Living in the times we do, where our current White House administration will do just about anything to deny climate change exists, I’ve thought more and more about ways to cut down on my family’s impact upon the environment.
One of the greatest frustrations I have is the amount of trash we produce. We separate our trash and recyclables, and that does cut down on some, but because recycling is a business, it limits the amount of recycling we can do. Many things are not recyclable in my town—pizza boxes are a no, containers that have had food in them are a no, ice cream boxes, bubble wrap, even Christmas wrapping paper is on the ‘no’ list.
And the local recycling plant obviously does not accept food. As a family of five, with three picky eaters, I try not to cook more than is needed (even though my mother came from a large Italian family and taught me to cook in big batches.) Although I attempt to prepare just enough, inevitably, the children throw some away.
Watch any documentary on the waste we generate, and you’ll see that food waste in wealthier countries like the US is around 40 percent–which also contributes to greenhouse gases. Ninety percent ends up in landfills. This year, an idea started in the back of my mind that I wanted to learn how to compost. But more and more I felt composting was not for me—I’m not a gardener; in fact, I’m what I like to refer to as a “brown thumb,” killing more plants in my lifetime than I’ve managed to keep alive. I also have a particularly sensitive nose and stomach, so I worried that I could end up taking on more than I could handle.
But while visiting a friend’s house a few weeks ago, she mentioned something I had never heard of before—a compost service, who gives you a bucket to put your food waste in, picks it up, and gives you a clean bucket for the following week.
I thought for sure it would be outrageously expensive. Someone is going to come take my food waste? They’re going to charge me way more than I can afford. But I found this fantastic company, and they only charge $5 per week. Don’t get me wrong—not everyone can afford that, but for me, it means cutting down on two cups of tea, or buying less soda (which I should be buying less of anyway.)
After checking out the prices, it’s a simple sign-up process, and a one-time startup cost for the container you’ll receive each week. For me, this seems like the perfect solution for someone who can’t garden to save her life—or for people who feel too busy to compost. I can send my food waste off for someone else to compost, thus cutting down on my food waste and helping someone who can keep a garden alive do so. It’s a small thing, for sure, but given the great amount of waste we keep producing, it’s certainly a start. The service I chose also hosts workshops on composting. I’m still not certain I have the skill for it–but I do want to learn more, in case I’m pleasantly surprised.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
To check where you can sign up for compost services, go here.