By Mike Cappel, Environmental Advisory Commission Member
Have you ever considered what a trash-free year is like? Inspired by a friend’s “skip the grocery for a year” challenge, I decided to test a year without filling our garbage tote. I had already composted food and yard waste and recycled curbside in Montgomery’s program, but I still thought a successful challenge was beyond reach. My one-trip rules were simple: anything that is recyclable is not trash, and if I bought food at a restaurant, I didn’t need to bring the trash home. With these self-imposed rules, I thought realistically we would go 3 to 6 months without generating trash.
Our last pick-up before starting the challenge was December 27, 2022. I discovered:
- Residential trash is about volume, not weight.
- Bagging Trash creates more volume.
- Trash can be compacted in the bin with a tamper.
- Most of my trash arrives as food packaging.
- Less expensive food brands are more likely to be in recyclable packaging.
- A wedding for 175 can be hosted without creating trash.
- A funeral can be hosted without creating trash.
- Fresh produce and meat have less packaging.
- Many items in the bathroom are recyclable or compostable.
- Montgomery’s Orange Bag plastic recycling program greatly reduced our trash volume. To learn more about the recycling program, visit HeftyReNew.com.