to get the “Fridge Packs” that are so common these days? Buying a two liter of soda saves on waste and money. Buying powdered drink mix for the kids stops on the piling of juice boxes in the garbage. Who’s to say that bringing a bottle from home is not cool now with kids. Your kid may be the cool one if they reply to their classmates with, “I’m helping save the planet”.

addpile del.icio.us digg it slashdot