How We Cut Down on Garbage

Posted on 2007-Jan-27 at 10:12

We have much less garbage than many people and until the disposable diapers, we burned almost all of our garbage.  The first thing I did was stop using paper towel.  We now use inexpensive white cotton wash cloths.  I get packs of 25 at K-Mart for $2.99.  We use them in the kitchen and wash them with whites.  When they start to get dingy I move them to the rag drawer to be used to wipe up bathrooms or clean up floors. 

The next change we made was to stop using paper napkins.  I bought inexpensive cloth napkins and we use them for 3-4 days and then they are changed.  Since we have assigned seats at the table, people are using the same one for several days which doesn't bother us.  If they get reall dirty we change them out.

After that change we stopped buying kleenex.  One of my friends thought this was gross, but we began using hankerchiefs.  I got 100% cotton hankerchiefs in 12 packs from K-Mart for just a few dollars.  Three packs serves our family of 8.  We wash them in hot water with borax to disinfect and then iron them.  They are folded and stored in a decorative dispenser that use to hold boxes of tissues. 

I wrote in my previous post about cutting back on diapers and disposable wipes.  The other change that I am currently working on is cutting back on the use of sandwich bags to pack lunches.  I have made several investments in disposable containers for sandwiches and other items that get packed in lunches.  I seem to be having trouble with them always getting back home and in to the cupboard.  I usually start out with all items in containers (3) and then slowly work my way backward until I am using all plastic bags again.  I have tried re-using plastic bags and it just does not work for me.

I do not categorize myself as an environmentalist but I do know that our pre-packaged lifestyle here in America is impacting the amounts of trash we put into landfills.  We need to keep our land pure and our soil clean so that we can continue to nourish our families from it.