A week of residual waste

One week has passed and I have filled up only a jar containing mainly receipts, make-up remover pads and plastic-paper packaging. The packaging of some foods or personal care products are made in plastic coated paper, and it is not always immediate to recognize the difference. This kind of packaging is used to improve properties such as waterproofing, tear resistance or abrasion resistance. But I don’t understand why some cosmetic companies use it unnecessarily.

In the last days, I’ve also thrown away some specific things, of which I will write more in detail.

Day 5

My roommate finished a jar of organic vegetable broth and asked me how to dispose of it. The jar consists of a wall of paper glued to a layer of aluminium, and a metal base, impossible to separate by hand. Therefore, I thought of using a can opener to reduce the part to be thrown away as un-recyclable waste. Often, even companies that produce organic products and claim to respect nature don’t pay attention to these little things that could make the difference.

Day 7

I was tidying up my bookshelf, trying to eliminate things that I no longer need. I found my old mobile and I saw that the battery had inflated so much that it opened the phone and cracked the glass. I wondered where this kind of waste should be thrown away, because I know mobiles contain some valuable elements that can be reused by the producers. So, I decided to take it directly to the store, hoping that some parts can but I’m sorry that a lot of rubbish doesn’t depend on my habits really be useful.

I’m quite satisfied that I have filled only one jar, and even though I feel like a lot of rubbish does not depend on my habits, I will try to further reduce my production of residual waste.