View Full Version : Garbage: How much do you create?
RoseQuartz
5-26-16, 12:21pm
.
Ultralight
5-26-16, 12:23pm
I try to create no more than one new landfill per week. I am a conservationist! ;)
I guess we need to know what size garbage bag you mean. We use just grocery sacks. We compost daily, recycle (once a month and it's 4 rubbermade boxes full 25 gallon size), and fill 6 33 gallon size trashcans with those grocery sacks in about 6-8 weeks or more which we then take to the dump ourselves for $5.00 total. Thats for 2-4 people. Boys are both home for a couple months.
RoseQuartz
5-26-16, 12:41pm
.
Ultralight
5-26-16, 12:43pm
I have seen some videos of people going through their zero waste lifestyle. And it is mind boggling how it can be done.
Ok, my garbage can itself is 32 gallons, and my garbage bags are 13 gallon bags. Usually we use 3 per week which fills the can more or less.
I think anyone who only sets out one can of garbage per week is doing great by American standards. I'm amazed at most of my neighbors who get two of those huge cans (unsure the size Maybe 65-80 gal) that the trash company owns, then they pile another 2-4 regular 32-33 gal size cans around them. Every stinkin' week. I do have one neighbor who sets out one walmart size grocery sack of trash weekly. The trash company recently made him start using that same 65-80 gal can. I feel so sorry for him every week (he is in his 90's) dragging that big can out. I'm fixing to have DH go talk to him and see if we can just pick up his bag every week ourselves and add it to our trash. No reason for him to pay $50something a month.
sweetana3
5-26-16, 12:52pm
Float on: That would be a lovely thing to do. Our neighbors told us to use their recycling bin (we have to pay to get one here) because there was plenty of room. We share another neighbor's newspapers with to groups who recycle (after two families read them). Neighbors who work together are nice to have.
Teacher Terry
5-26-16, 1:00pm
Float on : you have to check and see if it is legal not to pay for garbage. When we had 2 homes and one was empty I had to pay-county/city law. We fill our recycling bin which the company provides and it is big every 2 weeks. Garbage is about 2-13 gallon bags/week.
Float on : you have to check and see if it is legal not to pay for garbage. When we had 2 homes and one was empty I had to pay-county/city law. We fill our recycling bin which the company provides and it is big every 2 weeks. Garbage is about 2-13 gallon bags/week.
We are outside city limits. No requirements. Inside the city limit it is part of their sewer/water bill. No curbside recycling, anyone who wants to recycle has to take it to the recycle center.
Chicken lady
5-26-16, 1:58pm
We are not required to have trash service, BUT I was told by the trash collection company that it is illegal to share trash service. Even though we have 6 can a week service and don't put our can out every week.
lately we have been using the trash service - we are building an addition without a dumpster, so ALL the non-recyclable, non wood waste is going in those 6 cans a week (including shingles). We have three cans to go up thus week and one is just the sticky plastic film from the new windows.
i'm thinking about cancelling the trash service once the addition is done and dd moves out for good and just taking our little plastic grocery sack of garbage with me when I leave the house - I could throw it out at the gas station, the grocery store - from which I bought most of it, the waste basket in my classroom - where they remove and replace the bag every night even if there is just a broken pencil in it, tons of places really, without exciting comment.
Teacher Terry
5-26-16, 3:08pm
When I worked for the state they would empty the trash with new bag if 1 thing was in it. In my testing room I would be careful on the days I didn't have clients not to use it myself since it was such a waste.
You know the plastic bags at grocery stores? We use that for a garbage bag. We do not fill it each week. (I use cloth bags but I take these bags from the recycle bin at work).
Our minimum size garbage bin is 50gallons. We put it out each week because of cat box contents. otherewise we would put it out maybe 3-4x per year?
We recycle everything possible. We have a compost heap in the corner of the backyard.
We're doing a super duper deep cleaning at the cabin today. I'm throwing out 2 small throw rugs that have huge holes in them. I'm suddenly not OK with all the holes. So that will add some substantial size to the garbage can. I washed the rest of them and they are in great condition.
I always wonder what on earth people have that is garbage? A house down the street puts out 2 bins every week and they have the ginormous size offered. I look in ours each week. a few qtips, a few kleenex, plastic packaging from products (such as from tortillas, carrots, the sealing top from a carton of sour cream and yogurt), slivers of fabric scraps too small to use for anything......that's what made up this week's 2qts of garbage....
