Stop it!

This is a campaign that I really like...it catches the eye and is profound in its simplicity. Stop it. Stop litter. So simple, and yet, why can't we do it.

But you know what I realized this year...we are ALL litter bugs. I mean, I turned 30 this year and I like to think now that I am absolved of all sins of comission or omission committed in my twenties. And in my twenties I did not think much about the problem of trash. But everytime we throw a bag away, it is like creating a little timecapsule to be buried in the earth for future generations. Scary huh? I guess I had the idea that all that stuff would "rot" and be gone after a few years in the trash dump. But no, turns out all that plastic pretty much preserves whatever is inside it forever! Ugh! So I am thinking a bit more about what I do with my trash!

So step 1 is easy: RECYCLE. And oh, I am ashamed at how easy it is! I already have to carry my trash to the conveneince center, so all recycling means for me is sorting some of my trash before taking it. And it is amazing how much space this gives you in your trash bags! If you don't throw anything stinky away, they last about twice as long in the kitchen can. I have just stuck a second can outside for plastics, glass, and cans. Also, this month I finally got a box for paper. So now I am set. I am really happy because my husband has gotten into it too! It thrilled my heart the first day he called to me holding a plastic bottle of some kind and said, "Isn't this recyclable? Where do I put it?" I am thrilled not because my husband is some kind of bum that I have to drag around on stuff, it made me happy because he was choosing to do this recylcing thing with me, and when we both decide to do something we are a powerful force. But when one of us is not on board our behavior tends to "resent to baseline" as I say at work.

Anyway, so we have gotten step one down. Step two is of course to minimize the stinkiness of the trash in the can by composting. I have not made it quite to that level, but I have started throwing food trash over the hill into the bramble a little ways from our house. That is the benefit of country living. But I have been reading some stuff on growing my own food, and composting can really help that process, so I am going to work on getting it set up over the winter so that I have some good compost started for Spring. Here is one instructional site about composting. This site says that 30% of waste comes from compostable yard and kitchen stuff. Man, what if everyone had a hill to chuck that stuff over, it would really reduce our trash! But also, compost is actually a valuable resource, so by putting in our plastic bags and burying it with our trash, it cannot be used for anything and is wasted!

So back to the issue of trash. I found a great blog that comments on the trash of Nashville. It is called "The Earth is Not a Trash Can" and she takes pictures of and comments on trash around town that she finds. She also includes informative articles and commentary. And it is important that places like Nashville think about the trash problem now, while there is no crisis, versus waiting until a crisis looms, like in places like Long Island New York or Naples, Italy.
Picking up trash and recylcing that trash or our own trash is a small first step to helping our world. Also, think about your trash. Is there someone who can use what you are about to throw away? Can it be fixed? Can it, or parts of it, be recylced? Could you use it for a few more months? Can it be flattend so that it takes up less space in the landfill? Just a few small ways we can do something good for our world.

Got any trash tips to add? I think you will see more posts on the issue of trash in the future, but this is just a start.