Wasted

Let's dive right in...

I ran out of trash bags this morning. I was forced to watch what I wasted for a full 12 hours today. That doesn't seem like a long time, but you would be surprised how much stuff you actually throw away without a second thought.

In a typical week my family throws away almost a full 100 gallons of trash. For $26 I have my waste picked up once a week and taken out of site so I can carry on with a clear conscience. Keep in mind, my family consists of my husband, step daughter (half the week), 6 month old daughter and me. That's not exactly a huge family, but a huge amount of waste. I am ashamed. I live two miles from a land fill so the effects are somewhat visible.

I had an 'opportunity' to clean out a hoarders house last month and see the effects first hand. We threw away 30 years of trash equaling five construction size dumpsters from one small 1000 sq ft house. At first I was angry at the family and how much we were forced to dispose of. Then I realized, that is probably the typical amount of waste from an average American household for that time span just hidden by the innocent trash truck that tow it to Neverland. Wow, there is so much wrong with that mentality and that was my mentality.

So, in that 12 hours without a trash can I began to second guess the things that I was using. It sounds gross, but I stacked a pile of trash by my front door in a box. I was forced to make better decisions. Instead of paper towels I used rags. My moldy bread went to the birds. Cans, bottles and bags went in recycling. The rest of my meal went to the compost. Any papers went in the burn pile (I know, I know, but one problem at a time). By the end of the day I was left with only dirty diapers to dispose of. What would have been a half full trash can remains almost empty. I guess it's time to consider cloth diapers, yikes!

Finally, since I am not prepared to become 100% environmentally friendly I went to buy trash bags before dinner and I came across the brand "seventh generation" that uses 55% recycled plastic. It is said to "dramatically reduce toxic pollution." Out of the many options, this was the only trash bag geared towards slowing down our wasteful devastation, so I bought it. I haven't researched the brand yet, but I like what I have read.

What a small step in the opposite direction, but it is a beginning. If we remain complacent, my daughters generation is going to end up in a world like the movie Idiocracy. If you haven't seen it, it's worth the $1 at RedBox. I challenge you to question your norm and share your stories of waste and what you are willing to change to make this world a better place for generations to come.