The story of my trash

Collection method:

I collected my garbage from 8am on 1/15/20 to 8pm on 1/18/20 by setting up an organics container and trash/recycling bin separate from the normal bins that me and my partner use. I did not collect the toilet paper that I used to blow my nose, of which I used a lot since I am recovering from a sickness. I also decided to not try and preserve any of the organic material, but I pictured the waste and put it all in the compost as usual. The recyclables and the trash I cleaned the same way in which I would normally clean recycling, meaning I rinsed and cleaned them depending on what they contained.

Reflection:

I have been struggling with the concept of garbage for a while now. At first, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to decrease my own consumption of single use items. For example, I would bring my own bags to the grocery store not only for the groceries, but for the produce as well. I also started buying as much as possible from the bulk section including peanut butter, since those containers are almost impossible to clean. Recently, my partner Lyla has also begun making salsa and hummus for us so that we don’t have to buy the plastic containers. However, there are still so many things that you cannot buy without packaging or in bulk. For example, often we shop at Aldi, because their prices are so much lower than traditional stores. However, Aldi packages almost all of their produce in single use plastic, I assume as a way to streamline their supply chain and keep prices so low, but it creates a dilemma for me and my partner. Do we support Aldi even though they use more packaging and likely are not sourcing locally or do we spend more of the little money we have as grad students to support grocers that have less impactful supply chains?

Another issue with garbage that I often struggle with is recyclable plastics. Is recycling plastic overall a good thing for the environment? In study after study scientists are questioning the efficacy of recycling plastics because of the high energy costs required to collect plastics, sort them and an turn them back into a usable product. Furthermore, I know that in many coastal areas they have stopped accepting plastic recycling all together because it costs the cities too much to process now that China is no longer accepting plastic waste. So, every time I think about buying a bottle of orange juice this is something that I think about. Do I need this juice so much that I am willing to create more waste to have it.

However, every time I think about how much waste that I am personally creating I always end up coming back to the notion that it should not be my responsibility to; pay more, educate myself and restrain my desires in order to decrease waste, because no matter how much I cut back the vast majority of people are going to buy what is the cheapest and most accessible. So, then who does the responsibility fall on? I would argue that we cannot trust companies to self-regulate because at the end of the day they will do what is most profitable not what is in the long-term best interest of the people. Thus, we should instead create legislation that requires companies to reduce and remove most of their individual packaging in both their supply chain and their consumer products. This will have to happen at not only a seller’s level, but also a producer’s level. I believe that this is our civic duty because if we do not make bold changes now then I am afraid that within the next decade we are going to see the impacts of climate change effecting the most vulnerable of our communities.

Contents and context:

3 canned vegetable cans

The remnants of a few different meals that me and Lyla made.

3 ginger beer bottles

A result of my newfound ginger beer love.

2 beers cans

The result of game night.

1 tomato sauce jar

From the pasta that we made.

1 Tang container

I finally finished my giant tang container that I have had for a few years.

1 Tp roll

We not use less TP because of the bidet that we got.

1 paper towel roll

Usually we do not use paper towels, but while living in the van we do and this is the result of cleaning out the van.

1 Tortilla bag

We actually attempted to make tortillas, but were unable to so we had to buy some.

1 Jalapeno bag

I love the spice and put jalapenos on almost everything.

1 potato chip bag

I also really appreciate a good crunch with most meals.

1 OJ bottle

Most mornings I have a glass of OJ with my breakfast.

1 Receipt

From a trip to the grocery store.

Stack of junk mail

We constantly have junk mail coming to our apartment and we have tried to get it to stop, but it just keeps coming. It is a constant source of frustration.

Broken plate

I broke a plate while washing dishes.

Climbing shoe box

I bought a new pair of climbing shoes.

Google home box

I got a google home through Spotify for free since I agreed to let google track what I listen to, I originally only agreed to let the spy device into my house because I wanted to tinker with it and see if I could remove the analytics, but it has actually turned out to be really useful as a kitchen speaker for cooking and doing dishes.  

Organics:

Banana peel, 3 eggs shells, rotten orange, onion peel, bell pepper seeds stale bread.