CLEVER GARBAGE SOLUTIONS

So far, we talked about reducing wastes, being a sustainable consumer and paying attention to our environmental footprint. But what if there are certain things we don't want to (or can not) do without? At that point, there is still a way to make a difference. Not necessarily by trying to avoid the waste completely, but by trying to produce only "good" waste.

Of course, the ideal situation would be a world without trash: no polluted streets and oceans, no resources and energy needed to produce packaging and no worries about litterling and global warming.

CLEANLINESS - A UTOPIC DREAM?

A lot of manufacturers have already reacted to the growing demand for less waste, but of course this problem can not be solved over night. So how do we deal with garbage that can not be avoided yet?

Whatever you decide to do after reading this article is up to you. Fact is: every positive action you take, even the smallest step, matters. Changing your habits can even arouse the interest of others and soon you will become an advisor yourself. So be a good example, start today!

1) Find out how your local waste treatment system works

Each area has different processes and companies to collect and process its wastes. In that matter, not every country, not even all the cities in the same country, work the same way. Some are exceptionally good at recycling, like Sweden who recycles 99% of its wastes according to certain sources. Other countries care a bit less.

The same material can therefore be recyclable in one country while it is not in another. So if you want to know what happens to what you throw away, you can consult your local waste management companies and find out what they do and what they don’t do. This will help to assess what is a "better" trash than another and where to put what. For example, if cardboard boxes are efficiently recycled, you can try to change your consumer habits and refuse all kind of plastic packaging. Because a recycled packaging is better than one that ends up in a dumpster, buried underground, where it could pollute groundwater reserves eventually.

2) Change your habits

As soon as you know what is "less bad" for the environment, you can actively look for alternatives for products you usually consume. For example, you can switch your plastic wrapped cheese for a cardboard wrapped one or buy it at the market and put it directly into your own box. You can also say "No" to plastic orange juice bottles and take glass bottles instead, that are ideally collected and reused afterwards. This change might require to try a different store, or even order online to find the right goods. But what matters is the global impact of your actions.*

In our case, we aimed to reduce as much as possible every piece of trash and packaging that was meant for the trash bag, and have recyclage packaging instead when zero waste options didn’t exist. We could see the effects after only a few months: instead of throwing away almost one 50l trash bag a week, we are now at about one every 1,5 months. Not bad, huh?

3) Compost organic matters

If you have a garden or a composting area closeby, you can easily reduce the amount of wastes that end up the trash bag. There you can easily put: coffee, crushed eggshells, fireplace ashes, fruits and vegetables, hair and fur, houseplants, leaves, nut shells… So if you are a big fan (and consumer) of fruits and vegetables, you will quite fast see the difference of size and weight of your trash bag. Also, not all the vegetable leftovers have to be thrown away! If you like experimenting in the kitchen, you can make fancy things with carrot greens, onion skin and even avocado seeds!!

4) Reuse the containers

If there is no packaging free alternative (yet) for the products you are usually consuming, you can simply look for wrappings and containers that you can make a use of later. Glass containers instead of cans and glass bottles for juice for instance. They can be used to put something else inside after its content has been consumed. You can refill the jars with homemade apple sauce, or find zero waste stores where you can use your empty bottles for oil, milk and juice. We found very nice mustard jars at the supermarket that we will use as drinking glasses afterwards and our ice cream containers will become lunch boxes as soon as they are empty.

You can of course also use the packagings for DIY projects and gardening. There is no limit to your imagination on that!

5) Become the change you want to see

You can become contributor in your community, you can help other people change their habits, you can suggest a better recycling process or a city composting service… You can encourage stores to make a positive change regarding their packaging. You can join associations and sign petitions to foster progress. These actions can all be taking place within your personal or professional life. Believe me, you won't regret it!

*Even with the best intentions, you can hardly be a perfect "world savior". You want to become a vegetarian? I'm afraid avocados and soy are not produced locally. Only want to buy organic food? Well, they often come wrapped in plastic. So if you order sustainable products online, you will probably increase your negative score on the scale of transportation and CO2, but it gives you bonus points regarding waste avoidance at the same time. What we are trying to say is: saving the world is not about perfection. It is about priorities and trying the best you can.