Living More Sustainably: A Zero Waste Goal
By Deb Lebow Aal
We all make garbage. If you look in our alleys, we make lots and lots of it. And we recycle. But Denver’s recycling is nothing to brag about. Our recycling cans are overflowing, sometimes with things that are NOT recyclable, like plastic bags.
But our goal should not be to recycle. Our goal should be to reduce our waste stream dramatically. The order of things we should think of doing is: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, rot (compost), and recycle. That’s the order I like, although it’s not the order everyone uses. The goal is nothing
in the trash can and very little in the recycling bin.
If you think zero waste is not doable, we certainly can have our goal be to make less waste. Here are some easy, easy ways to reduce your trash and your recycling. A bonus of many of these items is not only will they contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle, they can save you money and be beneficial to your health. And I know, many will say this is just a drop in the bucket. It won’t make a difference. But it will. If each of us does this, it will make a difference, and perhaps become the norm one day.
There are many more things you can do beyond this list, but these all require very little, if any cost, and should be simple to implement right now. No assembly required.
Leave the Leaves: Rather than place leaves in plastic or paper bags, leave them. What could be simpler? Leaves are the best mulch you can have. So, either leave them where they are, or rake them into your flower beds.
Create a pet waste hole: Plastic bags and pet waste are a significant portion of our waste stream. If you train your dog to relieve herself in your backyard, you can just dig a hole near a tree, put her waste in that hole, and let it compost and feed that tree. No danger there. Just don’t dig your hole near your vegetable garden. If your dog likes to relieve herself on a walk, I do know people who use a piece of paper or newspaper to pick it up, and then put the newspaper and the waste in the hole in their backyard. That seems like a stretch, perhaps, but yes, people do it. No plastic bags needed!
Consider the packaging: You can buy your lettuce in a plastic tub, or a head of romaine with no packaging. You can buy tea in an aluminum tea bag wrapper in a box, or loose leaf in your own container. As you are considering the price of an item, consider how much packaging comes with it. There are some foods that are so heavily wrapped, you get mostly packaging and very little food (e.g., individually wrapped prunes. Really?).
Buy in bulk: There are now several zero waste stores that will sell you laundry detergent, shampoo, olive oil, all kinds of things without packaging. You bring your container, they fill it. Of course, the store is using some sort of packaging, but that is less than if that product was put into many smaller packages.
Make Your own drinks: water with mint, orange or lemon peels is just as delicious as that seltzer packed in an aluminum can. You can flavor it just to your liking! And, please, NEVER buy bottled water: Bottled water is not regulated. Anything can be put into that plastic bottle. Your tap water is highly regulated. Millions upon millions of plastic water bottles end up in the ocean, with many more in landfills, making for a huge waste of resources. Do remember that plastic... bottle is made from oil. Keep your reusable water bottle handy, and refill often. And while recycling aluminum cans does make some sense (yes, there is still a market for second-hand aluminum), the initial mining of aluminum uses a huge amount of energy.
Shop less frequently for food: Instead of running out for that missing recipe ingredient, make do with what you have in the cupboard. Better yet, make a recipe around foods that will go bad soon or have been in that cupboard for quite a while. Food waste is a huge part of our waste stream.
Bring your own grocery bags, including plastic bags for fruit and vegetables: Yes, finally, Denver is charging for plastic bags, but I still see many people using plastic bags. It is truly simple to have your own bags (And no need to buy them – I am sure you have some, somewhere) and actually use them. Leave them in your car so that you never forget them. And bagging those apples – not necessary. You are going to wash those apples before you eat them, anyway.
Take a clothes shopping vacation, like, for a year: And, while Macy’s will not be happy with this, I am doing this right now. From January 2024 through January 2025 (yes, again), I am not buying any new clothes or shoes. I find this is making me be more creative with what I have. I put half my wardrobe down in the basement. If I find I want something new, I shop my basement. It is incredibly freeing – having fewer choices in your closet. If you do this, you are saving the packaging these new things come in, Amazon boxes (just saying…), as well as time and money shopping. You are also making your morning less hectic, with fewer choices.
Our consumption habits are a big issue fueling many an environmental issue. And a big part of that is our wardrobe. Many of us feel virtuous going to the thrift store (that would be me), buying second-hand. That is better, but it still fuels our consumption habits. Take a break.
Take your to-go container to a restaurant: Saving one single-use container really isn’t much, but if we all did this, we could keep thousands of single-use containers a day, just in Denver, from the landfill. Thousands A Day! I leave mine in my backpack, so it is always available.
Dry Your Laundry Outside: Okay, this doesn’t save much trash, unless you use disposable dryer sheets, but this is a huge energy savings, and in Colorado, your clothes dry awfully fast on a drying rack, indoors or outside. And they smell better!
Create a Brush Pile: I know, many of you have a city compost bin, which is great, but much of our yard waste can truly stay in our yard. A brush pile in a little-seen corner of your yard is great for wildlife, and breaks down over time to be some beautiful mulch or compost. In fact, my brush pile yields more no-work compost than my compost pile.
Create a Natural Raised Bed (Hugelkuter): So, this one might be a bit of work, but if you look up hugelkulter, you will find that this is a better option than a raised bed in Denver, mostly because of the lack of moisture here. You simply bury some large tree branches and other wood debris and compostable plant material (or leave a stump of a tree and work around that) and eventually the soil in that area will be rich, teaming with life. Instead of a raised bed, which requires more water than a mound of wood debris (which actually will retain water), you’ll have a place you can grow vegetables without much effort.
None of us are perfect. We are not going to get to zero waste, and believe me, I slip up a lot. I forget my to-go coffee cup often, and buy a coke in an aluminum can once in a while. But we can have getting to zero waste as a goal. The purpose of this is not to make you feel bad when you do fill up your trash can, which we all do, but to be thoughtful about what we waste.
If this is a topic that truly interests you, I recommend two books. The first, Wasted, by Byron Reese and Scott Hoffman is chock full of interesting stories on what we waste, and explains just how complex waste issues are. The second, Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson is full of ideas on how to truly get to zero waste at home. She’s amazing. And, have fun with it. I truly find the challenge of trying to get to zero waste an inspiring exercise in living intentionally.