Zero Waste Family : 1 Bin 1 Year Challenge

We’re now well into 2021, and I’m still over here hoarding ALL my family’s trash from 2020. My husband has been very patient with all my tracking and weighing and photo-documenting… but it’s time to put an end to my trash collecting and SHARE THE FINAL RESULTS!

1 Bin 1 Year: We did it!

As a family of 4, we succeeded at the #1bin1year challenge initiated by the sustainable duo, Ander and Adam of Goxuboys in London, UK.

I had shared our preliminary results back in November 2020, but now I’ve done a more thorough analysis, including a break-down of our recycling, compost and landfill waste.

And, here it is – a summary of our family’s waste audit, broken down by month and waste type:

THE BREAKDOWN

During our 12-month audit, we weighed our monthly outputs of:

• compost (food scraps, added to our backyard compost heap, year-round)
• paper product recyclables (collected through our city “black bin” program)
• glass, metal, plastic recyclables (collected through our city “blue bin program), and
• landfill waste

As you can see, compost was BY FAR (89%) our biggest output with an average of 26 kilograms/month. Our recyclables (both blue bin and black bin items) weighed an average of 1.27 and 1.3 kg per month, respectively (4% each). Our kitchen-sourced landfill waste (i.e. food packaging, produce stickers, and other non-recyclables) came in at about 0.3 kg per month, plus another 5.6 kg of landfill waste generated throughout the year, which we categorized as “other” (including broken wheels from our wagon, broken dishes, used furnace filters, and textilss worn past the point of salvaging…).

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Combining the monthly kitchen trash and an average of the “other” landfill waste, that still only brings our landfill waste to less than 1 kg/month (0.77kg – or 2%).

To put this in perspective, we do a few neighbourhood garbage pick-ups throughout the year and we measured those too (not included in our household totals, but just for comparison purposes). On Earth Day 2020, we collected 2.8kg of trash – almost triple what our family generates in an entire month.

According to a Waste Generation Report by the Conference Board of Canada in 2013, the average Canadian generates approximately 777kg per capita. That’s equivalent to 65kg per month! PER PERSON! Yikes!!!

While I am hopeful that Canada has improved these standings in more recent years, I’m not overly optimistic… increased urbanization and increased per capita disposable income means increased consumption rates, increased convenience and increased WASTEFULNESS.

For now, I’ll simply be proud to report that as a family of 4 we reduced our waste generation to under 1 kg per month – 1.5% of the Canadian average (for a single person!)!

So, How Did we do it?

As you can see, our biggest output BY FAR is compost. We compost year-round in our backyard. But there are a number of other key steps we take to reduce our waste output – not just to landfill, but even to minimize our recycling.

COMPOST

If I could give advice to anyone wanting to start on a lower-waste journey, my Number One Recommendation would be to start composting!

Whether you have backyard space for an outdoor compost pile, or an indoor vermi-compost system, or a city pick-up service, or use a compost-sharing app, there are many ways to compost and it is incredibly impactful! Did you know that when organic waste is placed in an anaerobic environment like landfill, it creates methane, a greenhouse gas 25x stronger than CO₂? Simply by separating your organics from non-organics, you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions!!

Where we live, the City of Ottawa (in Canada) offers a bi-weekly curbside “Green Bin” compost pick-up service. Our family doesn’t use the “Green Bin” service (not even when we lived more centrally, in the city); we have always had our own backyard compost heap, but it’s a great option for those who don’t have backyard space. Other options include indoor compost systems – there are many types that use heat or worms to break your organic waste down into nutritious plant food. Yet another option is to use a waste-sharing app, like sharewaste – whether you have compost to “donate” or are looking to accept/”host” compost from others, this is a great option to keep organic matter out of landfill – and even make some eco-conscious community connections.

RECYCLING

Yes, you read that correctly above: we try to limit our recycling.

You might wonder why a sustainably-minded family would want to recycle LESS. The thing is that recycling isn’t the magical solution many want to believe. Certain items and materials are significantly more recyclable than others. For example, tin cans are VERY efficient to recycle and can be recycled again and again. However, other materials like plastics, come in various grades, types and colours that make the recycling process incredibly inefficient. Plus, there are a lot of plastics that are NOT recyclable at all. Be sure to check your municipal recycling rules as they differ drastically based on your location. If you’re in Ottawa, check the city’s Waste Explorer site.

I’ll share another post soon about the concept of “wish-cycling” (i.e. when people place all sorts of un-recyclables into their recycling bin – whether well-intentioned or not – which actually causes contamination & more harm than good – stay tuned!)

In Ottawa, our city provides recycling collection weekly, alternating between one week of “Black Bin” (paper product) recycling, and one week of “Blue Bin” (metal, glass, plastics) recycling.

RECYCLING – PAPER PRODUCTS

In our household, we use some of our paper/cardboard items for our compost (i.e. carbon-rich “brown” items to balance out our nitrogen-rich “green” food waste items); we also use some paper products for starting fires in our woodstove or outside; and we repurpose other paper items for grocery lists, crafts and gift wrap. Below is a typical month of paper waste (used activity book, boxes from take out pizza, frozen blueberries, gifted cinnamon buns, etc.).

