Less to Landfills 2021

[parkerk]

I haven't, as I'm afraid of forgetting it's there and turning the oven on.  We are currently without a microwave, so using the oven to reheat leftovers.  It's worth a try though, thanks for the reminder.

I did this once, turned the oven on while I had bread dough in there.  Now I have a little tag that I hook on the oven control knob to remind me not to do that!

Also, when I'm letting my bread sit after shaping for a second rise I just put a big glass bowl turned upside-down over it, sitting on top of a wire rack so there's still a bit of air flow.  Works for me so far, but I do pretty basic breads.

[lazycow]

This week I contacted my favourite (and only) makeup brand via FB and asked if they are considering switching to recyclable containers and got a prompt response saying they have some 'exciting developments coming later this year'. So who knows what that means. I only use pressed powder foundation and eyebrow pencil and this company is 'organic' and cruelty-free and has colours that actually match my vampire-pale complexion so I'd like to stick with them.

Also called my local council to ask if they are expanding their plastics recycling to all the numbers (currently only accepting 1 & 2). This won't be happening unless they find another local provider. Oh well.

Went berry picking and took my own containers. Picked 5kg of organic spray free fruit at half the price anywhere else. Will freeze and that will be a years' worth. If I had bought the equivalent at the supermarket it would have come in 40 x 125g plastic packs. My friend did the same. So a great day out in all!

[ZsaZsa]

Margarita mix bottles are perfect for stockpiling water...sturdy, PET or PETE plastic bottles just like juice. All hail the pandemic cocktail hour! Makes me a little more accountable for exactly how much alcohol has become a part of our routine. Time to switch to some filtered water from the Brita pitcher, maybe with a slice of lime to dress it up a little!

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I've been trying to buy as much stuff in bulk as possible for things I know I will use before they go bad. Mostly I'm just trying to take advantage of the surface area to volume ratio of bulk buys. larger volume items generally use less packaging material compared to smaller sizes of the same product.

I just bought a 3 gallon jug of peanut oil for deep frying instead of buying 3 single gallon jugs. The name brand 3 gallon jug ended up being less per ounce than the the store brand 1 gallon jugs. Double win. Instead of buying individually wrapped cheese bars, I buy a big block of cheese, cut it up, and put the pieces in reusable containers so I can grab them quickly. This uses far less plastic, is less expensive, and I can get more variety of cheese. I buy 18 packs of eggs instead of 12 packs. I buy 1 gallon refills of cleaning chemicals and refill spray bottles. I do this for hand soap, kitchen sanitizer, glass cleaner, degreaser, and bathroom cleaner.

One thing I've noticed some manufacturers doing is shrink wrapping 2 normal size items together to sell as a bulk item. They usually are less expensive than buying the normal sized items individually, but it drives me nuts that they are getting plastic film involved for no good reason. I try to avoid these types of "bulk" buys.

We've been composting food scraps for a long time too. We really only need to take our trash and recyclables to the curb once a month. If it goes out any more frequently than that, it's just to get rid of smelly stuff like meat and fat scraps, not because the can is overflowing.

I've also been in an ongoing battle to eliminate unsolicited catalogs. I've signed up for catalog choice and contacted companies directly to unsubscribe from their mailing lists but it seems like I'm battling a hydra. Every time I get rid of one catalog, 2 more show up from some random company. Catalogs are anachronisms to me. All these companies have websites. If I'm interested in their stuff, they are short google search away. We don't need to get dead trees and the postal service involved anymore.

[Plina]

I've been trying to buy as much stuff in bulk as possible for things I know I will use before they go bad. Mostly I'm just trying to take advantage of the surface area to volume ratio of bulk buys. larger volume items generally use less packaging material compared to smaller sizes of the same product.

I just bought a 3 gallon jug of peanut oil for deep frying instead of buying 3 single gallon jugs. The name brand 3 gallon jug ended up being less per ounce than the the store brand 1 gallon jugs. Double win. Instead of buying individually wrapped cheese bars, I buy a big block of cheese, cut it up, and put the pieces in reusable containers so I can grab them quickly. This uses far less plastic, is less expensive, and I can get more variety of cheese. I buy 18 packs of eggs instead of 12 packs. I buy 1 gallon refills of cleaning chemicals and refill spray bottles. I do this for hand soap, kitchen sanitizer, glass cleaner, degreaser, and bathroom cleaner.

