Day 5 - Practice what you preach

Here are my additions for today. The first is a box and some paper from an online purchase. I could have avoided this packaging waste by just going to the store instead of being so lazy. I honestly hadn't given that much thought previously - clearly my priority hasn't been limiting waste, but rather convenience. I'm thinking it's time to change that paradigm. 

The second is some newspaper from Nail Art Club. Neither the cardboard box or the newspaper are particularly egregious. The first trash can  is from school, and considering that I have not emptied it in two weeks, it really doesn't look that bad. Mostly it's a combination of kleenex and random stuff - I sort out the recycling. I'm including it today because I contributed a couple of small items. 

The last photo is my home trashcan and all that's been added is a paper towel (not mine ;) and some coffee grounds. In the summertime I frequently dump the coffee grounds in the flower beds (the flowers love the acid the grounds add to the soil), but I haven't been doing that this fall because they don't need it. The paper towel is biodegradable and is made from recycled material so it's not great, but also not one of the worst offenders. 

I've also figured out that making my own creamer may be the solution to my creamer dilemma. I found a promising recipe (not healthy...but at least I can pronounce all of the ingredients and avoid the plastic packaging). Recipes at this link: http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/09/pumpkin-coffee-creamer

On a positive note,  I'm pretty sure that our household generates fewer pounds of waste per day than the average American, but we can still improve on that. I'm going to also look into composting, especially since my lovely cousin has given me some good recommendations on quality composting paraphernalia. See this link for more information: https://www.lehmans.com/c-297-composting.aspx

Keeping track of my trash has been truly eye-opening and has challenged me to try to make sure my eco-ethics match my eco-rhetoric. Talk the talk, walk the walk, right?