The challenge: Save all my recyclables in my living space
The duration: Two monthsCompendious result: Life altering. As aware as I thought I was about packaging and unneeded waste, this experiment brought me to a whole other level, and I am deeply thankful that I did it.
Inception of the W.A.S.T.E. project
I suspect simply embarking on this experiment will produce an immediate decline in the waste I produce.
I’ve had it with consumerism, yet I’m neck deep in it. I’ve had it with plastic bottles, wrappers, packaging, waste. It pisses me off. It’s unnecessary. It bugs me. A lot. I’ve been noticing again. From Sara’s glass jar that she takes to the smoothie place to get filled instead of a Styrofoam one, to the “My canvas bag means I am better than you” bag I saw on set today, I’m noticing what these things are saying.
I feel like a raging tool every time I take my garbage out and sort all the recyclables, and see how much stuff I’m still generating. As it should be. I’ve supposed that because I dont bag each piece of my produce in 17 different bags I’m like, better than people who do or something – meanwhile each cup of tea I drink has a wrapper associated, every smoothie I drink has a cup I toss, I have vitamin water bottles all over the place, I buy stuff in boxes and wrappers all the time…
Thankfully though, I don’t think about it often – perhaps once a week when I take out my trash, sometimes 2 weeks if I’m really conscious and careful. But maybe I shouldn’t be thanking myself for that. Maybe I should be embracing my wastefulness full hilt and welcoming what a hypocrite I am.
In a rush to get to work and need something quick, someone else bought it for me, I’ll reuse it a couple times – All things I say to rationalize the bottles, wrappers, plastic bowls and other random shit I throw away on a regular basis. Recycling is still close enough to garbage to urk me. It’s an energy and resource suck that I initiate with my thoughtlessness and being lazy, that just doesn’t need to happen.
(Thanks for the video link, Miah!)
I’ve decided to live with all of my trash (sans yard waste, which we already compost and reuse), for two months — 2 weeks longer than it takes to form a habit. The effort is to document the process, and in the end, form better consumer habits based on the experience. I’m focusing mainly on things like vitamin water bottles and single serving packaging, grocery bags and other such things.
I want to see how much of this stuff I really contribute to our world. I just went and fished all packaging I could find here from the last week or so out of the trash and collected the various bottles from around my room.
I kept a few things I know are older to balance out the stuff I know I don’t have, like some clifbar wrappers and at least one paper to-go carton from my Pink Door gig last Sunday. I’m calling my official start date Sept 1. From now until Nov 1, the day before my 30th birthday, I will pack-out all of my consumer packaging waste and bring it home with me. If you’re someone who’s chosen a lifestyle that includes creative ways to be conscious of waste, I’d love to hear your advice.
Looking at the word brought an acronym to mind – Why Always Soil The Environment? I hereby dub thee, the W.A.S.T.E. project.
Week 2:
So far, I have started carrying my water bottle around again, and am noticing that while TJ’s is a great deal, I’m not so keen on the packaging that their produce comes in.
On the lookout for a wide-mouthed metal bottle, so I can get smoothies and such put in it. Oh, and I am still trying to remember that I carry a tupperware for leftovers at restaurants. I am cringing from that styrofoam container from the indian place. Ugh.
Week 5:
I’m having to pan out quite a bit more to fit it all now, and I’m about on the track I thought I would be. My water bottle, containers for restaurant leftovers and heightened awareness have been making a huge difference in what I bring home with me. I’ve been very diligent about bringing home my trash from Qliance as well, though that won’t be as much of a concern now that I will be working from home again. *sigh*
Partially because of this project, I am eating out a lot less too. Generally when I’m hungry I will hit a produce section instead.
Even switching back to loose leaf tea has improved my waste output – and my quality of life. It’s such a more savory experience to make myself tea in the mornings or offer it to a guest.
During our Vita Arts meeting last week, we came up with the idea to use most of these plastic bottles as funnels for a project we’re doing – making juggling balls. Perfect.
I am thinking to glue all the layers of flattened cardboard waste together into a canvas.
Any other ideas on how to reuse this stuff?
Project Wrap-up
It’s been two months since I pledged to keep my recyclable trash. Today, I bag it all up and send it on its way.
I imagine I would have had about 3x this if I’d not made the following changes the first week:
* carrying a tupperware for leftovers when eating out
* carrying a wide mouthed (metal) water bottle
* switching to loose leaf teas and bulk items over packaged
Other things I’ve changed because of this experiment include favoring glass bottles over plastic (they are the most ecologically friendly, and safest for you) and hitting the produce section for lunch a lot more often. I generally use my backpack for groceries and favor reusable bags.
Obviously, I don’t do this every minute of every day. The times I do, however, outweigh the times I don’t, and I’m really glad I did this experiment. The trash didn’t disrupt my life much and gave me a very clear visual point of reference for how two months of my existence effects the earth.
And it really staggers me to actually sit with how many estrogen leaking plastic bottles people plow through in a given day. Terrifying, really.