The Zero Garbage Challenge

Happy anniversary to us! 2023 was my 15th year of zero garbage, and Jake's 10th year!

I usually write about physical garbage - the stuff we accumulate. Today I’m thinking about another aspect of my zero garbage challenge: the inner garbage. When I first stopped throwing things away, I noticed my inner garbage shifting a bit. Over time, the shifts were more noticeable. I really do feel lighter, life feels simpler. I have a smaller inventory of stuff to keep track of. I have fewer guilty thoughts about how I live in the world.

I’m not saying that I always feel that way. There are plenty of days when the state of the world induces deep sadness. There are many problems that my sustainability projects just cannot solve.

I’m reading a novel by Danzy Senna. One of the characters just said,

“You don't get that many chances to be happy. And any stretch of happiness, by the way, only ever lasts two weeks.”

Today I’m in one of those two-week times. I’m happy. Everything is going to be okay. I feel this despite the horrors of the world around me. I feel healthy, loved, supported. I have family, friends, a community. Even the small things: my phone isn’t glitching. I haven’t lost these sunglasses yet, and they’re my favorite right now. My summer clothes feel good. Wildflowers are everywhere. There’s almost no garbage in my head right now.

At some point, the sheen will wear off and I’ll find myself taking all of that for granted again, maybe seeing some of it negatively. More mental garbage will pile up. One of the many cycles in life.

It’s times like this when I see the beauty in the cycles - both internal and external. The pandemic has shown many of us how much we bounce around the spectrum of moods, coping mechanisms, food intake, garbage production. Even our ability to care fluctuates. But the current uprising in this country is showing us that we must stand up for others. How do we do this when our resources are drained? For that matter, how do we make sustainable choices when we’ve been in a pandemic fog for so many months?

Sometimes we have energy for change. We protest, we go out there and connect, we activate, we take care of others and the earth, we make our lives more sustainable. At other times, we let the junk pile up, tune it all out, take care of ourselves first, make the impulse buys, and sink back into old habits that feel good and bad at the same time.

What I must believe is this: when I don’t have the energy to go out there and make changes, you do. And when you need to sit back and hibernate for a while, I’m out there. We are a massive group of people who care, and we keep using our times of energy and happiness for good. And we also pace ourselves.

Here we are, about 6 weeks into this radically new life. We’ve passed through several phases since the pandemic began. First came disbelief and denial, when we couldn’t accept that it would happen to us. But just in case, we started to buy more stuff.

Then came shock, when our own communities and daily lives were impacted directly. Must. Stock. Up.

Then we were flooded with enough emotions to fill all of those empty grocery store shelves. It was time to break out some coping strategies. This is when the hoarder who lives inside us rose up with a fist in the air, saying “I knew you would embrace me eventually!”  The inner hoarder grabbed the steering wheel and made a sharp turn into a land called Quaran-Consumption. In this newly discovered land, buying and consuming things is even more of a national pastime than it was pre-COVID.

Not only do we need to stock up on supplies, but we also have permission to cope in any way that gives us a few minutes of peace. Perhaps, in our previous lives, we had fantasies about magically tidying up, buying less junk, or reducing our garbage. The inner hoarder says, “Forget it! Times have changed!" Now we’re shopping online, picking up curbside groceries and take-out, trying to predict what we’ll need for the next few months, and starting new hobbies and projects - anything that will keep us from scratching holes in the walls around us. Who has time for eco-conscious purchasing?

Fortunately, you do! You’re settling into some routines (and yes, they’re still mixed with wild fluctuations into coping strategies, but overall, the routines are taking over). Let’s take a breath and ponder some pandemic pitfalls and their potential solutions:

1. Me, Myself, and I: As your physical world has shrunk to the size of your home and yard, you might be noticing things about yourself that had previously been hidden by daily routines. In the past, your consumption patterns might have been distributed more widely - at home, at school, at work, at restaurants and other businesses. Today, every product you consume and every piece of garbage you create is right in front of you. You’re more keenly aware of how many snack packets you crinkle, how many times you open the fridge, even how many times you flush the toilet in a day - because it’s all happening in a much smaller bubble.