One thing I've noticed some manufacturers doing is shrink wrapping 2 normal size items together to sell as a bulk item. They usually are less expensive than buying the normal sized items individually, but it drives me nuts that they are getting plastic film involved for no good reason. I try to avoid these types of "bulk" buys.

We've been composting food scraps for a long time too. We really only need to take our trash and recyclables to the curb once a month. If it goes out any more frequently than that, it's just to get rid of smelly stuff like meat and fat scraps, not because the can is overflowing.

I've also been in an ongoing battle to eliminate unsolicited catalogs. I've signed up for catalog choice and contacted companies directly to unsubscribe from their mailing lists but it seems like I'm battling a hydra. Every time I get rid of one catalog, 2 more show up from some random company. Catalogs are anachronisms to me. All these companies have websites. If I'm interested in their stuff, they are short google search away. We don't need to get dead trees and the postal service involved anymore.

I had this problem with car related advertisement until  I found the place that sold my info and told them to block my information from sale. The flood of unwanted crap stopped. I don’t know if it works so where you live bit that might be an option.

[Zikoris]

I managed to score a secondhand Kindle for cheap from someone in one of my zero waste groups. It was pretty surprising how few options there were - I checked both Facebook marketplace and Craigslist, and the few options listed were wildly unrealistic - near full retail price for a unit several years old with visible damage. WTF? I was pretty sure I'd need to buy a new one, but thankfully someone had an old one they were looking to get rid of, so that worked out well.

And now we officially have three e-readers for our household of two, two Kindles and one Kobo. And all will get frequent use.

[slackmax]

I notice that a lot of the folks in my neighborhood put out dirty plastic and metal containers in the recycling. So I'm assuming there's a good chance the 'recycling' ends up in a landfill or is dumped at sea.

I cut up the plastic soda 6-pack can rings with a scissors before I put them in the recycle bin, so they don't end up with a dolphin snout stuck in them.
 

[Watchmaker]

I had this problem with car related advertisement until  I found the place that sold my info and told them to block my information from sale. The flood of unwanted crap stopped. I don’t know if it works so where you live bit that might be an option.

Can you expand on how you went about finding out who was selling your information? One of SO's projects right now is trying to stop the flood of catalogues

[Plina]

In this case there was a reference close to the adresstag that I googled. Through that I found the culprit. But I would guess you could ask the one mailing the stuff were they got your info from.

[windytrail]

I notice that a lot of the folks in my neighborhood put out dirty plastic and metal containers in the recycling. So I'm assuming there's a good chance the 'recycling' ends up in a landfill or is dumped at sea.

I cut up the plastic soda 6-pack can rings with a scissors before I put them in the recycle bin, so they don't end up with a dolphin snout stuck in them.

Less than 10% of plastic is recycled (https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/822597631/plastic-wars-three-takeaways-from-the-fight-over-the-future-of-plastics). The industry has known for a long time that recycling is not economically viable. So anytime you buy a single use plastic item, you are better off picturing it in a landfill or the ocean.

Our recycling program in the US is a subsidized green-washing campaign for the plastics industry.

[Arbitrage]

I notice that a lot of the folks in my neighborhood put out dirty plastic and metal containers in the recycling. So I'm assuming there's a good chance the 'recycling' ends up in a landfill or is dumped at sea.

I cut up the plastic soda 6-pack can rings with a scissors before I put them in the recycle bin, so they don't end up with a dolphin snout stuck in them.

Less than 10% of plastic is recycled (https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/822597631/plastic-wars-three-takeaways-from-the-fight-over-the-future-of-plastics). The industry has known for a long time that recycling is not economically viable. So anytime you buy a single use plastic item, you are better off picturing it in a landfill or the ocean.

Our recycling program in the US is a subsidized green-washing campaign for the plastics industry.

Sadly, this.  We only generate about one bag of trash per week, and most of everything else goes in recycling.  However, I'm aware that almost none of the plastic actually gets recycled, so I'm trying to reduce as much as feasible. 

[Money Badger]

I'm afraid we've gone over the deep end on this...  In a word... Composting.   There's a good side and a dark side to this... The good side is we take in our neighbors leaf litter, tree limbs, cardboard grass clippings and horse manure and the garden compost is impressive.   And fire pit nights are amazing and produce potash that's sparingly applied to the compost.

