Recently, my husband was away at a conference for 6 days. He was really missed by all of us, but it also opened my eyes…
Less husband = less trash.
That sounds like a real dig at him, but I don’t mean for it to be. The reason this nasty equation came to mind is because, in his absence, I realized that we really do create less trash.
Maybe it’s because one less body means less waste. Maybe the things he uses are really over packaged. Or maybe it means that my well-meaning husband is sometimes forgetting the fundamentals of recycling. It only occurred to me because during his hiatus, the rest of us only created one bag of trash in 6 days, and this wasn’t a large bag either. Our under-sink trash can (which is actually only an 22 quart wastebasket) is relatively small compared to some in-home trash cans.
He was really proud to come home and tell me about all of the recycling efforts at the conference, but I wonder if I’m so busy telling others how to ‘go green’ that I’m missing something here at home that I should be doing to make it easier for him, and all of us for that matter.
It’s time for me (and maybe you also!) to assess our homes and our recycling practices. I think simplicity and ease is the key. And I might need to look closer at what I’m buying, what he’s using and what he’s trashing. Or maybe he just needs a good “list!”
New mission… one bag per week! Whoa, we’ve got a long way to go!
Good luck with the mission….I can so relate to what you are saying. I even posted about a similar experience this week (here http://littleecofootprints.typepad.com/little_eco_footprints/2009/01/we-are-recycling-too-much.html if you are interested). I am also trying to reduce our rubbish by buying less packaging. I also plan to organise my recycling storage…I know I would recycle more if I was a little more organised. There are things I throw into the recycling and rubbish bins which i would know I could probably reuse it I just had somewhere to store it in the mean time…Looking forward to seeing how you go with your mission. Cheers, Tricia
Tricias last blog post..I love free manure!
Tricia – well, welcome to Mom Goes Green! Great minds obviously think alike! 🙂 I will definitely check out your blog! And keep up all of the great recycling efforts… you can never recycle too much!
Am trying in my real estate business to point out green builders and green things going on in Las Vegas:) Glad Jim pointed this blog out
I don’t look at as a certain number of bags per week, as much as I look at it on the whole. There are weeks we throw out very little trash, and there are weeks where I am disappointed in how much trash we have.
Beths last blog post..A Plain Pine Box
Chris – thanks for visiting! And keep up your work with great builders… I would LOVE to build a green home!
Beth – undoubtedly… one a week IS an ambitious goal….but wouldn’t it be great to accomplish it!? I’m actually concerned about a birthday party we’re having for our kids this weekend at our home… I’m mortified at how much trash it may generate…one bag will definitely be out of the question for that one! But I’m certainly going to do my best!
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