Zero Waste Challenge: Week 5
Week 5
Ahh yes, the week after Halloween and the dramatic increase in things we disposed of. The beautiful and warm weather inspired a weekend of projects outside, including planting dormant sapling trees from Arbor Day Foundation and replacing and building a wooden gate.
Those projects created extra trash which included plastic wrapping from around the tree roots, scrap pieces of treated cedar building materials (which have to go in the trash), and removing the old plastic-coated wire fence (trash).
Ultimately, I know that while these projects actually increase the longevity of sustainable materials and landscaping, in the immediate it does increase our trash output.
Additionally, we composted around eight pumpkins, carved and decorative and pizza boxes. I am grateful for Hennepin County composting so that events like this don’t impact the trash.
However, the amount of Halloween candy, including extra precautions of pre-bagging candy by neighbors for the kids, dramatically increased small amounts of plastic food wrappers. Halloween, and frankly any candy/ treat-heavy holiday is quite detrimental to a zero waste effort.
This week, I also received numerous resources from Hennepin County that are worth sharing.
Secondhand holiday shopping guide
Here are our totals for the week, rounded up to the nearest 25%.
Trash: 50%
Organics: 100%
Recycling 1: 75%
Recycling 2: 25%
Extras: None
Recycling Tip of the Week:
Aluminum foil
Aluminum foil is tricky — it can burn up in the aluminum melting process because it is so thin. Collect clean foil in a condensed ball and recycle it when it’s bigger than a golf ball. Aluminum pans (such as for pies or from catering) that are clean and free of food can be recycled, too.