The dark side is nature's natural gas... methane.   But considering the home grown veggies, reduced truck rolls to pick up our organic waste and the lack of energy spent recycling cardboard, it's a win in our minds.   The cardboard is weed barrier and breaks down under a layer of compost in the growing areas or under wood chips in the walk ways.   Even better is our neighbors are on board contributing and getting free veggies and it just perpetuates goodwill in all sorts of ways.   Embrace the compost!

[windytrail]

The dark side is nature's natural gas... methane.   

My understanding is that composting reduces methane production compared to organic waste sitting in a landfill (https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/climate-change/composting-avoid-methane-production; https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument?id=198; https://recycle.com/organics-compost-vs-landfill/).

Of course, you need to compost properly to allow for aerobic digestion. Most achieve this with an equal proportion of "greens" (grass clippings, weeds, etc), "browns" (dead leaves, cardboard, etc.) and food scraps or manure. If your compost is imbalanced -- for example, too much food or manure -- then you will be producing methane, which is evidenced by a rotten smell. A proper composting operation will not smell bad.

I live in an apartment building that lacks composting, so I use the neighboring buildings' green bins. Last year I started building a structure in the backyard for a compost bin and was immediately stopped by the maintenance guy, who complained about the smell it would bring. Another tenant told me she was "horrified" by the idea of a compost bin near hear unit. It's sad that people live in a state of ignorance about how to reduce waste.

[slackmax]

I notice that a lot of the folks in my neighborhood put out dirty plastic and metal containers in the recycling. So I'm assuming there's a good chance the 'recycling' ends up in a landfill or is dumped at sea.

I cut up the plastic soda 6-pack can rings with a scissors before I put them in the recycle bin, so they don't end up with a dolphin snout stuck in them.

Less than 10% of plastic is recycled (https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/822597631/plastic-wars-three-takeaways-from-the-fight-over-the-future-of-plastics). The industry has known for a long time that recycling is not economically viable. So anytime you buy a single use plastic item, you are better off picturing it in a landfill or the ocean.

Our recycling program in the US is a subsidized green-washing campaign for the plastics industry.

+1 about the greenwashing. And how much energy is wasted when folks use hot water to clean the food out of the plastic container, so they can conscientiously then recycle it.  Yep, into a landfill.   So, in this case, 'fake recycling' creates more CO2 than just throwing the darn thing out.   

[Runrunrun]

Any recommendations/success with a face soap bar? I am almost out of my bottle of face wash, and it is my last shower product left for switching to bar versions.

I have somewhat finicky skin so I'm nervous to try something new on my face. My one attempt thus far, was an unscented body soap bar. That did not work for my face at all, over time I noticed a huge increase in clogged pores.

[draco44]

Any recommendations/success with a face soap bar? I am almost out of my bottle of face wash, and it is my last shower product left for switching to bar versions.

I have somewhat finicky skin so I'm nervous to try something new on my face. My one attempt thus far, was an unscented body soap bar. That did not work for my face at all, over time I noticed a huge increase in clogged pores.

I like Earth Drops soap: https://earthdrops.com/.  You might like their "just soap" plain bar. It's a family operation in Indiana and offers great stuff at a lower price than bigger operations with fancier websites and marketing departments.

I've also heard good things about Ethique products but have never used their stuff myself. They sell various trial packs to help you figure out which bars might work best for you (https://ethique.com/search?q=trial) so you could try starting there.

[never give up]

- Buy the weirdest looking vegetables you can find, since most people don't like them and grocery stores end up tossing them. But post pictures of them here before you eat them. I want to see the three-legged carrots in all their glory.

Well this is possibly the weirdest way I've introduced myself to a new bunch of people before*, but I wanted to share my three pronged carrot! It was delicious. This was actually from last year believe it or not. As if last year wasn't crazy enough. A couple of months earlier I had unknowingly bought a potato shaped just like a bottom, but was so excited I devoured that before I had chance to take a photo. I instantly regretted it. When this carrot came into my life I made sure I immediately took a photograph that in turn was promptly backed up in three separate places for maximum safeguarding.

