By Victoria Rolfe / Red Hook, N.Y.
I had an exchange with a friend a few weeks ago that got me thinking. I had lost something, looked all over for it, and was wondering if I could have possibly thrown it in the garbage by mistake. The friend was horrified! “Oh no! You will have to root through the stinky garbage to look for it?” That’s when I realized that, although I clearly remember the kitchen garbage bin being an icky, smelly thing, that has no longer been the case for us in quite some time.
Nowadays our garbage consists primarily of packaging from the supermarket and other store-bought purchases. And it totals a small grocery bagful per week. My garbage never needs to be taken out because it is stinking up the joint. But where did all that ick go? I realized that, of course, it came from organic matter. So, what was it that we used to throw in the bin (and many people still do) that we no longer do?
Well, first of all, back in the Dark Ages (before recycling) when we used up a can or jar or bottle of something, we just tossed it in the bin. There was no such thing as washing it out and putting it in the recycling bin. And when we prepared our meals, all the peels and scraps were thrown away in the garbage too. Now they go out into the compost.
And when we cleaned out the fridge, where did all those “science experiments” we found in there go? You guessed it. Talk about stinky! Now we very rarely leave anything in the fridge to turn ugly. We are super careful about eating up whatever is in there before it can turn on us. Waste not, want not! And on the rare occasion that something does get away from us, this too goes directly outside into the compost bin.
This waste not, want not attitude also extends to another common practice that we never do anymore, and that is scraping plates into the garbage after dinner. We only put the amount of food on our plates that we intend to eat, and anything that is left over, no matter how little, goes into a Tupperware to be eaten another time, be it lunch the next day or to be incorporated into another dinner.
One final odiferous item that has been removed from our kitchen entirely is animal products. Since we have evolved into eating a plant-based diet, we no longer have any dairy or meat products that can stink up the trash.
Now, I am not telling you all this just to brag about how sweet smelling our garbage is, but for a more consequential reason. The problem of garbage in this country has become a huge, well…. mess! It is contaminating our land and water and as toxic chemicals leach out of the landfills, into our soil and water supply. And burning it, to avoid throwing it into landfills, is polluting the air we breathe. We are running out of places to dispose of it and options to deal with it.
If you are one of those people who revels in America being #1, then here’s a statistic for you: National Geographic reported in October 2020 that the U.S. leads the world in generating garbage! How’s that for something to celebrate? The EPA reports that America generates 292.4 million tons of it per day. I have seen estimates ranging from 4.5 – 7 lbs. of garbage thrown away per person per day in this country.
A great deal of the waste thrown into America’s trash bins could easily be diverted into other more environmentally friendly outlets as mentioned earlier. Here is a breakdown of what we are tossing into the landfills (from Environmentamerica.org), and what we as individuals can do to alleviate this.
33.7% Food waste and yard trimmings. If you have a home with a yard, there are many options for starting your own home composting system. Choose the one that works best for you. If you live in an apartment, you might find that some municipalities are now offering food scraps pick up, or at least setting up central locations to deposit your scraps for composting.
And with the use of “red wiggler” worms you can even set up a mini compost system right in your own kitchen, known as vermicomposting. This might turn some of you off at first, but believe me, they are very discreet. No one will even know they are there. A friend of mine had a vermicompost system set up in her dining room for many years, and her husband remained blissfully unaware of it. You might even come to enjoy the little critters after a while and view them as environmentally friendly pets.
23.1% Paper and cardboard. If you have a garden, you have the option of shredding these into your compost bin along with the food scraps and yard waste, or using them to smother grass and weeds when you are starting a new bed or walkway. Shredded paper can also be used as mulch. Another option, of course, is to recycle these materials.
25.2% Metal, glass and plastics. These too can be washed out and placed in the recycling bin.
15.1% Rubber, wood, leather, textiles. Depending on what these particular items are, I would say reuse, reduce, recycle them. You can, of course, repurpose old clothes into rags for instance.
From the other end of the spectrum, before your items go on to become trash, think about what you are bringing into your house in the first place. Ask yourself “Is this something that I am going to ultimately be tossing in the trash?” This is especially true for paper products. Use rags, cloth napkins, real dishes and utensils, rather than paper or plastic deposable versions of these items. Try to buy products that come with little or no wrapping. Look for loose fruits and veggies, rather than those wrapped in plastic or in “clamshell” containers. Buy foods in bulk with your own container where available.
Another consumer action you can employ to do your part to reduce trash is to buy used. Get your clothes and household items from thrift shops and tag sales. Look for home furnishings at estate sales and antique shops. There are many websites where you can shop used, and even some “freecycle” sites where things are listed for the taking. When you are through using something consider donating it, rather than throwing it away.
Of course, government can do their part to legislate that companies produce fewer plastic containers and less packaging to market their products in, and I certainly hope someday they will. And recycling legislation and technology surely has much room for improvement, as well. But in the meanwhile, there is a lot that we as individuals can do when it comes to our garbage to help save the environment. I hope you will join me in my crusade to save the world one (less) household trash bag at a time. Thank you!
A long, long time ago, after the birth of her third child, Victoria made the life-changing decision to leave the work world behind and devote herself to being a full-time mom and homemaker. Along with her new title of Domestic Engineer, she took on the role of the Chief Home Economist for the family.
At first, it was scary to try to live on less than half their income, but Victoria found that she not only rose to the challenge but thrived in the enjoyment of learning to live their best life with limited resources. She embraced this new frugal lifestyle of the at-home-mom and went on to add a fourth child to the mix. And their family was complete.
Along the way she acquired a great deal of wisdom in how to not only avoid debt, but pay off mortgages early, buy cars for cash, travel on a shoe-string budget, and send kids to college with no student loans, all while also saving a tidy nest egg for retirement. She currently educates others in these skills through her business Bright Future.
Now living the life of a modern homesteader in the Hudson Valley, New York, Victoria has added gardening to her list of skill sets as she grows many of her own vegetables to supplement her family’s primarily vegan diet. And she has come to realize that this waste-not, want-not, carbon-friendly, sustainable life she is living is not only benefiting her own family but also our Mother Earth, and that each of us has the obligation to live a responsibly sustainable life not only for ourselves, but for the greater good of our community, and our planet. We can all do this one household and backyard at a time. We are the world! And it all begins right at home.
Victoria can be reached at brightfuture2budget4@gmail.com