S/o How much trash do you put out each week?

MrsBarkel2B · April 2009

No matter what I've done we still manage to fill up a trash can every week. I'm not even sure what's in it. We recycle but I'm guessing a bunch of it is product wrappings and packaging. I'll have to pay more attention. All you grocery bag of trash ladies from the EF confession post below share your secrets!

papagena · April 2009

It varies - some weeks, there's nothing, and then the following week we'll have 2-3 bags full. (partially, obviously, because we didn't have enough to take out the previous week).

We compost, which has drastically cut down on our trash.

You could to the following challenge to figure out your waste - take a plastic bag/small trash bag around with you everywhere (or everywhere you can) for a week. You'll really start to notice what is going in there and try and figure out ways to live without generating as much waste. I've thought about trying to do this, but am a bit apprehensive of carrying around our pizza takeout box... Embarrassed

johnsoar · April 2009

We fill a bag about every 1 1/2 weeks but that doesn't fill the trash can. I really wish there was the option for once a month garbage pick up.

We do fill the recycle bin every 2 weeks.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug · April 2009

On a bad week, I make about half a bag of garbage before I squish it down; usually, it's closer to 1/3 of a bag. I put out my bag of trash about once a month.

Composting helps a LOT. Buying things in glass and reusing those containers instead of bags or takeout containers helps too. Eating very few processed foods (so no granola bar wrappers or frozen food trays) helps as well. If you haven't switched to using rags or unpaper towels instead of paper towels, cotton scraps instead of cotton balls, and maybe handkerchiefs instead of tissues, that would help your trash as well. Similarly, a Diva Cup or mamacloth instead of tampons or pads will cut down on monthly waste. Also think about freecycling larger items that still have some use value, buying less in general, and being more conscious of the packaging that comes with the things you do buy.

HTH!

nicolehoppe · April 2009

We switched our waste pick up from a quarterly fee to a per bag fee. It saves a ton of money and we put out one large bag every 2 to 3 weeks.

It is still a little more than I like, but now DH and my brother (who also lives with us) compost everything and actually pay attention to packaging before we purchase items in the store. It has been good motivation for us all!

lovebook · April 2009

1 bag that fits into an 11 gallon trash can ... that bag includes any kitchen/bathroom/misc. waste

treesapplaud · April 2009

We fill a Walmart sized bag every week or week and a half. But we have recycling facilities for everything (light bulbs & batteries, soft plastic, city compost which takes things we won?t put on our own pile). Mostly we throw away soft plastic is the bag is too dirty to clean (like the bag the whole salmon came in... not going to wash that out!) or envelopes (as the glue clogs up the recycling machines here (this is area specific, not always true).

Recycle what you can and compost. Then your trash will shrink.

tmp-214118062502913 · April 2009

We're trying to cut down, but we still do two bags a week. I must admit, I do dig through trash to get out any cardboard DH accidently tosses, things like Kleenex and dryer lint to put in the composter, etc. but we still do two average kitchen sized bags a week.

emas · April 2009

We have about a medium kitchen can-sized bag of trash a week. BUT, we are really lucky in that we can recycle just about everything here - so we have about a quarter as much trash as we have recycling - maybe even less.

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