I'm so glad the carrot didn't end up being thrown out and wasted. It is slightly creepy though. It looks like the big one is eating the two little ones. Eek. I never knew if there would be the opportunity to post it and then along came this thread! I can't tell you how happy this has made me.

I definitely aim to minimise food wastage and have mini goals each week to submit the minimum possible amount in the food waste bin (that is at least composted). Minimising food wastage is a great thing. Keep up the good work everyone.

* Yes in conclusion and on reflection this was definitely the weirdest way I've ever done this.

[draco44]

@never give up, I support you and your weird mandrake root / carrot eating! Thanks for sharing the picture.

I sadly don't have a picture to show in return, but my family once grew a lumpy potato with various protrusions that we decided looked like a dancing hippo.  We made a little tutu for it and kept it on the counter for a month or so before eating it.

[Roadrunner53]

I subscribe to Misfits foods and in one of the last boxes I received had the Paul Bunyon of carrots in it. I was supposed to get one lb. of carrots. Well, I guess I did, but it was just ONE carrot! LOL! Biggest carrot I ever saw! I made a beef stew and it went into it!

[never give up]

I like the thought of a dancing hippo potato @draco44, that sounds amazing! As does that huge carrot @Roadrunner53!

[slackmax]

One less used oil filter into a landfill. I kept the old oil filter on my car for the most recent oil change. Hmmm. I wonder if the recycling place takes used oil filters?   

[nessness]

Does anyone who feels like they've been successful at reducing food packaging waste care to share their secrets? Where do you shop? What kinds of things do you buy?

This is the biggest area of struggle for me. It seems like there are so few food options that aren't wrapped in plastic.

[Zikoris]

Does anyone who feels like they've been successful at reducing food packaging waste care to share their secrets? Where do you shop? What kinds of things do you buy?

This is the biggest area of struggle for me. It seems like there are so few food options that aren't wrapped in plastic.

I think this is so dependent on what type of foods you buy and eat. What sort of packaging do you find you end up with the most of? WHat do you buy at the grocery store in a typical shopping session?

[nessness]

Does anyone who feels like they've been successful at reducing food packaging waste care to share their secrets? Where do you shop? What kinds of things do you buy?

This is the biggest area of struggle for me. It seems like there are so few food options that aren't wrapped in plastic.

I think this is so dependent on what type of foods you buy and eat. What sort of packaging do you find you end up with the most of? WHat do you buy at the grocery store in a typical shopping session?

We are vegetarians, and a typical shopping trip might include:
Bread
Tortillas
Peanut butter
Yogurt
Cheese
Milk
Almond milk
Fresh fruit
Frozen fruit
Fresh veggies
Frozen veggies
Canned beans, corn, and tomatoes
Oatmeal
Rice
Cereal
Crackers
Nuts
Rice cakes
Granola bars
Popsicles
Some frozen processed foods (e.g. vegetarian sausage)

The granola bars would be an easy-ish thing to cut out, or at least to stop eating at home and save for when I'm out and about with the kids.

Otherwise, nothing seems too bad on its own, but almost everything on my list includes plastic packaging, and it all seems to add up to a lot.

I think part of the problem is that I do most of my shopping at Grocery Outlet, where they pack most of their fresh fruits and veggies in plastic, and where there isn't always a lot of choice for each product (e.g., they may or may not have peanut butter in a glass jar on any given week).

Another part of the problem is that the above is MY list, but when DH shops he buys a lot more processed food and doesn't prioritize reducing waste, but I'm trying to tackle my own purchases first.

[Zikoris]

Bread
Tortillas
Peanut butter
Yogurt
Cheese
Milk
Almond milk
Fresh fruit
Frozen fruit
Fresh veggies
Frozen veggies
Canned beans, corn, and tomatoes
Oatmeal
Rice
Cereal
Crackers
Nuts
Rice cakes
Granola bars
Popsicles
Some frozen processed foods (e.g. vegetarian sausage)

Good stuff, thanks for such a detailed list. Here's what I would do for those, except the animal products, which I have no clue about as a nearly lifelong vegan.

Bread and tortillas are very easy to make - here are my recipes:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/no-knead-english-muffin-bread/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/flour-tortillas-v-2-0-low-fat/

Peanut butter - I would focus on just getting the biggest container possible, preferably not plastic, and repurposing it once it's empty. One of these days I want to get a grinder and make my own though, because fresh is SO GOOD.

