Baby steps lead to monthly garbage pick-up

I can't believe we did it (doing a little dance)! When the SW GreenGroup met for the first time back in March I said that one of my goals was to whittle down our garbage service to once a month. Yesterday I made the phone call to my hauler! Starting next week my four-member family will only put out our 32 gallon garbage can on the first Friday of the month, though we will still have weekly recycling and bi-weekly yard debris pick-up. Our bill dropped from $24/month down to $14/month. Here are the baby steps we took to get there:

• Started composting food scraps. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best method for our family and ultimately went with a homemade version of the Earth Machine (which I've since supplemented with a real Earth Machine). I also bought a pretty stainless steel under-counter compost bin for the kitchen, but recently ran out of carbon filters for it. Since I keep forgetting to buy replacements I've been using a big Tupperware-type container instead, and it works just as well.
• Started vigorously recycling plastic containers and bags by taking advantage of the Master Recycler Plastic Round-ups and making occasional trips to Far West Fibers.
• Stopped buying paper towels and napkins. Now we use cloth napkins and a stack of washcloths and tea towels in lieu of paper towels.
• Potty-trained my son! Disposable diapers definitely filled up a huge part of our can every week.
• Reduced the amount of 'convenience foods' purchased at the grocery store. Lots of these things can't be recycled like string cheese wrappers, cereal box liners, Goldfish bags and ice cream cartons (wah). I started buying more items in bulk like granola, trail mix and nuts and reusing plastic bags each time I go to the store.

It took six months to get there, but we made some serious lifestyle adjustments, which you just can't rush. Next goals? Reducing the amount of plastic we buy and going car-free two days (or more) a week. Stay tuned...