I have never spent so much time thinking about rubbish. Everything I now buy and use, I automatically consider where it will eventually end up. It is actually a very powerful tool to stop me buying things.
My latest focus on rubbish though has been around the actual disposal of rubbish in my house and trying to find a way around the bin bag dilemma. Yes, I could have all naked bins but I actually find that a bit yucky and so here is where I have got to so far:
Main kitchen bin – I now use a Degradable bin liner. (“Made from oxo-biodegradable plastic that will degrade within 12-18 months in optimal conditions, leaving behind CO2 and water. The bags are also fully recyclable, and offer an eco-friendly alternative to regular plastic bin bags which tend to take hundreds of years to degrade.”) Now I am not 100% convinced about these as I don’t know what they mean by optimal conditions but surely it is better than normal plastic? I am still on the look-out for alternatives but as I have managed to get my general waste down to about half a bin bag a fortnight, I think this is ok for the moment. The bigger problem is obviously what I am having to actually put in the general waste in the first place.
Recycling bin – I am currently trying to not use a bin liner (we will see how it goes). On the plus side this also makes me a lot more careful to ensure that the recycling waste is clean and mostly dry before I put it in the bin.
Bathroom bins – I am using paper bags that I have made out of the wrappers from my Who Gives a Crap toilet roll. (They are the perfect size for my pedal bins.)
Food waste bin – here is where I get very frustrated! My local council says that it is actually best to use plastic bags for our food waste as when it gets to the processing plant the machines remove any bags or liners, including compostable ones. (They are then taken to an energy from waste plant to be turned into electricity.) Apparently the compostable bags can cause a problem if they start to deteriorate before they are separated from the food waste and they can contaminate the process! According to the website, we can use anything from old shopping bags to bread, cereal or salad bags. How is this a sustainable way to dispose of our food waste? What if I don’t have plastic bags? (I do currently have an old stash that I am working through BUT when this runs out I don’t want to have to get more?!) I am at a loss as to what to do for the best here and so it is still a work in progress.
For the moment I am happy with the changes that I have been able to make. Compared to the numerous (half filled) plastic bins bags that I used to use each week I have made a lot of progress. Unfortunately, the food waste is going to have to be an ongoing dilemma that will require a lot more research to see if there is a more sustainable solution, surely I can’t be the only one to think it is a crazy system?