RECYCLING – METAL, GLASS & PLASTIC

Since the main source of these waste materials typically comes from the kitchen (i.e. food packaging), we take a number of steps to minimize packaged foods (for our own health as well as the health of the planet). As much as possible, we:

1. Grow as much produce as we can – even mushrooms! (see below) – preserving everything we can’t use right away (e.g. by freezing, dehydrating, fermenting & canning)
2. Make most foods from scratch (including bread, crackers, dressings, sauces, treats & desserts) – even our kids are turning into little chefs (check out their dinner date night video)
3. Purchase from local farms and markets (typically low waste or package-free)
4. Buy loose items from grocery stores (“nude” produce rather than packaged)
5. Buy in bulk/refill at shops like NuGrocery

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These actions leave us with minimal food packaging waste. However, when we do buy food in a container, we try to opt for cans first, or glass second, and avoid any plastic as much as possible. We also strive to repurpose any packaging that enters our house – jars to refill or use as vases, plastic bags for trash picking or as a bowl-covering (rather than buying plastic wrap). Although I am admittedly a jar hoarder, there are only so many jars one needs 😉

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LANDFILL WASTE

This is where the real challenge comes in. There is SO MUCH non-recyclable packaging and waste in the world!!!! And the pandemic has NOT helped – excessive packaging, more take out meals, disposable EVERYTHING… Just remember…

To centralize our waste collection, we removed all trash bins in our house and instead, only collect trash in the kitchen – in a single small container, or often an old chip bag – in plain sight, on the counter. In the washrooms, we have a “paper only” collection bag – for toilet rolls, tissue, etc. Any non-paper waste is brought to the kitchen collection area (e.g. bandaids go in the trash, hair balls go in the compost).

To get a better idea of the breakdown of our waste audit, we picked through and documented a few monthly trash collections (see an example of September’s trash, below). Our “main offenders” included chip bags (we love nachos!!), produce stickers, protective seals on corked wine bottles, plastic tags (from Value Village purchases or on pineapples) and receipts (receipts printed on thermal paper are coated in plastic and not recyclable – though they can be reused a few times as ‘grocery lists’ ;).

We don’t eat a whole lot of take out food, but when we do, we try to avoid restaurants that use wasteful, non-recyclable, non-composable, non-reusable packaging (e.g. styrofoam, condiment packages, etc.) Many restaurants, like the Green Door, are using recyclable/compostable take-away containers, while others even allow you to bring your own containers – like this incredible Indian restaurant in Carlsbad Springs!!! So, ask questions – request changes – do your best.

But wait….

You might be thinking, “But Jackie, waste doesn’t just come from the kitchen… what about your toiletries, personal care products & household cleaning items?” And to that, I would reply, “I actually use kitchen products for pretty much everything.” Baking soda and vinegar are great for cleaning. Arrowroot starch is an ideal dry shampoo. Olive oil is a natural moisturizer and apple cider vinegar helps detangle my hair. Less toxic chemicals and less waste (and often, less expense)??? Sounds too good to be true.

I also use a safety razor, menstrual cup, reusable pads, shampoo bar, and refillable cream deodorant – but much of my “routine” involves an old cloth and tap water. If you’re interested to read more of my low impact lifestyle tips, check out some of my earlier Zero Waste posts:

• Zero Waste in the Kitchen
• Zero Waste Toiletries & Household Products
• Zero Waste with Kids & Babies
• How to Throw a Zero Waste Birthday Party
• Zero Waste Event Planning 101

ADMISSIONS & EXCEPTIONS

To be fully transparent, my recycling calculations above did not include liquor bottles/cans. If it did, I think our “Blue Bin” quantities would have tripled. However, in Ontario, we are able to return liquor bottles/cans for direct recycling through Beer Store outlets. I can honestly say, our liquor consumption has likely doubled due to this year’s lockdowns – not something I’m proud of, but I AM grateful for the ability to return these items for direct recycling.

You’ll notice above that I haven’t mentioned hazardous waste disposal. Turns out, we do have half a dozen old paint cans that have been in our garage for the past year. Due to COVID restrictions, the City’s hazardous waste collection has not been available and other retailers, like Lowes and Home Depot, who typically accept these types of hazardous waste are not currently accepting them. So I will continue to hoard them until a safe and responsible option comes available.

Other waste streams that we collect separately include:

• old markers, pens and school supplies – these can be dropped off at Staples who sends them for recycling through Terracycle
• old batteries and lightbulbs – same as the hazardous waste note above, we collect these and drop them off at collection centres such as Home Depot
• textiles – these are collected to be mended, donated or repurposed (e.g. into rags)

Key Take-Aways

Whether you are looking to make baby steps towards lower waste living, or you want to get down to “zero”, here are my top tips to reduce your waste:

1. Compost – see my rant above
2. Do a waste audit – whether for a week, a month or a year, it’s an eye-opening exercise and will help you see where improvements can be made. AWARENESS is everything.
3. Learn about the recycling and waste management rules in your area – for those in Ottawa, check out Waste Explorer. Again, Awareness.
4. Grow more food. Make more homemade food. Whatever you can manage, this will cut your waste output significantly – better for your health too!
5. Buy loose/nude food – opt for the package-free items.
6. Buy less “stuff” – Can you mend it? Borrow it? Source it second-hand? Repurpose? Do without?
7. Be a Leader. Set an Example. Don’t ask “what can I/one person do?”; instead ask “what can I/WE do BETTER?”
8. Focus on Progress over Perfection. Don’t get caught up on the word “zero” – zerowaste living, to me, is more about making your best effort, even if you still generate some waste. Do what you can and acknowledge your progress because every bit counts.

Now what?

We probably aren’t going to weigh and document each trash item anymore, and my husband will lose it if I hoard our garbage any longer. BUT, we won’t be putting our trash cans back in place, and we do plan to keep up our minimal trash outputs – since, this is pretty easy/automatic for us now. My next goal is to fit our year’s worth of garbage into a single Terracycle Zero Waste box 😉 Stay tuned….

If you have any questions for me or think of something that I haven’t addressed, feel free to share your comments below, or send me an email at naturallyjackielane@gmail.com

Happy Earth Day everyone!