We have one 13gallon bag of landfill every two weeks for two of us, not counting kitty litter for the first week. (SO gets annoyed because it makes the trash can smell, so i carry the litter directly to the bin in the garage when the trash can in our kitchen is almost empty.). Probably 50% of our waste goes into the compost and recycling bins but i dont have an easy way to measure since i carry these down to the bins every day or two.
We dont pay it since we live in an apartment building but san francisco charges a flat rate for the landfill bin. Higher for a big bin, less for a smaller (probably 30 gallon) bin with weekly pickup. Recycling and compost bins are free and big to encourage their use.
I love the curbside compost pickup. Businesses like restaurants divert massive quantities to it. For instance SO's hotel diverts 24 compost bins PER DAY out of the landfill.
DW and I create maybe 10 gallons of landfill waste a week -- probably less since I learned through bitter experience not to mash down on garbage. We do compost heavily and recycle another 10-12 gallons a week -- mostly DW's Sunday newspaper and cooking containers (cans, jars, etc.). We also collect for recycling what I call "specialty garbage" -- building materials we can recycle with Habitat for Humanity or a thrift store that takes it; polyethylene bags (not recyclable curbside but recyclable at most grocery stores); metal (for the guy a few blocks away who recycles it for the $$); etc.
Our trash over the past week or so has increased as DD, DSiL, and DG moved in -- their food containers, diapers, baby wipes, etc. We used to have a day care in the neighborhood that filled a 75-gallon can to overflowing every single week, with diapers, used paper towels, food containers, broken toys, ...
We buy and recycle much differently, I think, than most people do -- I have no problem buying one 28-ounce can of tomatoes instead of two 14-ounce cans and prefer to buy food in glass rather than plastic; I don't put produce in a plastic bag if I'm going to peel it anyway; I carry my own bags (even to the hardware store or other places); and I'll take things apart to recycle what I can of them. I am convinced that most people don't (want to) go to that much trouble. Into the bin it goes.
catherine
5-27-16, 10:17am
I love the curbside compost pickup. Businesses like restaurants divert massive quantities to it. For instance SO's hotel diverts 24 compost bins PER DAY out of the landfill.
That's fantastic. I'd love to see that spread to all municipal waste services. As for us, we have less garbage than we used to. But our recycling (cans, glass, aluminum, plastic) is maybe one large can and one 13 gal can per week. I know it's recycled, but I still prefer the "refuse" part. I regularly make ice tea from scratch, and I drink water out of my refrigerator door, but DH likes bottled drinks like Vitamin Water and occasional Diet Pepsi.
But we do compost all our kitchen scraps and some newspapers etc. I LOVE composting. We will be spreading our latest batch into our new raised bed this weekend. Yesterday's banana=tomorrow's tomatoes. Nothing better than that! And you guys were the ones who helped me.. I remember after I took my permaculture course I asked you guys about putting dog poop in the compost and you shut me down quick on that (Actually, I think it was iris lilies). I was such a compost newbie!! But now I love dirt as well as dirt-to-be.
RoseQuartz
5-27-16, 1:10pm
.
Gardenarian
5-27-16, 1:18pm
We have about 1/2-2/3 of a bag of garbage per week - hard to measure because I don't use garbage bags.
We have curbside recycling for plastic, paper, and glass, and our recycling bin (which is the size of an extra large garbage can) is usually about half full.
We compost food waste.
I've started making logs from our newspapers (I can't give up the newspaper habit - don't want to!) We have burned some in our outdoor fireplace and I will take other with me when we go camping this summer.
I have 4 people in my house and we create .75 bags per person per week. And we fill a recycling tote up usually all the way every 2 weeks. I think that's a lot of garbage and I want to try and reduce it.
Anyone care to share how much garbage your household creates per person?
I really want to do better at this. My mom lives alone and fills 2 small garbage cans every 6-8 months which she then drives to the dump herself, so I know I can do better.
too much for us. About four 30 gallon bags. Most of which is paper or cardboard.
When we were children living outside town one of my chores was to gather all things that would burn
and burn them in a 55 gallon drum. That left my dad only having to deal with glass and metal.
Food scraps went to animals.
too much for us. About four 30 gallon bags. Most of which is paper or cardboard.
When we were children living outside town one of my chores was to gather all things that would burn
and burn them in a 55 gallon drum. That left my dad only having to deal with glass and metal.
