No More Trash

Strangefruit

2008-01-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

There is a strangefruit that grows in the trees of New York:

I call it plastic bag fruit. I also hear it is an and coming invasive species bound to take over Richmond if we do not eradicate plastic bag fruit from our streets and retail stores!!!

Diatribes aside, I love New York, and they have some pretty crafty recycling tricks I wish Richmond would adapt. For example, at least one of the restaurants I ate at had a recycling bin for bottles and cans. Where are these in Richmond? Why can't this be required of every bar and restaurant in the city. Is it too much of a burden to ask businesses to simply provide a recycling bin for customers that the city will pick up? Sure some places will have more volume, but it doesnt take any more energy to dump in in a trash bin, than it does to separate the bottles and put them in a separate bin.

On a personal note, I have thrown many things away in New York. I am sorry, but in Richmond I will be much more stricter. I think I will need to comb the streets back home for recyclables to make up for my trash transgressions. I guess I'm the half assed trashless man. It's tough, but it is apparent I didn't plan enough. This is a learning experience, so although I technically failed my resolution, I will still struggle to keep it.

Live from NY, Its the Trashless traveler, sort of

2008-01-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

I arrived on the China Bus at 6AM this morning and spent the day walking the city alone. The picture is the Shakespeare statue in Central Park.

I admit, I threw three things away to day. This morning before sunrise I sought refuge in a Chinese bakery, and I ordered a croissant and a black bean cake. And a small coffee. I wasted the cup and the bean cake wrapper. I was too out of it really to force my self to hold on to it.

Thankfully I managed to spend the rest of the day with a little more restraint, except for the wrapper my hot nuts came in in the Park. I really am mad at myself that I let so simple small things slip by, but at the time I just didn't want to deal with it.

I seriously feel like I am in a foreign country, its surreal.

Speaking of surreal, the MoMA is freaking awesome!

Okay back to the trash, I will be more disciplined tonight I promise, I think I will have to drink drafts instead of bottles with my hosts tonight.

Big Recycling Day before Big Apple trip.

2008-01-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to taking the rest of the recycling from the apartment to the drop off behind the Science Museum.

It was quite a bit:

I am left with a few "undesirable" non-recyclable items that I will have to either hold on to for a year or reuse somehow. Any ideas?

On a more interesting note, I am taking the China bus to New York City tonight, and will be back Sunday. I will be doing my damnedest not to come back with any trash.

Personal Failures

2008-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today started well, but I had a major failure. Had dinner at Superstar's Pizza, and had to deal with a paper plate, a plastic wrapped plastic fork, knife, and napkin with a paper wrapped packet of salt and another of pepper. I had it all set aside to take with me, when one of the employees swiped everything off my table. I told him not to take it but he assured me it wasn't a problem .

I felt myself shrink as he swiped it away, and I struggled to begin to explain what and why I was doing it, by the time I was ready, it was trashed, so I slumped back down in my seat.

So, I have sent the above items to knock around in a landfill for a few hundred years. Let's hope I can do better.

Despite a few rocky starts, I think I am adapting. I am certainly noticing how pervasive our trash is, but I am also observing how complacent our society is to it. It is a system, that operates out of sight and out of mind, and only when you consciously analyze every scrap of rubbish you produce do you really become aware of it. That or taking a stroll through a land fill.

Cleaning Out the Car

2008-01-02T12:12:00.001-08:00

Wow I am stupid. I forgot to clean out my car before the new years, so now I am stuck with some "undesirable" non-recyclables, including two chip bags and two coffee cups.

I don't know what to do with them. I guess I'll hold on to them for a year before I can throw them out. Or maybe I can think of some use for them?

I got a few other things to deal with, like some bottle caps, and the wire from my chinese rice carton. Also the fortune cookie wrapper. This is not going well. I am afraid I might become a pack rat.

I have to be smarter, and more resourceful. I'm hungry and badly packaged food is calling my name, what is a trashless boy to do?

I did recycle three glass bottles, and some paper products, so that's good, and all of my undesirables so far fit in a tiny box. Let's hope I can keep it from expanding.

PS. I just got added to RVABlogs.com, so if you have no idea what this is about, please check out my first post ever.

Trash is Everywhere

2008-01-02T00:12:00.001-08:00

And so it begins. The leftovers of consumerism. The remnants of my Chinese food meal are this. Which gives me a good idea for some wall art, it looks cool unfolded, plus you can use the metal handle as a hanging device. I suppose I will recycle this after the grease has dried.

Unfortunately I spilled some beer, and these napkins became useful. I think i can dry them out and recycle along with the brown paper Chinese food bag.

Also I am stuck with a fortune cookie wrapper, not sure what I will do with that yet. The fortune is recyclable (which reads: "your love life will be happy and harmonious")

I washed out the un-recyclable food containers and will reuse them for carry out.

Finally I have two beer bottles to account for, and a can of sardines I had new years eve, to be recycled.

This is hard, but it is helping me think, making me conscious of my presence on this earth. Trash doesn't just disappear as easily as it appears.

Day One

2008-01-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Full disclosure, I'm off to a bad start. I got some Chinese food this afternoon, take out. It came in a paper bag, and two plastic containers with a big fat 5 label, which means they are not recyclable in Richmond. Which means I will be washing them and lugging them to every restaurant I get take out from for the rest of the year.

