Selfsufficientish.com

Can you meet the challange?

Probably not, but I have signed up, every week I have a little rubbish I seem to be able to do nothing with

Now there's something to do for a week. It's an interesting progression on how little rubbish was produced on the recent house move.

I think this is really interesting. I've been giving it some thought, and would definitely like to attempt it. At the moment though, I can see a few things that I think I will probably still have to put in the bin: things like used cat litter, used cotton wool (make up removal - yes, I know I could just not put make up on).

It also depends on your definition of 'waste'. In this case, does waste simply mean anything put in the bin (i.e. rubbish), or does it mean not wasting things (so, reusing things beyond their original function)? I know that often these two mean the same thing, but sometimes I can reuse an item a few times before ultimately it still has to be thrown away.

I think the answer probably lies in me rethinking what I buy in the first place; reducing the amount of items with plastic packaging that I buy, and so on. In any case, this is certainly an interesting concept and has made me look again at what I'm putting in the bin.

Yes the less packaging you bring in to the house the less you have to get rid of. I am finding by growing my own packaging is greatly reduced. When I do buy veg and meat I get it from the local butcher who has a family run farm and uses paper bags which can be composted.
I am going to restart my wormery and the bins which pickle food waste and veg matter.i did use them a few years ago reducing waste and making myself some great plant food and compost enricher in the process. That saves me having to buy plastic bags with compost in hence less waste. It is not easy but it is possible to reduce waste it just takes a little bit of time and energy.

I just looked in my bin, it is now full, I think I last put out a rubbish bag 6 weeks ago. it is mainly, films from things like cream crackers, cheese wrappers, oven chip bag, cereal inners bags (which would have been used again to wrap something in that went in the freezer), so it can't weigh more than 1kg, I am really not sure what one does about this kind of thing, it really does drive me mad, which I why I sell my salads in 100% biodegradable bags (they are oxodegradable so I hope that does what is says).

We've generally not produced much in the way of waste and here I'm talking about stuff that goes in our general waste bin that gets landfilled, most of ours goes into the recyling bins. However, having said that I'm now finding that working for myself results in me having other peoples waste to deal with. For example I replace a door for someone and they want me to take away the old one. Fine if it's able to go on freecycle but more of a pain if it's being replaced because it's rotten. And so on and so on you get the picture.
One old lady I work for had , I noticed , a couple of months ago a hosepipe in her bin. It was still there today so I decided to ask her if it was being thrown away. No such luck it was just being stored there but the point is there hasn't been any rubbish put in for months. I then told her about this no waste week and it seems she recycles pretty much everything.I do wish we could be that good.


Pete

I've just asked the local council to exchange my normal size general waste bin for a small size waste bin.

The reality check has been that I know that it's not my waste which has filled the bin twice (carpeting the last flat and this bungalow, the cut offs). Sure I've filled a large bin over the years at the previous place with doing extra street litter collections on a voluntary basis but have moved and won't be doing the same school run on a regular basis. And that's been other people's rubbish not mine.

I see that food waste is the subject of zero waste week this year. Not a problem at all here. Vegetable peelings get composted and I only ever cook enough for one. Oh and being vegetarian going on vegan does have it's advantages. It makes waste disposal so much easier.

But the smaller bin will ensure that I don't get out of hand with my rubbish! It's a very long bus ride to the local household recycling centre and I'm not sure that the bus would be please with a smelly bag of waste!

I think that flo has a very good idea , maybe smaller bins would pursuade people to reduce their rubbish out put. The wheelie bins we have today have far more capacity than the older type binmen had to lift up and people still moan that they are overflowing and should be collected weekly. It tends to irritate me , people moaning about a fortnightly collection and having too much waste, they're simply too bone idle to actually do anything about it themselves. Rant over.


Pete

Funnily enough I just found tis article yesterday. Interesting! http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/10/bea-johns ... e-3875289/

National zero waste week is here.
It aims to use up left over food and reduce food waste this year.
I am going for it . Making mushroom and chicken soup tomorow with some left over mushrooms and a chicken carcass , after taking some of the meat for chicken and stuffing sandwiches Veg soup with some other veg I have got lingering in the bottom of the fridge. Bananas that have seen better days, milk shake or banana sandwhiches. A chilli is in order to use up green beans and other assorted veg.
I am determined not to go food shopping for at least 10 days and use up what I have got in the house along with home grown veg. I treated myself to a " naked" food box as the lid broke on mine so don't need to wrap food to take it with me .