FRONT PORCH: How can I reduce waste in a consumption based economy?

By Dakota Baker, RealWV

Welcome to our front porch!

Modern day life consists of the continuous purchase of goods. Day in and day out, consumers are buying, buying, buying. 

It is quite a luxury to have our wants and needs available to purchase with a few taps of a button. But, where does all of our consumer waste go? How can we reduce our wasteful consumption? 

In 2018, the U.S. produced 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). Out of that waste, 69.0 million tons was recycled, 24.9 million tons was composted, 17.7 million tons of food were managed using other methods, 34.6 million tons of MSW was combusted with energy recovery, and the amount of MSW that entered landfills was 146.2 millions tons. In short, about 50% of our consumption waste ends up in landfills. Lucky for you, I have some tips on how to (hopefully) combat our wastefulness. 

Reducing waste can be a fairly simple task. Below are a few simple ways:

Backyard Compost

To create a simple backyard compost pile at home you just need to locate a spot in your yard that is well-drained, easy to access, and has some shade to prevent dryness. A good compost must have greens for nitrogen and browns for carbon. Greens consist of fruit/veggie scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and plant trimmings. Browns consist of dried leaves, twigs, shredded paper, cardboard, and wood chips. Begin your pile with a base layer of about 4 inches of brown material such as twigs to promote airflow, then alternate layers of green and brown material. A good rule of thumb is a 3:1 ratio of brown to green material. You must keep your compost pile moist, if it is too dry it will not decompose and if it is too wet the compost will begin to smell. You must also “turn” your compost pile once a month (typically with a pitch fork) to maintain airflow and decomposition. Compost is typically ready in 3-12 months depending on weather and how often you turn it. Once it looks like dark, crumbly, rich soil, you can apply it to your garden or flower beds. 

Smart Shopping 

When shopping, are you purchasing items that produce unnecessary waste? For example, instead of purchasing disposable plastic sandwich bags, consider reusable silicone sandwich bags. 

Make Your Own Products

Another great way to reduce waste is to make your own products such as household cleaners, fabric softener, dry shampoo, condiments, etc. and store the products in glass containers. Not only can you typically make more for less, but you are controlling the ingredients that are going into your products while also reducing waste. Recipes for all these products and more are easily accessible online and it gives you the freedom to customize a product to fit your personal needs! 

Have waste reduction tips? Feel free to share them in the comments!