Garbage Re-engineering

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“REDUCE” does not always mean “decrease quality”, and so we’ll WASTE a few lines on that thought.

One interesting moment of revelation occurred when our waste bags for plastic and metal were unavailable for two weeks. It must have been one of the pandemic’s more scurrilous shortages.

Anyhow, we only had two bags left for recycleables and needed a strategy.

This is what we came up with: Since our diet is almost entirely plant-based, our waste doesn’t usually start to smell bad right away. If we have something that smells bad, we put it in another empty package so that it won’t soil the bag. The same goes for very messy packages. Just put one dirty package into a clean one.

Once the bag is full, we empty its outside-clean contents into the bins and reuse the bag. Doing so reduces the space the garbage takes up in the bins and keeps them as clean as if they were lined with bags. This strategy works quite well, and we have reduced our use of plastic bags for recyclable waste by about 75%. Since garbage bags are essentially large packaging units, this makes total sense.

However, this practice actually started a chain reaction in our household. Next, we came up with a challenge: How can we reduce residual waste? We felt that reducing residual waste would make a big difference since it usually contains a lot of things that don’t belong in there (common, let’s be honest here!). All of those stray items cannot be recycled. However, if the garbage is properly sorted (and your community has an effective recycling strategy, like Berlin does—thank you, BSR!), then the resources can be repurposed and do not become WASTEd.

We rose to the challenge by placing garbage receptacles where each type of waste usually accumulates. Instead of mixed buckets and bins everywhere, there are now a bunch of smaller ones in the right places. For example, the bathroom is the only place with a residual waste container and a recycling bin (for the “Yellow Bin,” which combines plastic and metal). Both are very small, and the “bag” for recycleables is the toilet paper wrapping. The kitchen has a separate bucket for glass and paper and a main plastic/metal bag, as well as a bucket for returnables (bottles with fees). There is also a small bucket for organic waste with a paper bag in it (reused from shopping for fresh vegetables) and sand on the bottom to soak up liquids and prevent mold, plus another small bucket for tea bag compost (see [Teatime]). In the rooms, we have small containers for paper and plastic/metal that we empty into the large one in the kitchen. On the balcony, there is an old, large planting container that serves as a vessel for collecting organic waste. You know, twigs, bad leaves, and other things that the elements carry in that you do not want to keep. When we do a major cleanup of our place, we have three containers ready (preferably from old packaging) to sort paper, plastic/metal, and residual waste.

All of these measures had another effect. They made the waste noticeable. I know reducing packaging is an important way to reduce waste, but if the packaging waste is invisible in the household, there are no consequences for letting it slide other than knowing you are probably doing the right thing. Good in theory, but difficult to put into practice.

With our “re-engineered” garbage strategy, having a lot of packaging is very inconvenient because waste now is a visible part of the household. It’s not just: “Someone has to take out the garbage again; the bag is full!” Instead, it’s: “Wow, look at how much plastic waste we’ve produced this week! That can’t be good! Let’s stick to paper-packed goods.” Bonus: The garbage we produce takes up less space because there is less of it and it is organized. This is true for our apartment as well as the space in the bins.

This brings me to another thing we realized and now emphasize greatly: Buying goods in packaging made from recycled materials. Only then do the cycles close. We also prefer to buy food in glass containers rather than plastic, especially if those glass containers are made for reuse.

Overall, it has been a very interesting learning experience, from “No bags for plastic and metal waste!” to “What is our garbage made of, in terms of composition and quantity, and how can we optimize it?”

I’d say that’s an improvement in quality of life, both now and in the future. Definitely no waste in that.

With our “re-engineered” garbage strategy, having a lot of packaging is very inconvenient because waste now is a visible part of the household.

Side Notes:

  • In the pictures above, you can see: First, glass containers (for yogurt) are reused to regrow salads in the kitchen in the winter, along with the material used to close bags. Second, the reuse of containers for pasta and grains from old packaging (classic storage jars with multiple uses). Third is another classic: using an old tin box to store dried herbs from your own garden for the winter. Other examples of reuse can be seen in the posts [Boxed Up for Good] and [Another Angle].
  • One last thought: There might be a problem with reusing garbage bags if you have animals that raid the bins. From experience, I know that, if they have to tear up the packaging to inspect the goods, the mess is usually bigger. I’ve also learned that animals usually go for thrown-out leftovers, animal products, and junk food. So the “beastly inspection” problem might not be solely a garbage thing but also a mindful eating problem. 😉