We threw out our Trash after 2.5 months

Yes. You heard me right. We threw out our trash after 2.5 months.

I know what you are thinking. How can my partner and I be so filthy?

How could we let a stinking pile of garbage rot in our homes (1 bedroom apartment to be precise) for 2.5 months without any concern for sanitation?
Well, let me tell you how?

We hardly have any Trash! With just a few minor adjustments to our lifestyle, we were able to reduce our trash drastically.

We intend to reach a point in our lives where we throw out trash only every six months, but have a long way to achieve this dream.

So, here’s how we reduced our trash.

Primary sources of trash:

Before our reduced waste lifestyle, our primary sources of trash that could stink up the place or even fill up our medium-sized trash can were as follows:

• Vegetable and Fruit scraps
• Used tea leaves
• Other kitchen waste
• Used paper towels for cleaning counters or drying our hands
• Used plastic bags from grocery stores (that couldn’t have been recycled)
• Used sanitary products (like pads and tampons)
• Wrappers of processed food such as Chocolates, Chips, Energy bars, Candy, Soda bottles
• Take-out containers
• Single-use paper plates, forks, spoons
• Plastic packaging for food products

To reduce our trash, we had to first tackle our “kitchen problem.”

To reduce kitchen trash, we did the following:

1. We purchased reusable bags for our fruits and vegetables and decided to carry our bags to the grocery store. This drastically reduced our plastic waste.
2. Started composting.
3. Stopped using Aluminum foils.
4. Stopped using Parchment paper and replaced it with a reusable silicone mat.
5. Replaced paper towels with kitchen (cloth) towels.
6. Started buying everyday items such as rice, oats, nuts, seeds, most spices, lentils, beans, etc., in bulk. We carried our bags for these as well.
7. Drastically reduced processed items to the extent that we started eating potato chips probably once in 2–3 months, stopped chocolates, and didn’t invest in wasteful products with excess packaging.
8. Reduced eating out.
9. Started using Castile soap to clean dishes, countertops, wash hands, etc., which reduced the need to buy different kinds of cleaning products.
10. Started making our own dishwashing powder using baking soda, vineger and few other bulk purchased ingredients (again, drastically reducing packaging). We purchased the first set of ingredients about an year back and we still have some left.
11. Started properly washing, drying, and then recycling the remaining plastics we couldn’t avoid.

Once we had our kitchen trash under control, we proceeded to our Bathroom trash.

To reduce bathroom trash, we did the following:

1. Installed a bidet which drastically reduced the use of toilet paper.
2. Started using a sustainable safety razor that was plastic-free. The company that I use is called Leaf Shave (This isn’t an endorsement). If interested, you can go check them out and see why they are deemed sustainable.
3. Started using reusable sanitary cloth pads. This was by far the most significant source of trash.
4. Replaced our shampoo bottles with toxic-free, trash-reduced, sustainable options such as Castile soap, Soap bars, etc.
5. Stopped using perfumes or store-bought deodorants. I started making my own using coconut oil and essential oil.
6. Replaced paper towels with cloth towels to clean surfaces, cabinets, etc.
7. Started using Castile (liquid) soap for cleaning purposes which again reduced the trash caused due to cleaning products.

The kitchen and Bathroom were the primary sources of our trash. But in addition to them, we made a few more changes to reduce waste:

1. Carried our own utensils when having meals outside. It helped us avoid take-out containers.
2. Refused single-use straws, chopsticks and used only 1–2 paper napkins in restaurants.
3. While knowing that only 9% of the plastics get recycled, we made sure that the plastic we did use was adequately cleaned and dried before sending them for recycling (to avoid contamination). Our dream is to have an empty recycling bin as well, but we have a long way to go for that.
4. We stopped using single-use paper plates, spoons, forks, glasses, etc., even for meals we hosted at our home.
5. Carrying a reusable, stainless steel water bottle was a no-brainer for us.
6. Started using stainless steel straws and glass/steel containers that were more long-lasting than their plastic counterparts.

Things we wish to improve to reduce trash further:

1. Try to bake bread at home so that we can avoid plastic wrappings. Although we bake bread often, it isn’t consistent.
2. Consistently prepare plant-based milk at home to avoid the use of (non-dairy) milk bottles.
3. Reuse trash bags (by directly throwing trash in a common dumpster).

Things we may not be able to avoid unless there are better options available in the market:

1. Packaging used for certain Indian spices (and other Indian products) that isn’t available in bulk stores.
2. Packing used for dried seaweed, noodles, dried mushrooms, etc. that are commonly used in Asian cuisines.
3. Packaging used for Plant-based cheese, Tofu, Miso paste, Pasta, and other products that cannot be perfectly made at home.
4. Stickers, rubber bands, and labels that grocery stores use to wrap many herbs/green leafy vegetables together or for scanning purposes.
5. Packaging materials used when we buy any new glass containers or sustainable alternatives (although we try to shop from second-hand stores whenever possible).

Was the transition expensive?

Initially, it seemed like we were buying way too many products to replace our single-use consumption. But after living this lifestyle for almost a year, we have found that a sustainable journey is much cheaper and more rewarding (after hitting break-even).

The journey may be unique to each individual depending on where they live, how expensive things are, and what options are available around them.

While the journey isn’t perfect in any sense (we do slip up at times!), we have made it our goal to be part of a positive change in the world (or at least try to tread as lightly as possible).

And, understandably, even reusable products do have an impact on the planet. But our effort is to reduce the long-term footprints and try to keep reusing the products as much as we can (hopefully for years) before having to replace them.

Disclaimer: The article only includes personal decisions. Please do your research before buying products.

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