Day 2 - Waste

The challenge of Day 2 is stop making trash. After reading and researching, I am amazed at the amount of waste produced on a daily basis. Did you know that in the United States each person produced an average of 4.6 pounds of trash per day in 2006? Together, that sums up to 251 million tons of trash (EPA Municipal Solid Waste).

One sign that reflects our high level of waste disposal is the availability of trash receptacles. Wherever we go— home, work, school, the doctor's office, church, restaurants, stores, bathrooms and even walking trails— trash cans are available. The more I think about the opportunities I have to make trash, I realize it is quite easy.

In their article “Climate Change, Peak Oil, and the End of Waste,” Bill Sheehan and Helen Spiegelman note that our “society has evolved to have cities manage our waste. Thus, waste management has become one of the local government's functions” (The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21^st Century's Sustainability Crisis). In short, we have evolved to taking an active role in creating waste. These high levels of waste are concerning. In fact, Sheehan and Spiegelman point out that our throwaway economy is a major contributor to Climate Change.

These facts and figures are alarming. However, sometimes on paper the seriousness of this issue is not conveyed in a way that we can understand. Photographer Chris Jordan has worked to bridge this gap. Between 2003 and 2005, Jordan carried out his project “Intolerable Beauty” where he documented America's consumption. Check out his TED Talk below where he shares his final products. Not all aspects of his project revolve around the theme of waste, but many of them do.  I think you will find, as I did, that visualizing the waste we create is more powerful than reading statistics.

Beginning today, my new tasks are to:

• Empty your trash receptacle from yesterday. Separate the items into two piles: stuff that you used for more than ten minutes, and stuff you used for less than ten minutes. How does that make you feel? (Now put everything back in the bag and put it aside for the week.)

• Put together a no-trash travel kit for the week with a reusable drinking receptacle for hot and cold liquids, a handkerchief/old t-shirt, Tupperware, utensils, and reusable produce bags.

• Stop making trash. Reduce it. Reuse it. Recycle it. Just don't throw it away. Keep a special bag at home or the office to collect trash you make by mistake or necessity throughout the week.

• At the end of the day, take time to reflect upon your discoveries. Answer these questions: What did you put in your special trash bag? Why was it hard or easy not to make trash? Where was it impossible not to make trash?

• Be proud of your efforts and a great start to the week! Write down five things for which you are grateful.

(Source: No Impact Experiment How-To Manual)

After going through my trash I collected together yesterday, I learned that most of my trash is paper that I use for less than 10 minutes. Here's is what I found in my trash:

Trash I used less than 10 minutes:

• 2 paper bags
• 2 envelopes
• 8 receipts
• 5 snack/food wrappers
• 3 post-it notes
• 6 pieces of card stock paper from sale tags or business cards

Trash I used more than 10 minutes:

• 3 pieces of packaging paper for a Valentine's Day chocolate box
• 1 US Post Office receipt with tracking number
• 4 pieces of notebook paper
• 1 post-it note
• 1 to-go menu

Trash I used for less than 10 minutes

Trash I used for more than 10 minutes

The anatomy of my waste basket makes me feel that my principal source of trash is packaging. Each item that I used less than 10 minutes was not designed to be used for a longer period. Rather, their purpose was to encompass another item until it reached its target consumer, me. All of the other items that I did use for a longer period of time had a purpose in themselves, unlike the other group. The one exception is the chocolate box packaging. This trash was used for a longer period of time because I savored the chocolate truffles it held for three months. Besides this exception, all the other pieces of trash in this category held information that I needed. Thus I learned that the more I value a good, the longer its life.

Looking at my trash collection further, I realize how my waste could overall be worse. I do not throw away items in good condition that take up a lot of resources such as electronics. Therefore, on an optimistic note, I what I throw away is not exploiting resources to as bad a degree as it could.

After examining my trash from Sunday, I then put together my no-trash travel kit for the week. In the process, I was excited that I was starting a no-impact foundation that I can carry out for the week that will help me make no (or less) trash. Here's what is in my kit:

• 2 reusable produce bags
• 1 plastic water bottle
• 1 hand towel
• 1 Tupperware container
• 2 reusable grocery shopping bags

Note: I did not include the recommended cutlery because I know that I will be eating all my meals in my apartment. In addition, I also added the reusable shopping bags to my kit so I will not have to bag my groceries in plastic bags.

As I went through the day, I learned that I normally put more items in receptacles that I thought. The main time that I found this natural reaction to dispose was during meals. With almost every item that I eat, I also inherit some packaging. Think about it. If you eat fast food, the inherited waste is a paper bag, sandwich wrapper, ketchup packets, fries box, paper/plastic cup, straw and napkins. If you cook at home, all the ingredients enter the kitchen with packaging. I did not realize until undertaking today's endeavor how difficult it would be to avoid waste.

While it is possible to limit packaging by purchasing in bulk and avoiding overly packaged items, I personally found it to also be unavoidable. When buying meat or any liquid, there is packaging. Further, stores will not let you purchase produce without placing it in their provided plastic bags. I suppose I could completely eliminate food trash, but I would not be able to eat anything except water and fruit. Since I am going to carry out a more balance diet, I will do my absolute best to limit my trash by purchasing in bulk and not consuming individually wrapped items.

What did you put in your special trash bag?

• Soymilk container

I finished the last of my milk this morning. I do not think it would be sanitary to reuse this container.

• Plastic box for chicken

Earlier this week I purchased a large box of chicken to eat with my apartment-mates. We finished the chicken today and I was left with the plastic box. I washed it and am hoping to find a use for it.

• Organic material

For lunch today, I ate a tomato sandwich and chicken. The only leftovers from the tomato was the pith. All that is left of the chicken is the bones. I am unsure what to do with these items because I do not know how to limit waste that is natural and organic. There is no compost project on campus, so I am limited to keeping these items with my trash. I am going to stick them in a separate bag that I can tie up to limit their odor as the week progresses.

Overall, I found it difficult to not make trash today. While I do think it is possible to limit how much trash a person produces, I think I am already at a point where I do not produce a lot. This is not to say that there is not room for improvement in my lifestyle (which there is) but that much of the waste I do make I cannot alter. Further, each item I found myself placing in the receptacle was related to something I ate or packaging. Starting with today, I know that I will be more conscious of what food waste I produce and how I can lessen it. But to a certain degree, I cannot stop having organic waste. Further, how can I limit some simple packaging with our strict health codes? I think that while we can lessen our waste, there is also balance we need to strive for between waste production and health sanitation.

For my first day trying to not produce trash, I think I did very well. Trash still was produced, but I became conscious of this habit. This awareness is the first step to limiting waste.

At the close of today, the No Impact Week guidelines ask me to reflect on five things that I am thankful for. Thus, I will end my reflection on today's progress optimistically.

Five things that I am thankful for are:

• my family
• my fiance
• my friends
• the opportunity to explore a no-impact life
• the opportunity to attend Wofford College

Until tomorrow,

Krista