Just spotted a commercial by Glad... "use one less trash bag each month will eliminate this much trash entering our landfill each year".
I've got an idea... do not use trash bags! If you need a "trash bag" for your recyclables... have the grocer pack your things in paper... choose paper for everything.
Choose the store you shop at with care... meat department... can they wrap your meat in paper?
When I was a kid in the 70's my dad worked for a small store and they had a wonderful meat department. It was an open case of meat and they wrapped your choices in paper for you. Nothing was on foam (bad bad choice for meat as it absorbs all those toxins from the foam... ugh) and NO plastic. That store is now closed... and we have moved (a few times... lol). However, there are still places to be found that wrap your meat choice in paper right there at the meat counter! Harter House in Springfield MO is one such store.
We have pretty much eliminated the need for "The Garbage Man". It is a matter of making the right choices and believe it or not... it is a LOT cheaper making them... not just for you in the here and now, but for the environment.
1) Eat Whole Foods. This eliminates the need for packaging period. AND... is a LOT healthier for your family as well as yourself.
2) What you need that isn't in the produce department (or from your local produce co-op or CSA) you can find through your local buying club/co-op group. (the first co-op group I belonged to was in Arlington IL. If any of my friends are reading this and haven't already joined... give me a ring and I will give you the contact info for that fantastic group!)
Things like Organic Long Grain Brown Rice and Og Oatmeal can be purchased by the pound for under a $1 per pound... making it actually MORE affordable than buying conventionally grown of the same at the grocery store. You buy what you need for the month and your budget is freed up. A total win!
3) Buy your milk from your local milk lady and have it in gallon or half gallon glass jar to re-use again and again. Make your own Kefir and Yogurt - in re-usable GLASS containers.
4) Make your own juices. a) pasteurized juice is NASTY and is totally bad for you. The process de-natures and KILLS all the good stuff... not only that but if you buy a "from concentrate" juice... what water are they using? chlorine? Fluoride? (you do know that fluoride in your tap water has been linked to poisoning... slowly... right?) b) making your own juice not only saves you on toxic packaging that not only pollutes the environment... kills wild life... it is also killing you and yours as the plastic leaches into your drinks. Don't for one moment think you are safe since you get it out of a carton... the cartons nowadays are lined in plastic. Yuck!
so, lesson... making your own juice... you get all sorts of nutrients and bio-active enzymes to help you digest all your food. A small amount of fresh juice quenches your thirst in comparison to those sugar laden juices (oh... about that... due to the heat processing... the sugars are condensed in your store bought juices... so, even if the label doesn't show HFCS or sugar... it is still higher in sugar than it aught to be - which is a diabetic, weight gain, etc hazard. ALWAYS BUY ORGANIC.
5) Buy your meat from local producers. Be sure to ask questions such as: grass fed? organically raised? non-gmo feed? These should all be answered with a resounding "yes".
6) If you are buying at the store throw the book at each and every product: a) packaging - can it be re-used at home? b) how many ingredients does it have... fewer than say 3 or 5? c) can you read and KNOW what the ingredients are without a degree in science? d) are all the ingredients listed ok for every one of your family members to eat? ~ If you happened to have answered "Yes" to all the above... then go for it. If you were like "maybe" or "no" leave it in the store and don't look back. Once you get over this hurdle things get a LOT easier for you! Honest! That was really the hardest part for me... the discovery of all the nasty that is out there and that basically 99% of what the grocery store has to offer is poison... a slow acting poison that will kill you with cancer, autoimmune diseases, MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc.
7) Do NOT use or buy anything that is in plastic. As you have dinner guests... pass on your plastic containers with a "no need to return" label on them filled with left overs ;)
So, what is left? Hmmmm....
glass containers: use and reuse until they break and then take them to the recycling
paper/cardboard: re-use, recycle or compost it!
food : compost
diapers... something I haven't touched on yet... cloth... or eco disposable diapers
wipes... cheap washcloths! chem free and oh so easy on baby bums!
household cleaners... ooooo... now there's a HOT topic. No Bleach Ever.... bleach = toxic dioxins. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant! No need for much of anything else other than baking soda and borax.
plastic: yep, there will be incidental plastic from time to time in the way of spray bottles that have broken or laundry detergent (if you aren't making your own... which is really easy!) and dish soap. Just make sure that they can be either re-used or taken to the recycling center... and do it. :)
So, what is left for the garbage man? anything? I didn't think so! :)
