I Love Trash
It's a song on Sesame Street, but it also happens to be how I feel
I love trash.
I really do—it’s complicated, messy and filled with hidden treasures. It’s a metaphor for life.
The average person in the United States throws away roughly five pounds of trash every single day. That’s a little over 1,800 pounds of trash per person every year.
PSA: I don’t want anybody to feel bad about creating trash. First of all, we live in a capitalist world that encourages people to buy, buy, buy. Next, our materials and goods aren’t produced in a closed loop. They’re made cheaply, so companies can make more money, and they’re designed to be thrown away. While that isn’t any one person’s fault—we do collectively need to push the culture of waste in a different direction.
While it can be difficult to hear that we’re a part of the problem, I’d like to reframe it like this: we are part of the solution. With every purchase we make and every piece of trash we create, we are making a statement about our values.
So, how can we create less trash? Let’s get into it.
First, we need to consume less. If you want to learn more about our chaotic obsession with consumption and some tips on combatting it, check out my last post here.
Next, we need to be mindful about what we consume. Every time we purchase something, we need to think about its lifecycle. We need to think about where that thing will go when we are done using it.
Finally, we need to “trash” things appropriately. Even trash deserves a final resting place.
I’m going to skip right on over my first bullet—not only because last week’s post was a generic introduction to consuming less, but also because, in the words of my editor and friend: “Okay, that was too long.” We’ll talk more about consumption habits down the line, but for now, let’s move on.
I do want to talk about generating less trash. So, let’s get into point number two: we need to think about where things go when we’re done using them.
There are a lot of things we use on a daily basis that are designed to be used once and thrown away: floss, q-tips, cotton swabs, tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, plastic packaging, packaging materials, grocery store packaging, rubber bands, cleaning wipes, dishwashing or laundry pods, dryer sheets, makeup wipes…I could keep going, but I think you get the picture.
All of these things that have become essential to our everyday lives require natural resources, energy and water to be produced. They are then packaged in plastic made from petroleum, put in boxes made from trees and loaded onto trucks, trains and ships filled with oil and natural gas to be distributed all over the world. We then go to our local drug store, grocery store, convenient store or bodega and buy them. We use them once, throw them away and never think about them again.
I’d like to share with you, or remind you, that there’s a different and much better way. I actually don’t throw away most of the things on that list above. That brings me to the third point of this post: we need to trash things appropriately.
It isn’t that I don’t use those things listed above. I do! I’ve just found ways to source compostable versions, invest in reusable options and discover more sustainable single-use items that I then “trash” as responsibly as possible. From the bathroom to the kitchen to cleaning my home, I’ve found compostable, sustainable and circular products that minimize waste and consider the full lifecycle of a thing from creation to trashcan.
In my bathroom, I compost my silk floss and bamboo ear buds. I compost the hair from my hairbrush. I brush my teeth with a compostable bamboo toothbrush. I use a circular soap company that takes the aluminum containers back to clean, reuse and refill. I use an unbleached bamboo toilet paper from a certified B corporation that donates 50% of their profits to help underserved communities get access to clean water, sanitation and toilets.
In my kitchen, I use compostable beeswax wraps to store food, washable rags and towels to clean up messes and natural loofahs to scrub my dishes clean. I try not to throw away any food. In the United States, it’s estimated that we waste 30-40% of the food we produce for human consumption. As food waste slowly rots in landfills, it emits the greenhouse gas Methane, which contributes to climate change.
We can keep food waste out of landfills by buying only what we need, storing food properly, preserving it if we can and then composting what does go to waste.
I actually have a worm bin in my living room. Composting worms break down my food scraps and turn them into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Proof below:
Should I do a full post on the worms? No, really:
The thing is, it’s tough to reduce our consumption and minimize our waste. I’ve been doing it for nearly a decade and it’s still a work-in-progress. I think every time we make a decision about something we bring into our home, we’re voting with our money and making a statement about our values. So, even if we’re only able to make one sustainable lifestyle habit shift, it’s worth it. It’s a step in the right direction.
Next week, let’s talk about my third suggestion for living more sustainably as a regular person. My first three Substack posts are interconnected: we’ve talked about consuming less and wasting less, but now it’s time to talk about the crown jewel of the trifecta: staying educated and engaged.
I’ll have a treat for you next week too—something a bit theatrical. It’ll be fun. Trust me!
Stay tuned,
Meg-of-all-trades