My Recycle Blog

As I write this, I hear my old trash man coming down my street and I snicker. I haven’t taken out trash in about six weeks. (I do actually have trash, but very little. Whenever I go for gas, I take along a small bag of non-recyclables and deposit in the handy trash bins next to the gas pumps. But, I own a Prius and I work from home, so that’s not very often.)

So, it seems I have successfully reduced my trash to a manageable volume — enough that I don’t need to pay a trash man to haul it away. But my recycling volume is enormous! Last week I completely filled my car with bags and boxes — both the cargo area and the back seat. And it got me thinking, while I’m doing good by not loading up a landfill, am I really doing good for the earth if I still have all this waste? Wouldn’t it be better to not need to recycle in the first place?

I’ve taken many measures in the past weeks to reduce even my recyclables. Here are some:

• I bought Tupperware plates to use in place of paper plates. A set of 4 is rather expensive, but they are dishwasher safe and microwavable — and Tupperware has a reputation for longevity. My own cabinets have 30-year old Tupperware products in them. That’s how long I’ve been married.
• I have been building my supply of white, durable and bleachable cloth napkins. Even when I wash all of them together, it’s still just a small load. I hang them outside to dry. (One of those household chores I actually enjoy. Some people like gardening; I like hanging out wash.)
• I also bought some other Tupperware products to help reduce packaging. For example, when I go to the grocery story, I take my own stackable containers along for lunchmeats and cheeses. That way I’m not dragging their packaging trash home with me. And of course, I have a growing stock of grocery totes so I don’t need their paper or plastic bags.
• I am trying to break my addiction to the local dairy’s iced tea and switching over to homemade. That cuts about 4 or 5 gallon jugs a week. I’m still experimenting with my recipe to get it exactly right. But I’m close and it does satisfy my craving.
• I refill water bottles with tap. I live in a place where my water bill is so high it makes almost daily news. One quarterly bill alone was $750. If I have to pay that much for tap water, I’m darn well going to drink it!
• Can’t do much about newspapers. I get my news online, but hubby won’t give up the paper. (There’s no computer in the bathroom.)
• Flavored water bottles, soda cans and beer bottles are the biggest culprits. Hubby drinks the Vitamin Water. We also stock up on canned sodas whenever they are on sale, so we drink a lot of them (diet only!). And someone usually brings the beer and a few staple items on the bar shelves. Friday nights usually generate a lot of recyclables. So do game nights (Phillies!) which are almost every evening. I learned by accident one night after having dental work, that warm decaf tea used as a chaser can help you avoid a hangover in the morning. That’s both cheap and easy on the trash. But there’s no way I’m going to convince my husband or my guests to drink hot tea along with me. Not sure what to do about the cans and bottles. But I’ll work on it.

I am hosting a Tupperware party in August. I’ll think of some more ideas before then.

JJ