Our bin goes on a crash diet and loses nearly 10kgs in one week!
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We kept a ‘rubbish log’ for the past week and discovered it weighed around 10kgs. Now sit back and relax while we show you how to reduce this potential landfill waste to less than 100gms by reusing, recycling and composting all that we can.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-rtYCSr-DY
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Well Done.
It also shows just how much could be thrown out each week if things aren’t sorted and recycled etc.
Hi Mrs Green,
You and LMG make a good team. Any family looking to reduce waste has been shown the full detail required. The 99% reduction is a familiar figure matching my own efforts. People can see how a big change can be achieved with a reasonable amount of work.
Great work LMG and Mrs G.
One thing that occured to me as you sorted through your waste, was that things like your Ryvita box, might also be welcomed by school or nursery before they end their useful life.
I need to check with Master P’s school to see if they take these sort of things for junk modelling or similar. I haven’t asked them about plastic pots as they seem to have specifically designed pots and jars.
Word of advice to Poppy. While reusing cardboard boxes and plastic pots for junk modeling before they are recycled is a brilliant idea, it is only really worthwhile if you can be sure that the junk models will themselves be recycled. Otherwise it’s just a circuitous route to the landfill site.
LMG clearly knows a lot about recycling, and more than most her age, I should think. She’s a credit to you.
I did look carefully to see if you recycled anything we didn’t, but I don’t think you did, so we must be buying too much stuff with packaging. Perhaps when/if our son moves out our rubbish will go down to 100g or less, but I’m not sure. I should analyse our rubbish better.
Presumably if you couldn’t reuse your jars you would have to throw their tops away while sending the glass to be recycled.
What a great video – fantastic work and well done to LMG. And as John said, you’re a great team. Just quick note to Karin, what about peformance related incentives for your son. Would that work LOL 😀 x
Hi,
Sorry, I’ve not been around for a few days to comment on your fantastic week, I’ve had a horrible virus thing and been out for the count for a while. At least I’ve not been eating, so no wasting anything there!!
That’s a brilliant video that shows exactly where everything should go. Well done to you, LMG and Mr G, the cameraman?
I’ve bought three zero waste easter eggs today, a bit disappointed that the only zero waste ones I could find were on the small side, but as I said to my boys, if they’re that desperate for chocolate, go buy twice the amount, in half the packaging, for half the price, (I think they’re called “bars”)
Carole.
@Karin: I think most jar tops are metal? I put mine in with metal cans, etc. Is that wrong?
Carole
Lovely video!! 🙂 You guys really make an amazing team!! 🙂
Now if everyone slimmed their bins so much!! 🙂
@Carole, I think you’re gonna be interested in one of my future blogs! 🙂
@Carole Blake:
I used to think that Carole, but the kerbside collection chaps didn’t take them. I now put them in my bag of ‘other recyclables’ and take them when I visit the HWRC to put in with the metals.
Fantastic video. I need to start doing a better job of sorting my trash, after seeing this. I use to recycle like this, but have gotten lazy lately. Your video is the push I needed to get started again. Thank you
Under Layla’s suggestion I came here to see this post!
You’re an incredible family! Well done! This video well shows how much things we can recycle, leaving only a small percentage to the landfill.
You must be very proud of your daughter!
;Danda
@Carole Blake: Carole, I will buy a few as well to assess Zero Waste. Maybe none will achieve it but at least best efforts can be listed. The idea is to talk about it and plant the seed in Egg makers to aim for Zero.
Propaganda is always a factor with supermarkets and it is worthwhile to reveal the true situation. If you like, you can add the details to SkyNews for public consumption.
@Layla: OOh, tell me more!
Carole
Thank you everyone – Poppy I will check on that, but on the flip side, LMG came home the other week with something she had made at a club and it was just a pile of junk that I then had to get rid of LOL! thankfully it was all cardboard; but far more than I would ever buy in a week.
Carole – hope you are better now and Danda; welcome to the site. I’m glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you will visit again to keep track of us and join in with the discussions 🙂
Excellent video as per. Made me feel good actually too. We bought 3 zero waste Easter eggs today – only thing that disappoints me is that they are Nestle.
Mrs J – just curious – what are zero waste easter eggs like?
Just wrapped into aluminum foil? Or..?
Also curious what you all do with the aluminum foil, do you wash it? (‘lick it’ is probably not the cleanest procedure?)
– if it’s clean, it’s okay.. usually it’s not totally clean, so was just wondering..!! 🙂
Thanks!
@Layla:
Hi Layla – the eggs are wrapped in foil and packed in cardboard. Given our cool climate, the chocolate usually comes away without leaving any mess, but I’m sure it could be washed off if needed 🙂
@MrsJ: Not many things tick all the boxes, Mrs J. We try not to buy Nestle too, but sometimes there is little option. Glad you got some zero waste Easter goodies sorted out.
Perhaps if Nestle sell loads this year, the other companies will see that they too need to change. In effect, much as despise their lack of ethics, we can use them to make a worthwhile point. 🙂
I like your thinking Poppy – and what a great excuse to buy loads.
easy on the Easter chocolates, girls! as for your videos, i believe that local schools would benefit greatly from your input. it is absolutely necessary to begin at bottom to reach the adults.
oh, and have some local media ready to seize on this enlightenment moment, a short press release of the mini-event would feed their professional ego; you know, that do good feel good sort of reward.
you are so well focused that the whole of your true life adventure resonates far beyond the local view. mama earth would be so proud..the rest of us thank you.
Hi nadine; lovely to see you again – there is always a space for you infront of the fire at chez Green (although you might have to share that space with a long, stretched out cat). I think working in schools would be great; unfortunately I’m not a limelight girl, at all. I’m more of a ‘behind my keyboard’ style. I prefer to have a one on one with mother earth than talk to 200 kids and teachers 😀
DS2 was given a Cadburys Creme Egg Easter Egg as a prize at football on Sunday.
Apart from the obvious chocolate and 2 small creme eggs, there was foil, PET plastic (type 1) and cardboard.
So could all go into the doorstep recycling bin.
Good news Maisie – the trend is moving in the right direction with some companies 🙂 Thanks for the update; I need to set up a post for this so that everyone can share their experiences to date.