Building a culture of Refuse – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Three years on, a progress report on our family’s 10 bag challenge

In January 2019, our family made a New Year’s sustainability resolution that we’d generate no more than 10 bags of trash per year.  At the time, I thought it was pretty audacious; I really had no idea whether we could do it.  (On the other hand, if Lauren Singer can put three year’s worth of her trash into a mason jar, surely we could manage 10 bags??…)

Fast forward to today, and I’m pleased to report that we did hit our 10-bag target in 2019 – plus every year since.  And I think we’re actually getting better at it: bag #3 for 2022 just went out earlier this month.

So what’s the secret?  (And no, we’re not using bigger garbage bags.)  There is none, really.  We just strive to:

• Choose less packaging: limiting trash is top-of-mind when we shop, so we actively choose products with little to no packaging. It’s meant the odd sacrifice, but we’re okay with that; our purchase decisions are one of the best ways we can influence the market. Packaging made up the bulk of our trash, so this has probably been the biggest single factor in helping us reduce it. (Some people think the three Rs should be preceded by a fourth, most important one, Refuse.)
• Buy used whenever possible: because used goods seldom come with packaging
• Avoid single-use plastic bags altogether: it’s meant a few walks back to the car, but we’re now comfortably in the habit of using alternatives that include reusable produce bags or collapsible boxes (no endorsement intended).
• Avoid disposable coffee cups altogether: that means I skip that coffee if I’ve forgotten my mug. The upside: I now remember my mug.
• Avoid disposable cutlery and takeout containers by carrying a spork (no endorsement intended) and keeping a bag with camp-style reusable cutlery, dishes and containers in the trunk of the car
• Compost everything possible: all the organics from our kitchen end up on our compost heap, which turns them into fertilizer for next year’s garden. A bonus: our remaining trash is less smelly and less attractive to pests. (Unsure about composting? Here’s a simple guide.)
• Recycle rigorously: our recycling systems are far from ideal (carbon footprint of collection; mixed materials; offshore ‘processing’), but recycling is still better than trashing.

If there is one secret to what we’re doing, it’s probably this: reducing trash has become part of our family’s culture.  It’s ingrained into our everyday thinking, and now it’s become second nature.  (Sidebar thought: a culture of sustainability would probably help all of us take giant strides toward solving larger challenges too, like climate change.)

Are you up for a 10-bag challenge in your family?  I hope so – and I hope the above tips will help you achieve it!

Thanks to subscribers Don Ross and Wes Glocking for each sharing tips on how they’ve gotten their households’ trash down to 2-3 bags per year, and inspiring me to a loftier goal!