Almond milk - Where I live, they come in cardboard cartons, which I believe is pretty good for recycling (better than plastic). I'm look for that.

Fruit/veggies - I think the key here is to be really flexible and creative with what you buy. Shop based on what's available without packaging, and then meal plan from there. I wouldn't worry too much about the canned stuff - metal recycling is very good as it doesn't break down the way plastic does, and is profitable enough that recyclers don't need to send it to landfills. Buying directly from farmers, either through markets, a CSA, or just direct contact (I have a local frozen blueberry hookup, for example), if a lot easier for unpackaged/less-packaged stuff.

Beans/Rice/Grains - Large cloth sacks of dried beans/rice/grains are generally the best option here. We buy stuff like this 20lbs at a time and reuse the bags afterwards.

Oatmeal - I try to get it in large paper bags where possible, versus plastic.

Granola bars - I would try to make them.

Popsicles - We had a reusable popsicle maker when I was a kid that got HEAVILY used for many years. It was also really fun as a kid to experiment with different flavors.

The rest of the stuff, I would probably just try to get in the largest containers possible, and then reuse them. Also, zero-waste/refill stores tend to have most of the stuff on your list with zero packaging, though they tend to be very overpriced. I'd check any local bulk stores as well for the dry goods.

[Plina]

Here a lot of packaging is based on paper so I prefer to choose those products if I can but I guess that varies between countries. If not possible I try to choose metal or glass, everything to avoid plastic. There are reusable bags for produce that you can make or buy if you can buy produce loose. A lot of time I basically skip the produce bags and these days they are mostly replaced with paper versions. If I can’t avoid plastic for some reason I strive for the biggest packaging possible if I feel that I can eat or use that much.

Cheese you can buy in delies.

For me it took some time to find replacements to my usual stuff.

[nessness]

Thanks @Zikoris and @Plina . It sounds like this partly depends on where you live - for example, I have never seen oatmeal in a paper bag (I buy the big cardboard containers, but they still have a plastic lid and seal) and almond milk only comes in non-recyclable wax-lined cardboard boxes. But still, a lot of good tips.

Currently, it seems that most stores here aren't allowing reusable produce bags or bulk containers due to Covid. For a while they even banned reusable shopping bags, but now you can use those so long as you bag your own groceries.

I definitely need to try making my own almond milk - I even bought a nutmilk bag for this purpose and haven't used it yet.

I actually made sandwich bread this morning and it turned out really good. I'm currently working almost full time, caring for my kids full time, and homeschooling my kindergartner, so I don't exactly have a lot of free time to bake bread weekly, but maybe I could manage it if I used a no-knead recipe.

[Plina]

Thanks @Zikoris and @Plina . It sounds like this partly depends on where you live - for example, I have never seen oatmeal in a paper bag (I buy the big cardboard containers, but they still have a plastic lid and seal) and almond milk only comes in non-recyclable wax-lined cardboard boxes. But still, a lot of good tips.

Currently, it seems that most stores here aren't allowing reusable produce bags or bulk containers due to Covid. For a while they even banned reusable shopping bags, but now you can use those so long as you bag your own groceries.

I definitely need to try making my own almond milk - I even bought a nutmilk bag for this purpose and haven't used it yet.

I actually made sandwich bread this morning and it turned out really good. I'm currently working almost full time, caring for my kids full time, and homeschooling my kindergartner, so I don't exactly have a lot of free time to bake bread weekly, but maybe I could manage it if I used a no-knead recipe.

I have used recipies where the dough is rising in the fridge during the night and you basically dump it on a table in the morning and cut out pieces to buns. The problem with home made bread is that it is delicious so you eat a lot more.

[Mmm_Donuts]

...

I definitely need to try making my own almond milk - I even bought a nutmilk bag for this purpose and haven't used it yet.
...

I am a huge fan of making my own almond milk! I make about 2 batches per week. It's really easy once you get into the rhythm of it. I soak the almonds the night before, then just blend with water the next morning and strain in a nut milk bag. It takes about 5 mins.