Luckily I had my own chopsticks, everyone should carry around there own set.

I do have a cardboard carton of rice as well. I suppose I will empty, flatten, and recycle, after removing the metal handle. I will have to find a use for that at some point.

One more failure, I ate at delux, (good food, I had the corn meal crusted trout with greens and sweet potato fries, and I forgot to grab my beverage nap, to recycle before I left. Please forgive me.

I also bought my ex-gf a coffee in a togo cup, but technically it isn't my trash, and I drank my espresso from the ceramic cup so I guess I made up for it.

Not to shabby I guess, but now I am figuring out if work counts towards my goal.

I work in a fan bar kitchen so 'no trash' maybe problematic. Technically it isn't my trash, so I am not going to count it against me, but I will attempt to be as efficient and nonwasteful as possible. I will have an update on how that goes.

Anyway, Happy New Year, and so far I have physically put anything in a trashcan, so, so far so good, despite a few little hiccups.

Transitions: The Problem with Grocery Stores

2007-12-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I ventured into Ukrop's to do a little shopping. Keeping in mind my upcoming trashless lifestyle choice, I brought along my own reusable bags. Score 1 point for me.

After selecting a few items, I came across Clif Bars, which I usually get, but I had to balk at the non-recyclable wrapper. And they have the nerve to say the company is committed to the environment.

Let it be known that Clif Bars are the first casualty in my war on trash. Plus 1 for me.

Soon I found there were very few things that I could actually buy that was in recyclable packaging. I went for some pita bread but because of the unlabeled plastic packaging I had to opt for a brown paper bag wrapped Billy Loaf. Plus 1.

I also opted for canned tins of mackerel and herring instead of the plastic wrapped fresh fish.

I will admit I got some single serving yogurt cups, will have to devour and dispose of those before Jan 1. Minus 3 points for me.

Finally I decided not to use plastic bags for my produce. What is the point. I just threw them in the cart with out any produce plastic. That felt good, I'll go ahead and give my self 2 points for that.

So tonight I discovered how hard this challenge will be, and how much my buying habits and diet will have to change.

So that's 2 arbitrary points for me.

Post Christmas Waste

2007-12-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

I was happy to see that the recycling bin behind the Science Museum was filled with some discarded wrapping paper, but this prompted me to think about all the wrapping paper NOT recycled. What a waste.

I miss the days when my Grandma still wrapped presents in left over funny pages from the newspaper. I wrapped my presents in plain brown packing paper I got some packages in and used left over gift bags from last year.

I cringed to see the trashbags full of wrapping paper at my grandma's yesterday afternoon after presents had been open. As I left I saw the bags in the back of my grandpa's Isuzu pup. I told myself they'll get dropped in the recycling bin at the dump.

Less than 7 days before I give up the trash-habit. I better finish all the saran wrapped cakes and pies I took home.

Trepidation

2007-12-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

After witnessing the waste-fest that is Christmas, I am ready and excited to embark on my trash free pilgrimage. I am nervous, and wary, however, of the sacrifices and self-discipline it will require.

So here is a little story from the Christian Science Monitor I came across to give me some inspiration, even though the reporter pretty much fails her task of one week without trash. I think I can at least out last her, and that gives me a shred of hope I will do well.

The Plan

2007-12-23T00:53:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution:

No More Trash.

Sound insane?

What's more insane is the average American produces four pounds of trash a day. That adds up to more than 200 million pounds a year for all of us combined.

Why am I doing this? Good question. I'm not exactly sure, but I'll go with the concept that overconsumption and wastefulness are as good enough things to give up as anything. I'm trying to change my ways. I recycle, but I still feel a cloud over my head everytime I throw a bag of trash down the chute.

So here are the rules I am setting out for myself:

1. The first line of defense is to avoid buying trash if at all possible. This means bringing my own coffee cup for on the go runs at the local shop, not buying products packaged in non-recyclable materials, etc, etc.

2. I'll will try to buy used and second hand items, or barter.

3. Anything that is recyclable, I shall recycle.

4. Anything of use or value that I no longer have a need for I will barter, donate, or sell.

5. I'll attempt to mix my own cleaning and hygiene products, and will cease to use paper towels and napkins.

6. If after I have exhausted steps 1-5, and am still left with something that I need to throw away, I will use it for other purposes, somehow someway. Hopefully I will find some creative uses for them and be able to sell the re-purposed or recreated items or barter, or gift them.

7. Anything organic will be disposed of by garbage disposal or compost.

8. The one exception to 1-7 is toilet paper. I am sorry but I am not quite ready to make that leap. Maybe in 2009.

9. If, even after all, I find myself in a situation where I cave, and I throw something away, I will report it on this blog, and you may ridicule me for it. Honestly, I am sure this will happen at some point, and it is here where I will beg for penance.

100% trash elimination is the goal, but I won't consider this experiment a failure as long as I don't fall below 90%. Of course I don't have the time to actually mathematically determine it, so it will be subjective, and this blog shall serve as the record of my progress.

If you think I am missing something, please let me know. Any feedback would be great.

If anyone wants to join in on the challenge, be my guest. I'll send you a blog invite, or you can make your own. Just let me know.

-APH