Food scraps went to animals.
I remember those old incinerators. We had one in our back yard.
Sounds like you don't have a recycling program in your town--if you did you'd be able to recycle all that paper.
On another note, I've noticed that one of the "occupational hazards" of being a composter is seeing everything in terms of "brown" or "green." I comb my hair and want to save the hair that winds up in the brush. The township mows the lawn without a bag and I want to go around collecting the grass that dries in the sun. I spend time crushing eggshells, chopping old vegetables, tearing cardboard egg cartons into little bits. I harvest pine needles off of old Christmas wreaths. It gets to be compulsive.
Ultralight
5-27-16, 2:43pm
too much for us. About four 30 gallon bags. Most of which is paper or cardboard.
When we were children living outside town one of my chores was to gather all things that would burn
and burn them in a 55 gallon drum. That left my dad only having to deal with glass and metal.
Food scraps went to animals.
We had a burn barrel back when I was a kid. It was in the backyard. One of my chores was burning the trash -- paper, plastic, rubber, etc.
Your answers are all very intriguing. Especially you Gardnr, what on average is in your garbage? I wonder what specifically low garbage people buy at the store that's so different from a higher level garbage producing family?
I know some is buying from bulk bins etc. I have anaphylactic allergies so that for me is a no-go, but I'm always looking for new ideas.
Hello, I described above. It's a few qtips and kleenex (not sure why I don't go to hankies but I don't), the occasional bag tortillas come in, carrot bag, bag from potatoes...that's what is in this week's so far. and of course, the catbox detritis. Today will add the packaging from 1# organic chicken breasts and the foil wrapping from a lasagna serving frozen awhile back.
This morning I emptied a dish soap bottle and bathroom cleanser bottle-those will go in recycle while the lids go in the garbage (not recycleable).
It is CSA season so most of our veggies come from there. i bring them home in cloth bags. i reuse and reuse and reuse plastic baggies from the produce aisle so nothing new there. I buy Debblies' green bags for produce as much as possible. They really work! https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=debbie%27s+green+bags&tbm=shop
We take our lunches most every day-leftovers in reuseable containers.
We put far more volume into compost than garbage. Today's dish contains: 3 egg shells, ends of onion and we'll add some spinache stems, turnip stems and roots, mustard green stems before the weekend is over as well as my coffee/filter daily.
We buy very little food in boxes or bags.
not sure why your allergies prevent bulk bin buying? Are you concerned with contamination? If yes, most stores will sell you the full bag of items they use. If you have a high use product sold in bulk, go this route. Save a whole lot of plastic packaging and money!
iris lilies
5-27-16, 9:57pm
We generate rather a little lot of trash. I'm not happy about it, but there it is.
milk jugs for instance. Two and three gallons a week we pitch. Wine bottles.. Cans of tomatoe sauce. Sacks of used cat litter.
Now, we do compost everything that can be composted or we would have hideous amounts of garbage.
We have a 35-gallon container that is picked up one time a month.
I commented previously, but the internet ate it...
We generate just about one 13 gallon size bag of trash weekly. There are two adults and two dogs in my family. We fill the recycle bins at least bi-weekly, if not weekly. Hubby does not actively recycle, and I've been known to go behind him and pick stuff out of the trash to recycle. Part of his disenchantment comes from occasionally seeing one trash truck driver take ALL the curbside stuff - garbage, recycling, lawn waste and even used oil. Sigh. I guess some times they don't have enough staff to run three trucks on the route.
We used to compost, but don't any longer. Unfortunately I found it attracted too many bugs and bad wildlife.
Miss Cellane
5-28-16, 8:19am
I live alone. My city requires trash to be put out in special trash bags--15 gallons or 30 gallons. You pay for the trash bags--a 15 gallon one is $1.50--and curbside recycling is free.
My garbage is mostly cat litter, food scraps and food containers. I fill up a 15 gallon bag every two weeks. Recycling goes out weekly. I'm in the middle of a project to get rid of the huge amounts of paper in my house, so I'm half-filling the 30 gallon recycle bin with paper every week. We can recycle pretty much everything, so the bin is 3/4 full or full pretty much every week.
