Zero Waste
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Composting with Bokashi
I love composting with bokashi. Okay, rewind. What is bokashi anyways? Bokashi is a way of fermenting food waste (including dairy and meat, which usually isn’t composted in the traditional way) so that when the fermented food waste is thrown in to a compost pile, it breaks down much quicker. Please note, composting with bokashi doesn’t lead to actual compost, but rather, a pre-compost (i.e. fermented food waste) of sorts. I recommend this method if you have a decent amount of dairy or meat scraps and a place to take your bucket of fermented food waste to (like a backyard compost tumbler or biodigester). If this doesn’t apply to you…
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How to Recycle Better
Disclaimer: I am basing this information off of what I learned while touring our local recycling facility. Your facility may be different with different recycling rules and procedures. The best way to find out is by contacting your local facility, going on a tour, or reaching out to your city’s green/recycling/zero waste initiative divisions. Visiting our local recycling facility was one of the most educational opportunities I’ve had in a long time. It was fascinating how high tech the facility was but also how much we don’t know as a community on best recycling practices. So. I’m hoping to share out a few small things I’ve learned. First off, make…
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Zero Waste Wish List
In absolutely no way do you need to buy things to reduce waste. Nor do I recommend buying things until you truly need to. HOWEVER — if you are in the market for something that could replace a more single use or non-recyclable/compostable item AND you don’t have an adequate replacement already (i.e. old cloth rags for cleaning, empty glass jars for storage, existing spoon/fork for your “to-go” kit, etc., more on that below) … read on! For the house Wool dryer balls for when you run out of dryer sheets Compostable kitchen sponge and bamboo brushes?(with replaceable heads)?for when you run out of traditional sponges Compostable toilet brush (but…
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Waste Not!: Veggie Scrap Edition
Making your own vegetable stock is so, so simple (I mean, it’s not even a recipe really) AND you get to utilize scraps before they are ultimately thrown in the compost AND you get to avoid buying a box of stock that would get thrown in to recycling. It’s a win all around. So let’s get started. First, you want to collect some vegetable scraps. I have a tin in the freezer that I throw scraps in to — when the tin is full, I use it to make stock. Good veggies for stock are carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers,? leeks — basically, hardy vegetables that aren’t too bitter…
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Traveling with Cookbooks
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Our “Luxury Item” List
Nope — I don’t mean La Mer cream or gold toilets. Our “luxury items” are those items that are housed in plastic (particularly #7, which our city takes but doesn’t really have a market to sell those plastics to) or end up in the landfill. But for now — these items are what we have, love, or haven’t found suitable recyclable or zero waste alternatives for. Sonicare brush heads (landfill): Can’t quit these! They keep my teeth in great condition and I’m not willing to switch over the bamboo toothbrushes yet. Maybe someone can make bamboo brush heads or something for Sonicares? Makeup products (landfill or Origins): I love makeup…
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The “Does This Go in the Trash?” List
I have the below list on our fridge (mainly for my husband) so I don’t have to constantly answer the question: does this go in the trash? Feel free to use it for yourself! Save for compost pile (browns) Newspaper ripped into pieces Hair + pet hair Vacuum and dryer dust Toilet paper rolls ripped into pieces Cotton q-tips Facial tissue?(on the rare occasion it’s used) Paper towels (on the rare occasion it’s used) Parchment paper ripped into pieces (incl. cupcake liners, butter wrappers) Used matches, toothpicks, skewers Bamboo cleaning supplies Biodegradable sponges Dead flowers/plants Pizza boxes ripped into pieces (recycle non-oily top) Paper egg carton ripped into pieces Wine…
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The Mega Guide to Reducing Waste
Everyone has their own journey to reduce waste. It’s not about being perfect but about making small changes over time that ultimately leads to less stuff going out the door. For me, this looks like reducing landfill trash and recyclable plastics (since plastics tend to get downcycled). To do this, I first created a monster spreadsheet (that my husband laughed about but totally got on board with) that analyzed all our trash and recycled items. I organized these items by biodegradable/reusable/package free + aluminum + paper + glass + recyclable plastic + landfill. The ultimate goal for me is to move as many items from the landfill and recyclable plastic…
