Resources and Waste

In this endeavor to reach “zero waste” I intend to stretch, change, and learn yet be practical. I’m not a monk and do not expect the rest of my family, or you the reader, to be such either.

Zero waste does not mean zero resource use. To achieve zero resource use would mean not to be born in the first place (and I’ll probably write a post about this subject later in this series). Rather zero waste is to use resources wisely to accomplish a reasonable objective -- using only what is really needed.

The resources I’ll focus on in the pursuit of zero waste are:

Matter (material)
Energy
Time
Space
Money
Environment/Health/Life

Caveat: What I share here is the best I have been able to find/do based on my own research and testing. I’ll include reference links to support my conclusions as much as I can. Yet getting to the truth of a subject is very, very challenging. What we think to be true one day, often turns out to be incomplete or even wrong the next. We are all on a voyage of discovery as we drill deeper into the fractal patterns of life and our spaceship earth hurtles through the universe.

In other words, your mileage may vary. :-)

Comments

The best way to dispose of dog poop

Based on my research, the best way to handle dog poop is to use a reusable pooper scooper and flush the poop down a toilet . Pros: - Sewer systems are designed to handle poop (yours and your pet's) safely and effectively (this was verified by calling the local sewage treatment plant in Sunnyvale, California) - The poop is treated and recycled fairly quickly and safely back into the environment Cons: - Need to carry the poop to a toilet - Need to purchase or make a reusable pooper scooper Here are other alternatives generally listed from healthiest for environment to least healthy. Use a flushable poop bag and flush down a toilet. Pros: - Sewer systems are designed to handle poop - The poop is treated and recycled - Easy to carry bag around to pick up poop Cons: - Flushable bags can "melt" in rain or other very wet conditions - Flushable bags should be kept sealed in another plastic bag before use - Flushable bags are a bit expensive and hard to find - Flushable bags smell...

No More Disposable Plastic!

Unfortunately the future is plastic because plastic lives just about forever and will be the death of much of our environment, and maybe us. If you have not already, please see Wall-E for what our earth may eventually look like. We must do as much as possible to greatly reduce the use of plastic! Here is a seagoing bird that died from ingestion of plastic in the middle of the Pacific: From: http://ecowatch.com/2013/05/28/california-plastic-pollution-policy-tangled-up-committee/ See also http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/plastic-ocean/ and many other sources you can find by googling. And read the fantastic book Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too . So my household is eliminating our need for plastic bags and other disposable plastic. No more hard copy newspaper with its plastic bag (see my separate post about my newspaper ). No more disposable plastic grocery bags (thank you for the local plastic bag ban -- now we must m...

Zero Waste Restaurant Takeout

Take out food containers are mostly trash and cannot be recycled due to mixed materials and contamination. The good news is that it is legal and super easy to get zero waste takeout from most ANY restaurant in California that can serve onto its own reusable plates!! This way you can get your food to eat at home on real plates with real cutlery and not create any trash. Read on to learn how! In the picture above I am picking up a pizza in as Zero Waste way as possible from Jake's of Sunnyvale -- the pizza goes into an aluminum pizza container I made from two 20" pizza pans. The paired set of aluminum pans then goes into a reusable pizza bag that keeps the pizza warm -- watch out, a fresh pizza makes the aluminum pans very hot (and sterile)! I bike it all home in my covered all purpose bike trailer. I use a clean sheet to line the inside when carrying food. Here is a sequence of pictures I took at a different pizzeria that show off the pans I use. I tried to find ...

Good Economic/Ecological Practices for Consumers

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