6 January 2020: No Trash

I think all of us should try hard to make the world a better place through our actions. Even if our contribution seems trivial, it contributes to the whole, and what we do may be the “grain of sand” that topples a sand pile.

For the past several years, I have been a “no trash” or almost no trash household. I recycle and compost almost everything that would otherwise go into the trash. This saves the city money, saves me taking out and bringing back garbage cans and reduces the need for landfills.

This is what I do:
* Put a paper bag by my desk - most mail goes here after I read it.
* Styrofoam: I avoid. I take plastic containers to restaurants and use them for leftovers. Unlike styrofoam, it does not leak. I wrote to Trader Joe’s and afterwards they changed the styrofoam in their Persian cucumbers to cardboard. When I do get styrofoam, I take it to SOCCA, https://www.socrra.org/, on my bike if I can, during my visit every 2-3 months.
* I have a metal pot in my sink that I fill with food scraps, and empty into my compost pile in the backyard as needed.
* I put plastic containers, cardboard and metal into my recycling container in the garage almost every day.
* I bring my own bags to the grocery store. I leave them in the car so I don’t forget.
* But I still get a lot of plastic bags (I am working on this). I put them into a big plastic bag in the garage daily, and when the big bags accumulate, take them to SOCCRA.
* Used batteries go to SOCCRA (I don’t have many of them).
* I don’t use paper napkins or paper towels. I use cloth, some designated as rags for the floor or other cleanups.
* I avoid paper plates. Yes, it’s more work to wash dishes, but I just think of the trash I am avoiding.
* I try not to buy products with too much packaging.
* Anything I throw away I scrutinize to see if I can recycle or otherwise avoid
* My office has paper recycling, but I have started to take cardboard, metal, glass and plastic home to recycle (there is not much).

Here’s what I toss:
* Dental floss (there is biodegradable silk dental floss but it tends to break for me when using it).
* Small pieces of hard plastic.
* The mixed plastic lining at the bottom of containers with berries.
* Clothing that I cannot donate or use for rags.

Let me know how you reduce your trash!