What To Do? Embrace this unusual opportunity to examine your habits. Maybe you didn’t intend to set aside the months of April and May to look deeply into your own compulsions, but here we are nonetheless. One option is to ride out this quarantine with distractions and instant gratification. Or you can scratch the surface and see what’s making you tick during this time of stress. What triggers you? What is the impact of your consumption right now? What choices are going against your morals and values? No judgment, no guilt. Just observe and learn.

2. More Stuff: Did you go a bit overboard as you stocked up? Do you find yourself buying things online as if you are personally responsible for stabilizing the economy? Online purchases have skyrocketed as Americans fill their homes with board games, toys, books, hand weights, office supplies, and the new fashion line of elastic-waist pants. At the grocery store, I’m seeing carts absolutely full of personal-care and home-cleaning supplies, paper products (you know what I’m talking about), wellness products, frozen meals, pizzas, chips, bread, pasta, beans, and shelf-stable milk alternatives (I hear oat milk is sweeping the nation).

What To Do? Pause. Really, it’s that easy. Just pause. Before buying something, give yourself some time (ideally, 24 hours) to think about it. Of course it makes sense to buy what we need right now, and yes, we need to indulge ourselves a bit. But consider whether you have something (or could borrow something) that can fill the same need. One way to force yourself to pause is to buy used items. It usually takes a bit of time to find the used item, and that is usually enough time to know whether you really need it after all.

3. Garbage In, Garbage Out: When your groceries and online purchases enter your home, you are suddenly the proud owner of pounds of packaging. What to do with it all? Even the recycling industry has taken a hit during this pandemic. Maybe you have too much on your mind to spend time figuring out how to recycle all of that packaging. Or maybe it’s not being accepted in your recycling bins. Either way, most of it is heading to the landfill.

What To Do? If you don’t buy garbage, you won’t have garbage to throw away. There are many small ways to reduce packaging. Choose a product in a recyclable can or box. Choose to spend the extra 5 minutes figuring out how to recycle or repurpose a piece of packaging. Ask online sellers to send your items in cardboard or paper instead of plastic. Every little effort adds up.

4. Landfill It Up: Are you filling your garbage can much faster than usual? You’re not alone. It’s not just the packaging. It’s also the massive quaran-cleaning projects, yard waste, and of course personal protective gear and medical waste.

What To Do? Take the time to repurpose your stuff. There are “free" pages on Craigslist and Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook. I can almost guarantee that someone wants or needs your stuff, no matter how useless you think it is. Use washable masks and gloves. Research how to clean with reusable products instead of disposables. See how much you can reduce your contribution to the landfill. You can even make it a household game, maybe a friendly competition with neighbors or friends. Document how much you throw away this week, then track the changes over the next 4-8 weeks. The winner gets an all-expenses-paid vacation to … the back yard!

During a recent road trip, I saw a bumper sticker on an 18-wheeler. “Don’t Like Semi-Trucks? Stop Buying Stuff. They’ll Go Away.” I smiled. I knew I was understanding the bumper sticker in a different way than was intended.

The bumper sticker is supposed to be a veiled threat, coated in dry humor. If you don’t want semis on the road, fine. Have it your way. But then you will have to live without your bread, eggs, bananas, and everything else you want or need. And you’ll starve. So there. Semis win.

If you enjoy turning over a new leaf and starting new habits in January, here are a few ideas:

- The Daily Inventory: as you go through your day, keep your trash. At the end of the day, lay it all out and see what you think. Was any of it avoidable? What changes, if any, do you want to make? Keep this up for one week, one month, or longer.

- The Daily Gratitude: at the beginning or end of each day, make a list of all the material positions you are grateful to have. This is a gentle way of noticing just how much bounty you have, and sometimes it helps shift the focus away from the nagging feeling of needing more.