The other nice thing about it is you can re-use the almond meal that's left over after straining. I use it in place of almond flour in muffins. It can generally replace half the flour in any quickbread recipe, I've found. No packaging + reusing waste FTW :)

Oh - and it tastes much better than store bought, which is full of fillers. If you ever have to drink store bought after getting used to homemade almond milk, it tastes really chalky. The homemade stuff actually tastes like almonds!

[Arbitrage]

Easy to get rid of all of those plastic yogurt containers - make your own!  The Instant Pot does a fantastic job of it, and I much prefer my homemade yogurt to store-bought.  Granted, you'll be substituting milk containers, but those are much less waste/volume and you could go for cardboard if so inclined.  I've been making my own yogurt for a few years now, eating it for breakfast almost every day.

[bacchi]

<snip>
Bread
Peanut butter
Oatmeal
Rice
Cereal
Nuts

Is there a co-op nearby that has bulk items? A baker that sells loaves without a bag?

[nessness]

<snip>
Bread
Peanut butter
Oatmeal
Rice
Cereal
Nuts

Is there a co-op nearby that has bulk items? A baker that sells loaves without a bag?

There is a store near me with a large bulk section, but they don't currently allow you to bring your own containers, so I still end up with a plastic bag or container, which isn't necessarily better. Although at least I can reuse the bags for pet waste, so maybe still an improvement.

No bakeries that sell bread without bags that I'm aware of, but I could look into it more.

[draco44]

...

I definitely need to try making my own almond milk - I even bought a nutmilk bag for this purpose and haven't used it yet.
...

I am a huge fan of making my own almond milk! I make about 2 batches per week. It's really easy once you get into the rhythm of it. I soak the almonds the night before, then just blend with water the next morning and strain in a nut milk bag. It takes about 5 mins.

The other nice thing about it is you can re-use the almond meal that's left over after straining. I use it in place of almond flour in muffins. It can generally replace half the flour in any quickbread recipe, I've found. No packaging + reusing waste FTW :)

Oh - and it tastes much better than store bought, which is full of fillers. If you ever have to drink store bought after getting used to homemade almond milk, it tastes really chalky. The homemade stuff actually tastes like almonds!

If anyone needs another boost re. making your own almond milk, I did this for the first time last week! I don't even own a designated nut milk bag. I just used a clean white t-shirt that was on its way to the scrap pile. I held it over a bowl and poured the blended soaked almonds through it, then bunched the shirt up to squeeze out the rest of the liquid.

Honestly, I don't know how regularly I will make almond milk in the future but it was an interesting experiment and easier than I expected. I used this recipe and halved it because I didn't want to waste a lot of almonds if I somehow failed: https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/ I feel good about having learned something new.

[meadow lark]

Hipsail, have you tested to make sure you need a facial cleanser?  I know everyone’s skin is different but I am able to just use water, unless I wore make-up, then I use lotion or coconut oil to wipe it off with, then water.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

What stores are the best places to find grains/spices/etc. in bulk containers? I struggle to find any of these things you guys are mentioning in bulk, but it would be nice.

[windytrail]

What stores are the best places to find grains/spices/etc. in bulk containers? I struggle to find any of these things you guys are mentioning in bulk, but it would be nice.

In the US these stores are often called such names as:
- Organic market or co-op
- Natural foods
- New Leaf
- Earth Origins
- Granary

Whole Foods has a decent bulk section. These stores have often closed their bulk sections during the pandemic, but hopefully they will open up soon.

[Morning Glory]

I added a little curry powder to my homemade salad dressing this week. Yum!
I need to stop making bread because I like it better than bread from the store and then I eat a lot more of it.-good for the planet but bad for the waistline I guess.
We are still working on our pantry cleanout so grocery spend has been very low so far this year, pretty much just eggs and produce now that the kids stopped drinking milk. I keep forgetting to go to the farmers market on Sat mornings but I want to make that a regular thing after we downsize. I have previously done a lot of gardening and canning but I want to take a break from that.

This year we might end up sending more to landfills as we clean out our closets and outbuildings in preparation to downsize. We are doing our best to give away or recycle what we can, but there are a lot of things that should have gone to the landfill years ago that are just lying around. I found a stack of very old styrofoam egg cartons in the garage yesterday and had to throw those away because recycling won't take them.

 This weekend we got the truck loaded with scrap metal to recycle, and I sold a few items on marketplace too!  I can actually see empty space in the barn now.

