Without Waste : Green living is a new catch-phrase for what has been my practice for most of my life. As the environment heats up and global warming hits everyone the pollution most contribute to will have a devastating effect. Plastic appears to be one of the worst items because it does not break down and will be in the land fill for some 1,000 or more years, according to the evidence.
It is not that hard to avoid plastic or, at least, to cut it down to the minimum. Unfortunately, everything we buy these days is packaged in it. That applies to appliances, batteries, clothing, and most other things. The plastic on most things is extremely hard and not able to be recycled as, say, drink containers.
Sauces are also now packaged in hardened plastic as are many of the supermarket items, including bread. While it is necessary to prevent contamination by other touching or soiling them such products cannot be avoided.
There are, however, ways around other waste. My garden, where my vegetables are always on hand, it is conditioned with compost made from fallen leaves, weeds, and kitchen scraps. Some manure is added and occasionally blood and bone or lime. This not only recycles what would otherwise go into the garbage bin but turns it into a useful resource.
The worm farm is also an asset and kitchen scraps are also deposited there. The run off is used for fertilising plants and when the build up is too much it is shovelled out and put straight onto the beds.
While my neighbours put out their garbage bins filled to the brim every week my bin is rarely put out. The only stuff it contains is that which can’t be recycled and as there is little plastic or other things to go to landfill from this address it might be emptied every two to three months or so.
Living without waste should be on everyone’s agenda. Landfill is not the place for things that can be recycled and made useful. We all need to think about that and what we can do to lower the height of the mountains of waste in the landfill.