During the last week, my child has been waking up each morning with one task on his mind: rush downstairs and compare how much is in his stocking vs. the other stockings. Then a formal complaint is issued. This mindset has taken me by surprise. We’re not a household that follows the typical consumption patterns. I recently cheered inside when I saw a meme that stated, "Look Around. All that clutter used to be money. All that money used to be time.” Yes! I get it! But my kid is still learning the delicate arts of generosity and minimalism.

I’m not worried because I know that a certain level of greed and desire for stuff are normal for this particular developmental stage. What’s even more fascinating to me is that I notice a bit of 6-year-old in all of us at this time of year. Are you a bit more focused on acquiring things lately? A bit more competitive with friends or family? A bit more sensitive to feeling excluded? Let’s say hello to our inner 6-year-olds and use our grown-up cognition to find balance and be more mindful this holiday season...

Comparing and Competing - 6-year olds have a new social awareness that causes them to compare themselves (and their stuff) with others. Maybe your inner child is checking out the neighbor’s christmas light display and determining how many more strands you need, or looking through catalogues to see just how sparkly your centerpiece needs to be this year. Maybe you’re even comparing yourself to last year’s self. Don’t worry, your inner 6-year-old is not just maliciously competitive. This comes from a strong need to feel accepted.

Desire for Acceptance - Young children are finding their way into a complex social world that lasts a lifetime. What we do in this world is viewed and judged by others. We all want a firm and safe place within our community, a sense of belonging, a sense of being accepted for who we are. Our inner 6-year-old feels it so strongly that we'll try almost anything to feel accepted - even to the point of over-spending on gifts or buying things outside of our values just to feel like we’re keeping up and being accepted. Meanwhile, our adult logic knows that true acceptance does not come from competition or acquisition.

Collecting and Gathering - Collections are important to 6-year-olds. The piles of stuff give them a feeling of power and help them establish who they are and what they like. This promotes a sense of uniqueness and ownership, gives them a place in the world. Sound familiar? Who doesn’t like coming home, looking around, and seeing all of the small and large belongings that feel so comforting? Our collections are what make a house feel like a home, and what make our own home feel more personalized than someone else’s home. Of course, this is the time of year when the outside world is telling us to stock up like frantic packrats heading into an endless winter. Our adult voice can calm the urge to pile things in every corner. We can create other types of collections, like memories or memorabilia. Or even just rearrange the objects that we already own.

earth by bottlemagic23 on flickr

My family is celebrating Thanks Giving Day, and I’m thinking of all the people who have inspired me during my past decade of zero garbage and sustainability projects.

I’m sure it all began in my childhood with the constant, underlying messages from Mother Earth News and back-to-the-land books that were lying around the house. So my first order of thanks is to my family and neighbors who experimented with some interesting “sustainability projects” well before the term was popularized.

Back when I first began researching zero garbage in 2008, I could not find many people posting about it online. The resources that I did find were very exciting. I learned about a couple in New Zealand who completed a year without garbage in 2008 and I also got ideas from a family in England working to reduce their impact.

I read about a family that spent 18 days in Australia picking up beach trash. I read about a man who kept all his trash for a year, piling it up in his basement. And I read about a couple in Oregon who started a year without garbage just 7 months after I did. All of these people around the world felt like my people.

A few months after I officially launched the Zero Garbage Challenge, I saw The Story of Stuff, a video that opened my eyes to the truths about our consumption and waste stream. Then a new documentary was released: No Impact Man. I felt so energized because there was someone else out there working on an even more out-of-the-box project.

In 2010, I found out about the 100 Thing Challenge. I didn’t fully undertake the challenge, but I definitely understood the overlap between reducing garbage and reducing possessions. Several years later, a documentary called Minimalism arrived to remind me that my sustainability projects are all actually fueled by and supported by my desire to have and use less of everything.

Have you ever had a discussion with someone but you only came up with the really great responses much later? Maybe at 3 in the morning, lying in bed, you think of the perfect way to illustrate your point and really drive home your argument. That happened to me lately, but it wasn't an argument. It was a philosophical conversation in which a friend wondered if my sustainability projects are like an addiction.

