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environment
February 2008 
Week the 2nd - Waste Reduction
Posted on Feb 5th, 2008
by 
Bobbo
Bobbo
Posted this on my out of Gaia blog last week.Trash from week 2 weighed in at 1.22 lbs - which is nearly 3 lbs. less than last week. Most of the savings came by planning ahead - taking coffee in my own mug - thanks Next Door - and packing a thermos of milk for lunch. Those "to go" cups make a big difference. I've even switched to a mug if sitting in the coffee shop!
Planning ahead makes a huge difference. In all fairness, this weigh in did not include all of the junk mail - like last week. There is a place in town - EarthWorks - that takes mixed use paper for a small fee of $.08 per pound*. They shred it and send it to an outfit that makes some sort of outdoor equipment. Deb says the next step is to "follow our trash" to see where it really ends up! That might take some serious planning.
One thing for certain - this exercise showed me that just thinking about waste makes a huge difference. It effects the choices I make.
*Mixed paper - over the course of 3 weeks - weighed in at 7 lbs.
Access: Public
Hi Bobbo,
Well done you for sharing this fascinating and important project! A model for all. I especially like how you have included source details and contacts, making it much easier for others to follow, lightly, in your footsteps.
Here in the UK we now have recycling centres in most towns and villages (sounds really good but it can often mean just a selection of bins for different waste materials in the corner of a car park). At least junk mail is easy to recycle here, and we don't have to pay either. We also have a policy whereby you can register so you don't receive targetted junk mail at all. However, you still receive the junk mail that is just addressed to “the householder”.
Yes, I would be tempted to rinse milk containers and yog pots to avoid odour! Or better, clean them up, pounch a hole in the bottom and use them as plant containers for starting seedlings! Remember that reducing what we buy in the first place is the best course of action (saves most energy) and re-use comes somewhere between it and re-cycle. Recycling takes energy and hence is really a last resort. Re-use is good and can fire up the creativity.
I too would like to follow the waste trail; apparently, here in the UK we ship a lot of it out to China who are now responsible for recycling something like 40% of the world's paper.
Looking forward to your next instalment!
Hwyl,
Chris