Talkin' Trash

It's trash pickup day and I think we had a bag out for pickup. Not a huge, back yard waste bag, but a "tall kitchen bag".  We do try to avoid producing  vast quantities of garbage, by using cloth shopping bags and recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum (all picked up weekly in our town). But  Sarah McGaughey, a Toronto artist is really putting her mind to the task. Since 2004, she and her partner have tried to achieve a totally trashless month. So far they've reached their goal twice and come close many, many times. (She's recorded it all in her two blogs, first in 2004-2006 and now in a new location, No More Garbage .) The short version: it ain't easy. They buy most of their food and cleaning supplies in bulk at markets that let them bring their own reusable containers, for example. But just because  something is hard doesn't mean it isn't worth considering doing, even part way.

According to Dave and Lillian Brummet, in their book Trash Talk (PublishAmerica, 2004), North Americans (just 8% of the world's population) produced half of the world's garbage. What would it take to reduce my home's garbage production by half, beyond what we have already done?

Thanks to Jacob for pointing me to Sarah's blog!