REDUCE PLASTIC AND PACKAGING
Doing this has many great outcomes. When you’re trying to reduce plastic and packaging that comes with the food you buy, you end up buying healthier, fresher food. Foods like fruits and vegetables usually come with very little or no packaging compared to ready-made foods or foods processed in some way. Also, you end up buying more in bulk so you save shopping time. Another bonus is that natural, healthier foods are less expensive than their processed versions. In David Suzuki’s book “David Suzuki’s Green Guide”, he makes a comparison between having an apple or a chocolate bar for a snack. Let’s see....apples have no packaging, are healthy and are about $0.25 each. Chocolate bars have packaging, aren’t very healthy and are about $1.00.
So you end up saving lots of money too!
MAKE A RECYCLING SYSTEM THAT YOU LOVE
It’s important to have a nice recycling system that you love. When my husband and I lived in our tiny apartment downtown, our recycling system was a grocery bag hung on the front door that we dumped cans, plastic and paper into and had to sort out once we got to the recycling bins downstairs. I began to resent that bag because it was ugly on the door, it was so small that it filled up really fast which meant a lot of trips down to the recycling bins, and it felt like it was cramping my style a bit. I work hard to keep a clean, tidy place and it all kind of goes out the window when your friends come over and see this hideous, smelly bag full of recycling hanging on the door, doesn't it?
After we moved to our new place about 3 years ago, the plastic bag thing continued out of habit, but then one day I decided enough is enough and went to ikea for my awesome Rationell Recycling Bins (pictured above)! The nice thing about them is they come in different sizes so you can get the ones that fit your recycling needs the best. I labelled the covers with my trusty label maker and because they come with a nice rolling pull out system, I’m going to install them under my sink as soon as the kitchen is done being renovated. Now the recycling is organized and out of sight....aaaaahhhhh....
GO PAPERLESS
I haven’t done this yet, but my plan for January’s challenge was for me to participate in parts of the challenge too. Instead of using paper towel in the kitchen, I’m going to get a bunch of kitchen and tea towels (see last week’s post for some great ones) for all the kitchen clean ups. This is going to greatly reduce the paper towel use in my home. As I mentioned in last week’s post, buying the Natura cloth really reduced our paper towel use because my husband actually reached for the cloth rather than grabbing a few paper towels. I’m thinking going completely paperless won’t be that much of a transition as long as I am prepared. Here are a few great links on the subject:
How to go Paper Towel-Less in the Kitchen
How to Create a Paperless Kitchen
Go paperless in the kitchen - Easy on your budget and the environment
HAVE A COMPOST SYSTEM
This one will require a bit more thought and planning. If you live in a single family home with a yard and garden, composting will be a bit easier for you because you can add the compost to your own outdoor area. Also, for single family home dwellers, you can take advantage of the soon to be implemented drop off and collection systems around Greater Vancouver to get rid of the compost you don't use.
However, if you live in an apartment or condo like me, it’s a lot harder to know what to do with your compost. There are lots of worm compost bins available out there for apartment dwellers but what to do with it afterwards seems to be something you have to come up with. I called both the City of Burnaby to see what my options were and they both said that later this year they’re implementing the single home yard and green waste drop off, but that doesn’t apply to multi-family homes. The lady I talked to at Burnaby said she also lives in a condo and she has just been giving her compost away to friends and family who did have a yard. Hmmmm...
I have a lot of thinking to do in terms of composting. Every time I chop off the end of a bunch of celery or the top of a radish I think “I really should get on to having a composting system in place”. The Naturemill kitchen composter looks so great and easy to use(picture above), but a lot more money to invest in.
It will happen soon! I have already found some great links with suggestions for the apartment dwellers’ compost problem and how to get started etc. Here are a few useful ones!
All About Compost
How I Started My Compost Bin
Composting With Red Wiggler Worms
Tips to Reduce Your Garbage
Composting Without A Yard
Good luck with all the greening!
{Image credits: Telegraph.co.uk, www.naturemill.com, underwould}
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