ONE CAN OF GARBAGE PER YEAR - IS IT POSSIBLE?

LIVING WITH ONLY ONE GARBAGE CAN OF WASTE PER YEAR



Did you know Jeanne Roy and her husband have managed to cut their waste production to one garbage can - per year? If you are interested in reading more about her programs and the Center for Earth Leadership, check out her site Center for Earth Leadership. But here are a few tips I learned from her on Wednesday:

1) Americans make up less than 5% of the world’s population yet consume 25-30% of the resources;

2) 1992-2006 recycling more than doubled but landfill usage (waste generated and deposited in the metro region) has gone up;

3) You have options for garbage collection: you can use either a 32 gallon can, 22 gallon can, have monthly service, or even on-call service;

4) In Oregon, the amount of energy saved by recycling is equivalent in energy used by 470,000 cars. So essentially, by recycling, it’s like we’re keeping 470,000 cars off the road;

5) And if you recycle you are cutting your garbage production by about 40%;

6) If you compost, you boost that number to 75%;

7) By carrying your own fabric or net bag with you to the grocery store, you will save about 500 bags per year;

8) Most cities offer composting classes through community classes – here, in Portland, you can find a class through Metro: (503) 234-3000.