Sustainable Waste Tips By Mallory Williams 03/06/25
Watch What You Throw Away
Have you ever found yourself taking out the trash a little bit too often one week; so you start to think, “What am I doing different this week to have produced so much waste?” . I’m sure you have, because in reality who wants to go outside to the stinky trash cans. Especially living in an area with a shared trash area, yuck! Or have you found yourself letting the trash bags pile up outside your front door, I am guilty of this one. It starts up kind of an issue doesn’t it? Even worse when a squirrel finds out you have this bad habit, too.
A way for you to start taking a look at what all you throw away would simply be to log everything that goes into the trash. Whether this be in your phone notes app, on your laptop, or with actual pen and paper. I found that when you physically write it down it kind of sticks a bit better. But the idea is, with you keeping track of it all; you will naturally want to stop throwing so much away for that week. Try to keep it as natural as possible, though, so you are able to see realistically how much you have been throwing away on the average. After you are done with the weekly trash log, you can look back and see a pattern with what types of waste you have been producing to make a change moving forward.
What To Do With All That Junk
Give something that you would usually just throw away, at least a second chance at becoming something else. It’s fun and it makes me feel good to know I am doing my part, even if it may seem like it’s in a small way. I agree that the push on recycling and to move away from single use plastics is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the world’s pollution. The issue lies with the big companies, but once we make these changes in our own life; our role in consumerism changes. In result, the big companies will, too. It isn’t overnight, but I hope we can make a difference for the next generation.
Upcycling!
Upcycling is my favorite way to recycle ; you can literally do anything you want with something that seems like it has one life. Another man’s trash is another man’s treasure! I have made a shelf out of cardboard with paper mache, a glue gun, and some painters tape. I have a junk journal with pages full of art created from fast food waste (cleaned of course), receipts, random stickers or stamps, junk mail. You name it, and it’s probably in there. These are just two examples, so if you want more – I will provide! If they aren’t posted here already; upcycling projects is something I love to do and will share my journey with upcycling as this blog progresses.
The Big RRR&R – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Refuse
Recently the big Refuse has been added: refuse things you may not need like single use plastics, grocery bags, plastic utensils. Things that yes, are free, but are just going to go in the trash after use (unless you think of or come across a cool upcycle project) I also try to save plastic bags, if I forget my reusable bag, to make plarn!
Reduce
By noticing your own trash patterns; you may find ways to reduce your waste. Try to think of things you may not “need”, start by thinking small. Like instead of buying a 24 pack of water bottles, invest in a water filter for your sink and a portable water bottle. Or if you do buy a plastic bottle of juice or soda, you could try to put smaller pieces of waste in the bottle to save up space. Changes in your consumption like buying products in bulk to reduce packaging, or trying to avoid single use products or single serving products. For instance, I like to buy a container of mandarin oranges instead of the single use portions. It’s one small change, but it saves up space in the fridge and the trash can. Also, I get a container out of it with a screw on lid! Score!
Reuse
Instead of throwing away the plastic containers like deli meat or sour cream tupperware, try reusing them for a second chance at life. I use them the same way I would use a sandwich bag, anything that you need to put in a container for a couple of days to keep it shelf safe. Pickle jars or may jars are some of my favorites, I use them to make homemade ranch in, or salads in a jar for lunch the next day, or maybe use the jars for a craft. The idea is truly just to give the container a second life.
Recycle
I want to start this paragraph by saying I am not trying to deter anyone from using recycling bins or taking their products to recycling centers. I just want to bring attention to the fact that a lot of products get put back into the landfill system. Along with a build up in the centers when products are incorrectly recycled. Unfortunately , recycling is not as convenient as we have been told. I’ve learned that there are a lot of missed steps when going to recycle plastics, cardboards, or metals. For instance, the product has to be cleaned out with no excess food or liquids. Don’t recycle plastic that is smaller than a credit card. Look for the recycling number on the plastic container and only recycle if those types are specified by your program. Flatten out all cardboard and do not recycle if food waste is on it. Make sure to separate products from metal, plastic, glass and paper. And if you don’t know whether or not it can be recycled, just throw it in the waste bin instead, it’s better to do so instead of adding to the build up of non recyclable waste at the centers.
Being aware of what we throw away, and what we can do to stop so much waste in the bin; is the first step of cutting back. Try not to get overwhelmed or be hard on yourself when it comes to waste; instead make changes in your everyday life that are easy for you! As time goes on, add another way of cutting back. The push on recycling and to move away from single use plastics has seemed to make people not want to make that change even more. And I agree, it is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the world’s pollution. But as our role in consumerism changes, the big companies will, too. It isn’t overnight, but the goal is to make a difference for the next generation. Let’s save some coin, cut back on the visits to the trash can, and help our planet all in one go!
Go Green Girl 
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