At the time, I was intrigued and I tried to ponder it with her. I resisted the urge to make her read my September blog post, When Those Around You Don’t Want to Change, in which I waxed poetic about how we all contribute to positive changes in our own ways, and there’s not one correct method of improving the world. I work on my sustainability projects as personal projects. I’m not judging or trying to force my viewpoints onto others. But my friend already knows this, so her concern was not simply about whether I’m going to try overpowering someone else with my viewpoints.

Her question was whether I have an unhealthy connection with my sustainability projects. Later, after I had muddled through the conversation with my friend, I had to do some research and sort out my thoughts on the matter. She had used the word addiction. It’s typically used to describe a behavior that is far from normal, beyond excessive, and brings negative consequences. The addicted person is physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance/behavior, and unable to stop without incurring adverse effects.

Addiction is a meaningful word that is so often overused in popular culture, in addition to the words depression ("I’m so depressed about the ending of that movie” …. No, you are sad) and trauma ("I’m traumatized that they were out of chocolate ice cream” …. No, you are disappointed). Throwing these words around is disrespectful to those who have actual experiences with depression, trauma, and addiction. So I tread lightly and carefully as I ponder these thoughts in writing.

It’s interesting that so many sustainability practices are still considered “far from normal” when in fact the so-called “normal” behaviors of using up resources blindly and dumping on the earth are quite literally, at this very moment, bringing about negative consequences. Oh my. This begs the question: Aren't non-sustainable choices far from normal and beyond excess?

October is here and Halloween is coming. Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers, tells us this week: Don’t Buy Cheap Chocolate. I can’t say it better than he does, so just go read the article. And when you’re done reading it, notice what popped up in your head. Did you have any instant defenses?

“But it’s tradition!”

“But I can’t afford better chocolate!”

“But I love the taste of that stuff!”

“But I only buy it once a year!”

Maybe your mind is trying to convince you that it’s okay to buy cheap chocolate this time, despite knowing what you know about the chocolate industry. But is it okay? Check in with yourself. I’m not in the habit of shaming or guilting anyone, but I do like to help people see when they’re setting themselves up for their own guilting and shaming. If some part of you cares about the poorest children in the world, then that part of you is probably going to feel shame and guilt over your purchase of junky candy, no matter how compelling your rationalizations seem.

image from "CIMG0412" by _complex_

I’m standing in the grocery store with my mom, who recently moved to Fayetteville. She grabs a bag of chips and looks over her shoulder at me, muttering something about the garbage and smiling a little bashfully. I reassure her, as I do with everyone I know, that my zero garbage challenge does not involve shaming others for how they live. It’s a personal project and it’s about my personal choices. Don’t get me wrong. If someone else expresses interest in reducing their consumption and waste, I’m like an excited lab puppy, doling out joy and enthusiasm in perhaps overwhelming proportions. But I will not stand there and offer my opinions about the purchasing choices of friends, family, or strangers... unless they have asked me to do so.

Why am I not walking through the world with my fairy wand of disapproval, telling others how they should live? After living sustainably for so long, surely I have wisdom that the world wishes to hear, whether they know it or not? Well, of course not. I jest. But nonetheless, despite knowing that it’s not my place to judge, sometimes I have to rein myself in. There are a few basic beliefs to which I adhere in a (mostly successful) effort to slow down the shame train:

Everyone is doing the best they can. I think this is true. Maybe this isn’t true. Who knows? But if I let myself believe it’s true, then my empathy, kindness, and patience toward others skyrockets. We’ve all seen the touching memes - you can never know which person just lost their cat, job, or sense of wellbeing. Who in the world am I to think I know what someone else should be doing with their precious time on earth? Yes, I firmly believe that we should spend our precious time on earth protecting the earth and each other. And I want to do that through positive momentum rather than negative judgments.

Every effort is welcome. There are many ways to chip away at making the world a better place. I’m so grateful we’re all following the paths that work for us. I don’t have the bandwidth to launch myself fully into every single change that I wish to see. I can give some of myself to social and racial justice, some of myself to improving early childhoods, some of myself to sustainability, some of myself to community building, and lots of myself to family and friends. I can go out and talk to people about sustainability, and others are out there talking, writing, protesting, donating and organizing around other important issues. Together, we do the work.