[WanderLucky]

Just found this thread! Good stuff.
A few more tips: Oat milk is even easier and cheaper to make than almond milk. We finally started making our own once we realized the tetra pack style packaging couldn't be recycled here. We buy our oats in bulk from Smart Food Service in a large paper bag package, put the oats and water in   a jar (I use an old large Adam's peanut butter jar), and blend with a hand blender I got from Good Will. I usually strain with a cheese cloth and use the spent oats in baking, but sometimes my partner will just leave the oat chunks in it (it gets slimy after a few days if you don't strain it though).
We also started making our own granola, which is easy - still plastic packaging to buy the raisins and nuts in bulk but they last a long time.
I also started using bar shampoo (the Trader Joe's one is decent), but still looking for a conditioner bar that doesn't make my hair greasy.
I also switched to using Native deodorant in the cardboard and bought some compostable dental floss in a glass tube.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

Just found this thread! Good stuff.
A few more tips: Oat milk is even easier and cheaper to make than almond milk. We finally started making our own once we realized the tetra pack style packaging couldn't be recycled here. We buy our oats in bulk from Smart Food Service in a large paper bag package, put the oats and water in   a jar (I use an old large Adam's peanut butter jar), and blend with a hand blender I got from Good Will. I usually strain with a cheese cloth and use the spent oats in baking, but sometimes my partner will just leave the oat chunks in it (it gets slimy after a few days if you don't strain it though).
We also started making our own granola, which is easy - still plastic packaging to buy the raisins and nuts in bulk but they last a long time.
I also started using bar shampoo (the Trader Joe's one is decent), but still looking for a conditioner bar that doesn't make my hair greasy.
I also switched to using Native deodorant in the cardboard and bought some compostable dental floss in a glass tube.

Do you add anything to the oat milk? I'm curious about exploring it because a family member is allergic to raw almonds.

[WanderLucky]

I usually add a pinch of sea salt and sometimes add some vanilla extract, but neither of those are necessary.
https://minimalistbaker.com/make-oat-milk/

[Cassie]

Divorced my husband and in my quest to empty the house for sale I had a moving sale where everything was cheap. Sold most everything. Then I put everything else for free in the front yard. Sadly we filled a huge trailer load for the dump and will fill another. Not one item in the trailer was mine.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

I'm going to have much less to the landfill in 2021, but I'm really sad about it. I've been gifted quite a bit of food over time that was going to be thrown away because of dates, and that era is now coming to a close. It was a lot of single-serving things like jerky, milk, etc. etc. so lots of packaging, but it was completely free, and we were salvaging it from true waste. So in summary, we'll be taking less trash to the landfill, but I'm sad about it, and it's even going to be a net loss environmentally because I'm pretty sure the stuff is now truly going to go into the trash: food and all :(.

[bloodaxe]

I've discovered that making my own nut butter is far easier than I realized. My cheap food processor is capable of creating peanut and cashew butter in ~3 minutes.

~20 minutes for almond butter.

[Morning Glory]

Divorced my husband and in my quest to empty the house for sale I had a moving sale where everything was cheap. Sold most everything. Then I put everything else for free in the front yard. Sadly we filled a huge trailer load for the dump and will fill another. Not one item in the trailer was mine.

We took a truckload to the dump while in the process of cleaning up our farm before we put it on the market. None of it was mine either. They have waste to energy here so it doesn't get landfilled. We also sold a ton of things, donated or gave away a bunch more, and took in four truckloads of scrap metal for recycling. Next step is to have a garage sale and make everything free the last day.

[SAfAmBrit]

I've also been in an ongoing battle to eliminate unsolicited catalogs. I've signed up for catalog choice and contacted companies directly to unsubscribe from their mailing lists but it seems like I'm battling a hydra. Every time I get rid of one catalog, 2 more show up from some random company. Catalogs are anachronisms to me. All these companies have websites. If I'm interested in their stuff, they are short google search away. We don't need to get dead trees and the postal service involved anymore.

We have managed to eliminate our junk mail and unwanted catalogs - we now receive about 2 items a week in the mail - I opt for online billing. https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ - you have to pay $2 - best $2 ever spent!

