Our Earth Needs Us to Reduce Waste

The average American person produces about 5 lbs of garbage per day, while the average Canadian throws away about 1/2 kg of packaging daily (JUST packaging). We need to reduce waste! I feel very passionate about reducing waste and, apparently, live in the worst province in Canada for garbage and waste- Alberta. When people complain about their compost bin, I want to kick them.

I was visiting my mom in rural Saskatchewan and she was mentioning how the ladies at work were commenting on the inconvenience of taking things to recycling and composting in such an isolated area. I replied that it will be more inconvenient for our kids and grand-kids to live among piles of garbage. Right now, it is out-of-sight out-of-mind but with all the plastics and garbage piles not breaking down, it won’t be soon- and sooner than we believe. I said that most people don’t look long-term and that the inconvenience of taking our compost out and properly recycling will be worth it. My mom wholeheartedly agreed. She is also a huge champion for bee health and very against straws- which is a newer mindset for her. I have hope everyone will come around, eventually. Or enough people.

I wish we were more like the UK. When they identify a problem, they ban it. Bees getting killed by a certain pesticide? Banned. Straws killing wildlife and marine life? Laws being sorted….as it should be. I don’t know what people think we are going to do- shoot garbage into space indefinitely? Terrible idea.

Ways I am trying to reduce our waste:

• reusable products such as cloths in the place of paper towels
• tumblers for coffee cups instead of disposable
• no plastic straws
• buying less packaging, such as taking containers to Bulk Barn
• turning off the car when parked
• buying bulk cleaners and making my own in smaller containers, instead of buying the smaller jars
• reusable cloth sandwich bags instead of plastic ones (we are in the process, so still have lots of the plastic ones around)
• washing out and reusing plastic sandwich and freezer bags
• buying only what we need so that less goes bad and there is less excessive packaging
• meal planning so that food doesn’t go bad

Sites I love to reference:

• Plastic Pollution Coalition
• The Last Plastic Straw
• The Eco Hub
• Going Zero Waste
• Marilyn Denis Show – (sometimes they have eco-friendly solutions and are a good resource)

Although I would love to eventually go as zero-waste as possible, we’re not there yet. But I am going to keep researching and making small changes. My kids are also very passionate about the environment- especially Isabella who always reminds me that even the smallest bug creates a big impact if it’s gone because an animal relies on them for food or a plant for fertilization.  Through her eyes, I see how complex and fragile our Earth is and it makes me want to protect it even more.

What are you doing to be more environmentally friendly?

Since the compost bins have rolled out, do you find yourself producing less garbage?

Any favourite eco-friendly resources I could use?

Please comment below if you have thoughts!

 

Other posts you may be into reading:

Attempting to Use More Environmentally Friendly Products.

Environmentally Conscious

Setting Up an Indoor Herb Garden in Canada