Have you ever pondered your plastic hangers? They are made with a mix of plastics, which makes them nearly impossible to recycle in current facilities. What to do when they break? In the old days, I admit, I used to toss them in the recycle bin, cross my fingers, and hope for the best. But the truth is that they end up in a landfill anyway. Metal hangers aren’t much more eco-friendly. The plastic coating that is applied to keep them from rusting also makes them difficult to recycle.

When I made a decision to stop throwing things away in 2009, I looked around my house and saw a sea of disposables. I had to find alternatives for all of those old products that I used to take for granted, like toothbrushes, sponges, and pens - just to name a few. But there is good news. A quick internet search reveals creative ideas to replace almost any disposable product. Companies and individual craftspeople are responding to demand, and they’re offering alternatives to all of those items that we’re so used to throwing away. If we use our purchasing power to support the alternatives, we’ll make an impact on the supply of eco-products - and we’ll save money and lots of resources in the long run.

I write articles, I blog, I make videos. I do all of the things we're supposed to do these days. But I never know who cares, who sees them, who is drawing inspiration. Still, I enjoy getting the information out there for anyone who wants it. But what I really love is to interact with people. I love teaching classes, leading workshops, and being part of the community that works to reduce consumption and garbage.

Maybe you're like me? Do you also learn and change habits more easily in the context of a group of people? If you want to hear more in person about zero garbage, sustainability, and changing habits, you could invite me to speak to your group! All you have to do is gather a group of 5 or more people and be in touch....

Zero Garbage Presentation

An overview of the Zero Garbage Challenge, a project to reduce household waste

Why and How to reduce waste

Alternatives to common disposable products

Lots of time for questions and discussion

Can be 1-3 hours, depending on your needs

Minimum group size:5 people. No maximum group size.

FREE!

Sustainability Classes

A 6-week course that includes an exploration of each person’s individual sustainability goals (not just about garbage, but other subjects as well), obstacles, barriers, plans, and accountability for achieving the goals. These classes touch on some of our deepest held beliefs about our place in the world, and are very fun, heart-opening, and community-building.

1 evening per week for 6 weeks, approx 18 hours total

Minimum class size: 5 people. Maximum class size: 12 people

I recently saw this picture of the Climate Change tidal wave looming over seemingly smaller issues. It seems futile to focus our time on anything other than climate change. But the truth is that these issues are almost all connected. Maybe reducing household waste can seem like a frivolous waste of time. But in fact, some of the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions happen to be directly related to waste and our consumption patterns.

42% of US greenhouse gasses are from producing, processing, transporting and disposing of food and goods that we purchase. Another 8% of US emissions are from appliances and devices - so that means about half of our emissions are linked to the choices we make as consumers.

7 Ways to Reduce Carbon Emissions (and they happen to be zero garbage principles as well!)

1. Stop eating (or eat less) meat - The packaging around meat and other animal products is rarely recyclable, so eating a plant-based diet is a common choice for reducing waste.

2. Buy local - This is one of the fastest ways to reduce your packaging (also known as garbage). Not only are local products typically less packaged (or not packaged at all if you buy something used!) you can also connect with a local human to reduce your packaging even further. For example, ask a local restaurant to make tortillas for you and put them in your own container, or buy your teas from a local herbalist.

3. Reduce food waste - Of course composting is a cornerstone of a zero garbage lifestyle, and so is making an effort to buy only the food we’re going to eat. The average american throws away 4.5 pounds of garbage per day. About half of that is food waste or scraps. Reduce the food waste and compost what is left over.

4. Avoid useless purchases - Garbage in, garbage out. The less we buy, the less we have to break and throw away.

5. Energy efficient appliances - These also tend to be higher quality, longer-lasting, and less likely to end up in the dump!

6. Reduce use of air conditioning and refrigeration - When we’re avoiding useless purchases, we don’t need as much space to store it all…. and with a smaller home, we need less air conditioning. When we buy local food and only buy what we need, we consume it faster and need smaller refrigerators.