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I've also been in an ongoing battle to eliminate unsolicited catalogs. I've signed up for catalog choice and contacted companies directly to unsubscribe from their mailing lists but it seems like I'm battling a hydra. Every time I get rid of one catalog, 2 more show up from some random company. Catalogs are anachronisms to me. All these companies have websites. If I'm interested in their stuff, they are short google search away. We don't need to get dead trees and the postal service involved anymore.

We have managed to eliminate our junk mail and unwanted catalogs - we now receive about 2 items a week in the mail - I opt for online billing. https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ - you have to pay $2 - best $2 ever spent!

I'm glad to hear your junk mail has mostly stopped. Our junk mail has started to slow down but there are still a few stubborn companies that won't stop. Cable and ISP's in my area are constantly sending junk. I might have to check that link :)

[Chaplin]

Great thread, thanks! I've always been interested in improving on this front and FIRE has helped me dive into it more.

Transfer Stations

I've seen a few comments about things that can't be recycled so they get thrown out. This will vary by region of course but there may be a transfer station that will either recycle or dispose properly of items that can't go in curbside recycling. I saw Styrofoam egg containers mentioned above. Our local transfer station will take Styrofoam (food packaging as well as shipping protection material) among many other things (electronics, paint, scrap metal, etc.) that can't go into curbside recycling.

Offsetting via Direct Action

The idea of offsets, like carbon offsets to has been hotly debated. Is funding some dubious scheme to reduce carbon to ease your conscience about flying, for example, really accomplishing anything? It might be possible with plastics though. Let's say you have reduced your plastic consumption to impressively low levels and the opportunities to go further are getting more and more unrealistic. You could offset that remaining amount by picking up trash and recyclables in your neighborhood, even if the trash ends up in a landfill, that's far preferable to having it end up in waterways or the ocean. I mention it because this has become a hobby (I have weird hobbies). It started in the last few months of work before I left my job - it was therapy more than anything, but I've continued. I find it rewarding, relaxing, and a great time to listen to podcasts.

[rockeTree]

Hah yeah if you live in a place with a lot of litter this is one of my uses for/ways to tell my self I have made up for accumulated larger plastic bags - I go out with two and fill one with trash and one with recyclables from the park nearby. Sadly this generally takes well under an hour, but hey, at least it's not headed into the waterways any longer.

[draco44]

Made my first trip to a zero-waste oriented store that recently opened in my area. I had saved up a bunch of empty jars for the purpose and was excited to check out how everything worked.

They let you use your own containers and have a programmable electronic chip tag system for you to weigh and label each container with a tag before filling it. Then as they check you out at the register, they take the tags off each container to be reprogrammed for use by the next customer. I liked this system and hadn't seen it before. Previously I've only seen the strategy from the bulk section of some grocery stores where you write a product number on a twist tie or sticker and then quickly accumulate a bunch of tags you didn't want. The store is unfortunately far away enough that I need to drive there, but I could see going again if I have other errands nearby. You also need to watch the prices. I think the store is still figuring out their inventory.

[Plina]

Great thread, thanks! I've always been interested in improving on this front and FIRE has helped me dive into it more.

Transfer Stations

I've seen a few comments about things that can't be recycled so they get thrown out. This will vary by region of course but there may be a transfer station that will either recycle or dispose properly of items that can't go in curbside recycling. I saw Styrofoam egg containers mentioned above. Our local transfer station will take Styrofoam (food packaging as well as shipping protection material) among many other things (electronics, paint, scrap metal, etc.) that can't go into curbside recycling.

Offsetting via Direct Action

The idea of offsets, like carbon offsets to has been hotly debated. Is funding some dubious scheme to reduce carbon to ease your conscience about flying, for example, really accomplishing anything? It might be possible with plastics though. Let's say you have reduced your plastic consumption to impressively low levels and the opportunities to go further are getting more and more unrealistic. You could offset that remaining amount by picking up trash and recyclables in your neighborhood, even if the trash ends up in a landfill, that's far preferable to having it end up in waterways or the ocean. I mention it because this has become a hobby (I have weird hobbies). It started in the last few months of work before I left my job - it was therapy more than anything, but I've continued. I find it rewarding, relaxing, and a great time to listen to podcasts.

Some companies are adding a carboncost to their travel. So if you fly to destination A they add an additional cost to your ticket. If you on the other hand take the train their is no cost. The funds are then used to finance carboncutting incentives within the company.