Just A Tosser…
By Andrea Peck
Trash talk always inspires me. - Vince Young
My mom tells me she's been in the trash can again. I picture her, submerged in the dumpster outside her condominium, hooked by her pink Crocs like an oversized bat. There's a technical term for her behavior: freecycling. She makes opportunity out of discards. Let's face it; much of what ends up in our SLO county trash is reusable. How many TV's have you seen alongside the road lately? I see at least one daily. The handy amongst us try to make something from trash, repurpose it in some way. But, aren't those people considered peculiar by most?
On a whim, I decided to delve into the topic further. That is when I found out the most shocking fact: the amount of food waste in landfills exceeds all other materials. Really? Food waste? Aren't there hungry people?
By EPA estimates, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated in 2012.
When approximately 50 million people do not have access to adequate food, it is amazing that so much food is discarded. Sure, some food may not be suitable for eating, but as every gardener knows, that food could go to a better purpose, such as composting.
Ironically, my mother's conversation that day did not elaborate on all the “great stuff” she found in the trash (and when I say great stuff, I mean new, often unwrapped items), it was the amount of food waste and recyclables that she had to swim through to get to the goodies.
Don't get me wrong, she'll swim for it.
But then she has to take out the rotted food and compost it. She has to recycle the recyclables and trash the trash. Her question is a big one: why is this stuff not in proper order? Why is trash in the recycle bin and recyclables in the trash? And what's this banana peel doing in the mix?
Why, at the age of 70, is she filing refuse that is not her own?
Who knows really? My assumption is that we are still confused about what constitutes recycling, composting and trash. Maybe some don't feel that it is worth consideration. The EPA begs to differ on this point. And, I think, the average citizen can see that 36 million tons of (compostable/reusable) waste is a big number. Perhaps that number is so overwhelming that we simply play possum and pretend we are dead when it comes to that which is carted off our property on a weekly basis.
Changing these numbers need not be daunting. A small shift is impactful. Zero waste is amazing, and some are able to achieve that lifestyle, but it is not a reasonable goal to begin with. That's like trying to lose 40 pounds in a weekend. Begin by assessing your own needs and taking an honest inventory of what you are using in your home. Here are a couple of tips:
- Don't buy more food than you think you will eat.
- Freeze or donate edible food to a food bank or share it with neighbors.
- Cut off bad parts of fruit and use good portions in salads or side dishes.
- Don't forget the animals. My dogs will eat carrots and some vegetables and we also have chickens that eat all kinds of food scraps. Not only do they love it, but it is healthy and saves me from buying extra feed.
- Compost! If you do not know how, it is a great time to learn. It may sound mucky, but composting is an easy, inexpensive way to discard leftover foods, yard waste and some paper products – and after the process you get the bonus of free soil amendment. Check out this link which features a Master Gardener video series on everything involving composting: http://uccemg.com/Soils-Fertilizers-Compost/Composting-Video-Series-386/
And for those who make attempts to rescue, reuse and otherwise pare down the waste that you produce, pat yourself on the back - It's a humble job that deserves much more appreciation than it gets.
Link to the EPA website:
http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/
Link itemizing items that can be recycled:
http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp