Tuesday, September 15, 2015

September 15

Today I threw out: this little twist tie.

Could this trash have been avoided? I don't even know what it is or where it came from. Spontaneous generation?

I also threw out: this little flossing thing.



Okay, I'm taking some poetic license here, because this has clearly not been used (sorry to disappoint if you wanted to see pictures of my plaque), and I am not great at remembering to floss. But it's an EXAMPLE of how difficult it is to live a zero-trash lifestyle. If you floss. Because do people reuse dental floss? One thing that stuck with me from the documentary No Impact Man, about a guy who tried to reduce his environmental impact down to zero (and somehow convinced his wife and small child to go along), was the part where the family was using rags instead of toilet tissue, and washing their hands with soap they made at home. No one at the wife's office wanted to shake hands with her. I bet they didn't floss either.

I also threw out: this wrapper that held together a bunch of delicious broccoli rabe.


Could this trash have been avoided? Perhaps, but anytime you're buying anything in bunches, there's got to be way to... bunch it. On the other hand, I have long had the habit of saving those filmy produce bags from the supermarket—I am finally starting to get into the habit of taking them back to the store with me and reusing them. Theoretically they can be recycled, but "reuse" beats out "recycle."

I also threw out: these little scraps of paper that had personal info on them.



Could this trash have been avoided? Yes, well, as I posted the picture and asked myself the question, I realized that we do have a shredder and I could have shredded these bits and then recycled them. But it's all the way in the other room. At least 20 feet. Behind a laundry hamper. I'm tired.

I also threw out: this peanut butter label.



More peanut butter! When will I have enough jars? Maybe never.

I also threw out: this napkin.



More mystery trash! We don't use paper napkins. I have no idea where this came from.

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