As an American adult, every day I generate about 4 pounds of garbage, according to a 2013 EPA report. But that report is wrong. I’m an eco-conscious gal. I recycle. I compost. I remember my canvas tote bags when I grocery shop sometimes. OK, rarely. Still, 4 pounds? That couldn’t be right.
Could it?
So I decided to challenge myself. I would try to go five days without generating any trash that would wind up in a landfill. An exercise in waste awareness, if you will.
These were the rules: During that time, I could not put any object into a trash can. I could not purchase or procure any object that would eventually go to the landfill. I could recycle or repurpose my waste, but only in earnest. For example, opting for a Styrofoam to-go cup, pretending I’d later craft it into a night light, did not count. And finally, I could not ask another person to toss trash for me.
I knew it would require some effort. But what I did not know was, well, a lot.