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.
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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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
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.
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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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoseQuartz
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenngal
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenngal