responding here because it is recent and seems relevant and I don't like making new posts.
Does anyone have suggestions for reducing trash. We have one of the 96 gallon curbside bins that is usually2/3 full and even overflowing if we have a clean "out something" week. 2 adults 3 3 and under and some outdoor animals. Disposable diapsers (I've done the math on the money and time and I'm not changing) which is only 1-2 small trash bags, all cardboard gets used in projects or burned to start bonfires, I know the milkjugs take a lot of room but usually only three a week. We almost never eat out/take out. We are on the path for early fire so we don't buy "stuff." Any suggestions?
Also, we have three little ones so we don't have a good "system" for keeping the compost in the house. I tried having a temporary storage just out the kitchen door, but that lets out heat/ac so thats a no go. Also would need to separate the meat* compost from the veggies stuff. Any personal testimony or ideas?
1. COMPOST: Get a plastic bin for your freezer. I use an old dishwasher pods container from Costco, but any small bucket would do. Put food waste in there when scraping dishes. Dump your Rachel Ray-style cooking "trash bowl" in there at the end of a meal prep session. Take it out to the main bin at your leisure or when full, whichever comes first. Bonus: It doesn't smell and won't get fruit flies. Double Bonus: Freezing and then defrosting may actually help the food break down faster.
AN ASIDE ON MEAT IN COMPOST: If it's a few scraps here and there, don't worry about it. It WILL rot. Cover it with leaves or grass clippings or something else dense and carbonaceous if you are worried about rodents, but really, truly, I promise, it's not the end of the world if some crumbs of a meat casserole end up in the pile. Bones probably should go into the landfill trash until you have reached ADVANCED-LEVEL COMPOSTING.
2. GENERAL TRASH:
A. Do a trash audit. Seriously. Save your trash for a week, take it out to the garage, and sort it into piles. Yes, wear gloves. Yes, there will be some icky stuff. You'll start to see where the leaks are in your system. Oooohhh...we use a lot of those single-serving containers of yogurt, and those are all the plastic produce bags we used to bring fruits and veg from the store, and here's a plastic razor, etc etc. Just confront it all, and then when you are ready, see if there is non-disposable or bulk options for your main trash sources.
B. Get Bea Johnson's Zero-Waste Home book. It will give you PTSD at first, even though she is incredibly relatable and supportive, because it is just such a change. But it is a complete system for producing literally almost no household trash. (She produces
a quart jar a year of trash for the past five years.) She has a blog and an Instagram as well as a book. This is the
Sunset magazine feature on her home from when the book came out. Here is a
clip about her from Morgan Spurlock's Inside Man CNN show. This is my favorite video feature on her from her YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y583QTbetsQC.
Zero Waste Quick Start Guide from paris-to-go.com