Five easy ways to reduce trash

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/20/five-easy-ways-to-reduce-trash.html

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Tupperware when dining out has been a stalwart of ours for many years, it freaks out some Service People, but then others are like 'Hey, that’s a great idea".

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It is a great idea, and one I always seem to remember about the time I am finishing about half of my enormous restaurant portion! I guess I need to stage a collection of tupperware somewhere near the door in a location that says "Going out for Dinner…??? "

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i really need to do that. my strategy has been to order whatever i want, but only eat half, so i’ve been bringing home containers for years. bringing my own is something that should have occurred to me before this!

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I have begun to get into the habit of sharing an entree with my wife when we eat somewhere we know the portions will be on the larger size. Overwhelming portion sizes isn’t as common in Canada however as I understand it to be in the states. The bonus is that I have room for desert afterwards!

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I have a box in my car trunk with Tupperware and grocery bags, so I always have them before I know I need them. Been composting for years, which means I have the best garden and best homemade potting soil ever. Too bad there are few recycling options in my small town.

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Although, in my many years as a Chef I have come across hardy togo containers that last many re-uses.

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Holy crap, that’s an excellent idea!

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I hope those bamboo washcloths work for you. If you need to try something different, I suggest traditional cloth towels that you can throw in the regular laundry. If those bamboo towels are anything like some of the bamboo textiles that exist out there, there’s a chance they’re actually a form of rayon, which harms the atmosphere during their production. There’s an alternative enzyme method I’ve read about, but I don’t know if that product is a result of that approach. Good luck and thanks for pitching in!

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For groceries, I picked up a trick at Costco of all places, that works everywhere. I keep a collapsible plastic box, a collapsible trolley (in case things are heavy) and bring a cooler with me. Then skip the bags and have them put the stuff back in the cart. At the car, cold stuff goes in the cooler, the rest in the box (since it’s just me, I only need one box, your needs may vary). It means no more curdled-too-early milk or melty ice cream, too. Spills get contained and don’t wreck the upholstery and it’s easy to clean (ask a cashier some time about the stenches from some people’s reusable bags).

It may not save a lot at once, but bags add up over a year.

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Thanks, people need reminders of the equal importance of the 3 R’s

Reduce + Reuse + Recycle

  1. Use it up
  2. Wear it out
  3. Make do, or
  4. Do without

If you can’t fix the old one, ask, do you have to have one at all? Can you borrow one and give it back? If you have to have one, can you buy a used one?

Why yes I am from New England why do you ask

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You say that, but word one from a 612-headed worm in the vertical hypoxic composting bin can make you want to hardscape with stainless. Then you get all those rod remainders.

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I missed this earlier today.
I feel like Seattle does it well. I have 3 bins. One big one for recycling and we don’t have to sepearate paper/plastic/metal/glass it all goes in the bin. Another bin for food and yard waste which can be small to just a bit bigger than the recycling bin and you can throw meat, bones, food soiled cardboard and compostable plastics in it as well which goes to a big industrial compost heap. Just the recycling bin alone makes pretty much for one or two 5 gallon bags of trash and another 5 gallon bag of kitty litter weekly.

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