The cat litter I use claims to be flushable, but this house is 120 years old and I don't trust the plumbing. It's a small apartment and I have no way to compost. Buying in bulk doesn't work for me; I just can't eat the food fast enough. So I think I've reduced the trash as much as I can, and I focus on other ways to help protect/save the environment.
milk jugs for instance. Two and three gallons a week we pitch. Wine bottles.. Cans of tomatoe sauce. Sacks of used cat litter.
Maybe I missed it earlier in this thread, but they don't recycle where you live? Since we don't have a cat, I've never researched the recyclability of cat litter, but here we can recycle all of that curbside. I thought that recycling was far more common in metro areas.
On another note, I've noticed that one of the "occupational hazards" of being a composter is seeing everything in terms of "brown" or "green."
DW thought I was up a tree when I took the lint from the dryer and put it in our composter. Browns is browns....
DW thought I was up a tree when I took the lint from the dryer and put it in our composter. Browns is browns....
Exactly!
DW thought I was up a tree when I took the lint from the dryer and put it in our composter. Browns is browns....
I always put dryer lint in the compost:~)
I had never thought about dryer lint. I'll have to start doing that.
I'd not thought of dryer lint either!
I am impressed with how little garbage you folks generate! I am in the one large bag a week category. I'm starting to rethink kitchen compost, but have had issues with skunk and raccoon in the past and would like not to attract them. I do have a pile for yard and garden compost. In addition to regular house trash I have what would be called a mature landscape and most days during the warm months I have another large bag or two of some sort of yard debris with sticks, branches and the like. There is a great recycling center near-by. They employ a lot of disabled people and take about anything that might possibly be recycled. One of their signs says, if it has a cord, we'll take it.
A friend actually discontinued his trash service. I could see where this would be doable with some shopping planning and a little extra work, but would probably still have to make a midnight run to some big box store roll-off dumpster every few weeks. It's not on my priority list right now, but could make an interesting challenge some day.
Just wanted to add: like some have posted, my garbage is not optional. We pay whether you use none, one or ten bags. It's a flat rate included with the taxes. There really should be an incentive to use less.
One or two very small garbage bags a month; one half-full compost toter, usually, and a brimming recycling bin; both also monthly.
Jane, garbage curator.
RoseQuartz
6-3-16, 11:16am
.
Reducing your garbage footprint does come from knowing what goes in. Can you recycle/compost it? Is it donatable? Can you stop buying it or is there another way to buy it's content without creating garbage?
IE coffee beans: I can buy them at Starbucks in a bag that is garbage. OR I can buy beans at the grocery store in a paper bag that is recyleable and I only have to put in garbage the little metal band at the top that is part of the bag. It is very hard to find really tasty decaf. I've compromised on cost and waste. I buy a bag of SB decaf Sumatra and a pound of decaf french roast at the grocery store and I mix them. I get great flavor at 23% reduced price per pound of SB only.
buying non leafy produce at the grocery store? I don't use the plastic bags.
Buying produce at Farmer's market? I take my cloth bags.
Buying 5# organic carrots at big box? Yes. And the plastic bag will become garbage.
I do as much as is possible. Hence my 2 quarts of garbage per week.
So get to know your garbage. Make your choices. Then let it go.:)
ps: 2 adults in our home. And him does not do the shopping so him lives with wife's choices.
Gardnr, I've thought about the plastic bags for produce, but how do you reconcile the blood trails on the belts from people and their un-bagged meat? I admit, I'm very leery of placing things that won't get cooked down on the same surface leaking chicken packages get set. I'll have to think about it some more. I really hate plastic, especially clamshell containers.
Honestly, it comes down to not thinking about some possibilities. I do bag leafies. I don't bag what I can wash and/or will get peeled. Clamshells are recyclable so I don't worry a ton about those. I've thought about making cloth baggies for produce. but that will not rectify the wet trails. But really? When I've noted wet trails on the belt I've also seen the checker clean it right away with a clorox type disposable cloth.
Way too much trash everything is packaged!!
the waste is in the packaging bulk or individual if were all glass or paper but plastics and styrofoam are the worse. I think glass would be great remeber the good old days where they paid you to bring the bottle back to the store? Wow if they could do that with packaging and paper we would never have loitering anywhere ever.The big plastic garbage patch in the ocean if the manufacturer took responsibility for their packaging and bought it back for recycling there wouldnt be a garbage patch!If producers were held liable for their trash then things would change really fast.
wife and i get by with one large back a week we use our leftovers to feed animals or compost same with my coffee grounds. we recycle anything we can either for money r through trash service
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.