BNA Magazine

Upon a routine visit to a local warehouse store, I stopped for a moment and realized how much trash comes from the many items we consume.  Looking up towards the ceiling, I gazed at the many rows of palettes stacked with bulk-size containers or boxes of diapers, laundry detergent, paper goods, variety snacks, etc.  In that moment, I couldn’t help but think about all the trash these items will create and end up in a land fill somewhere.  When I got home and unloaded the items I had purchased, I began to take notice of the packaging, wrappers and boxes I gathered after placing my items in their place. The trash container that was near empty that morning was now just about filled to capacity with the new garbage I accumulated from that single shopping trip. 

That night I was listening to the evening news as I prepared my items for the next day. Coincidentally, one report was in regards to the importance of recycling.  At one point during the segment, the reporter announced that the average American throws away about 4.5 lbs of trash per day. That rounds to about 1600 lbs a year! After my experience earlier in the day, I sadly thought to myself, “that sounds about right.”

Since that day, I have chosen to identify ways I can reduce the amount of trash I personally produce. For instance, instead of buying fruits and vegetables from the warehouse stores or regular supermarkets, I now take my reusable bags with me to the local farmers markets and purchase not only fresher but also cheaper and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, I am not bringing home unnecessary containers and wrappers that one would normally acquire from shopping at a store.

A second way to reduce trash is to limit your own consumption of foods and other goods that are manufactured or packaged in an environment-friendly manner. It is estimated that the average cardboard box takes 2-3 months to decompose but there are other items such as glass, Styrofoam, disposable diapers and cigarette butts, just to name a few, all take a significant number of years to degrade. In fact, many of these items will still be around in local landfills long after you and I are long gone.

A final suggestion to assist in reducing your production of garbage is to utilize reusable containers to pack your daily foods and drinks.  Just think about the trash you accumulate with time from using disposable plates, cups, bottles, utensils and napkins. In fact, I recently purchased a reusable water bottle to use for my daily water intake. This bottle labeled with ounces not only helps me keep track of how much water I’m drinking but I am also not acquiring unnecessary plastic bottles. If you do, however, use recyclable bottles or cans, make sure to recycle them. You will not only gain some extra change in your pocket but you will also help in the reduction of waste that is directly impacting our environment.