Rural Recycling Concerns

I've seen the recycling scene in Grand Rapids grow exponentially since the coming of the Single-Stream MRF to the Metro-Area. One area I see still lagging behind is the rural suburbs. Even though the MRF takes all the recyclables "mixed" together the transfer stations where Waste Management manages "drop-off" sites still require residents to separate things out by type. When I asked about this on a tour of the new MRF, the Director of the Kent County Recycling Center said they were looking into changing that. The trucks take and dump all those items into one pile anyway for the mechanized MRF to sort, why not pass the convenience of single-stream on to the rural recyclers? The waste haulers in the area are little better at passing on the convenience of Single-Stream to the rural population. Even though they would only need to say the word and people would pay for a curbside recycling dumpster of the type GR residents get for free, they continue to refuse to offer the option. I've spoken with the owner of one of these hauling companies and they claim the interest isn't there in the rural suburbs. From experience I can tell you that isn't the case. If we were able to offer large recycling curbside units to people there would be buy in and there would be interest. I see a future where rural communities not only have the option of a large curbside dumpster for recyclables and a smaller one for trash, but dare we dream even a curbside container for food scraps. The next step is to convince someone to make this happen, to take this project to the next level, to make the necessary connections and investments to make this a reality.

Earth Day is here. So how did we do?

Well, I have to admit we have not reached the Absolute Zero threshold yet, but we've come as close as is humanly possible in my opinion, at least in West Michigan. We have put in a gallant effort for sure. The replacement of out kitchen trash can with a 3-tier recycling bin and a counter top compost container has really changed our way of life. My family has been stellar, averaging under 10 lbs of waste a month! My kids in particular have been remarkable! I am geeked when my 3 year old asks me if something is compostable. They really seem to get it and I am proud of them. I did the shopping today, it had been probably 10 days so I had to buy quite a bit. I was very conscious of packaging, but I am not an ogre either. I did buy my kids some fruit snacks to take to school even though I know there is no reuse for those packets. They were a treat and an exception I tolerated, but not the rule. I'd like to be able to buy most everything at the store bulk and package it in my own reusable container. I guess until we get a Whole Foods or a bulk food co-op in GR I am at a near stand still. I keep trying to whittle it down, but in the meantime I have to be content with a 99.9% reduction in home waste. I am just kidding I know that is awesome! The average family of 5 creates 8,000 lbs of waste a year, my family is averaging less than 120 a year that is something to be proud of for sure!

One step closer to absolute waste... 19 days until Earth Day

Surprisingly the lid to our Rubber Maid kitchen waste basket broke the other day. I looked into just replacing the lid and of course that isn't possible, not only can't you buy just a lid, but they have changed the shape slightly since last year when I bought it and I wouldn't be able to find one to fit it anyway. So, I went to Meijer's and starting looking for a new one. I didn't see anything I liked and then I got to thinking, trash isn't the first thing we should be thinking about anyway. An actual waste basket should be the last thing we have close at hand since we are aiming for absolute zero waste. So I didn't replace it! Say what? You read correctly, I didn't buy a new waste basket. Instead, a bought a stackable 3 bin recycling center to place where our waste bin was and I relocated the "trash" to the garage. Now everyone's first instinct will be to ask, "Is this compostable or recyclable?" And then and only then, if it is neither will they walk out into the garage and place it in the barrel. I was wandering around Meijer's last night at 11:45 p.m. and it just hit me, if we are to cope and adjust and beginning living/creating a post-waste culture we need to get rid of the crutch of having a trash can handy. If we make it harder to toss our trash maybe we will be less likely to bring it into the house in the first place. I want to raise my children to ask, "where is your compost bin" or "where are your recycling bins" instead of scouting for the trash when they are visiting other people. As Rage Against the Machine sings, "it has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now?"

Taking the plunge...

If I can't reuse it, compost it, or recycle it I won't buy something in it. That is the bottom-line with zero waste and it has to be a conscious effort and a decision.

23 days until Earth Day, w/ Absolute Zero looming

I am a little disappointed that I am beginning to think that Absolute Zero may be unattainable. This is the second week I've weighed our garbage can since I got rid of our curbside dumpster. We had 4 lbs of garbage this week, almost double what we had our first week measuring. Now, just to be fair, we had 30 house guests this week, between the 2 separate birthday parties we had for our oldest daughter Micah, but still... This only makes me think an Absolute Zero waste home is a near impossibility. You can try and try to avoid wrappers and containers that don't compost, but someone is bound to bring over some pop-sickles or some such rubbish that have a non-recyclable and non-compostable wrapper, not to mention all the packaging associated with 8 year old girl dollies and the like. I guess I can just be thankful that in my absence Saturday my wife kept the dream alive and secretly trash picked the compostables out of the waste basket. She deserves a medal, go Nellie!

Earth Day is a Month Away

I am excited to see Earth Day just around the corner. That date will be the 1 year anniversary of the roll out of our recycling program at Mel Trotter Ministries where I work. I think at the time I thought 50% removed from our waste stream would be doable immediately, we got closer to 70% reduction of waste our first quarter with the addition of a food waste composting service and doing away with disposables. Over the course of the next several months I studied and scoured for recycling sources learning some great stuff along the way. At the present we are almost to 90% waste reduction at the Mission and looking to do some recycling at our warehouse and stores. Things are looking really good for these green initiatives. I never would have guessed last year that we would take this this far. We've been certified as a 4 of 4 star recycling center and been recognized in the news. Then more recently I've been aiming closer and closer to that zero mark for waste and studying the sustainable practices involved in obtaining true zero has been eye opening.
On May 18th of this year I will be co-leading a seminar at the 29th Annual Michigan Recycling Coalition Conference entitled Zero Waste Now (see page 5 of the linked pdf). Preparing for this conference session I have been reading and blogging about zero waste and taking my own stab at joining the post-waste movement. I am very excited to be sharing my research and my current zero waste home project as well as tips I've picked up along the way.

This Earth Day will mark an amazing transition for my household and later in the year possibly for my work. I would like to see the Downtown Area G.R. become a Zero Waste Zone. It has to start somewhere!

I am very excited as well tomorrow we are taking a truckload of plastics 3-7 unsorted to our new recycler and I am hoping that all goes well, we've been studying up on our plastics and have included a number of unnumbered things that we are fairly certain are actually 4s, 5s and 7s. I'm guessing we will know for sure tomorrow.

2 adults, 3 children, 7 days = 2.5 lbs. of waste Arggh!

Zero=0

Time is ticking away 36, 35, 34 days left and I am both excited and a bit disappointed. At our 1st weigh in our trash, I mean the real waste I can't compost or recycle, weighed 2.5 lbs. That means each of us created a .5 lb of trash on average. I know this seems like a low number, but it isn't ZERO! That being said I know that next week will be better. I am finally out of the Keurig cups that I had purchased several weeks ago and those will no longer be part of that weight. Other waste is cyclical and only cycles around every so often. I think we can easily cut this 2.5 lbs in half or better by next week. That is my goal then, next Sunday no more than 1.75 lbs! We are whittling it away with a little over a month remaining before we proclaim 6124 Kuttshill a Zero-Waste Zone.