Zero Waste Halloween

I have to admit, eliminating waste when it comes to holidays and entertaining is really a challenge for me.  I LOVE to throw parties and have tended to go all out (borderline crazy) planning and hosting them.  But, I am trying to retrain my brain to be less wasteful and remind myself that what people remember most isn't the decorations and all those short lived things, it's the fun, food and company that matters.  So, in the next few months, be on the look out for posts that contain tips on how to reduce your waste during the holidays without sacrificing the thrill of it all.

First up: Halloween.

What to Give: This is by far one of my favorite holidays.  I love the costumes, pumpkin carving and the official onset of Fall (my favorite season).  I think the biggest challenge this year is what to give for trick-or-treating when you are striving for a Zero Waste home.  In the past, I have given mini Play-Doh isntead of candy, but now I am trying to steer clear of plastics, if possible.  So, this year I decided to go with Halloween-themed decorated fruit.  First, this is going to be a fun art project for my daughter and me decorating these things.  Second, it's a healthy, yet tasty treat.  And finally, it's Zero Waste!  No packaging and peels are compostable.  If kids aren't interested, they can simply say "no thank you," which means I am not giving someone something they don't want = no waste.  I am sure many of you are thinking this is lame as it is not as exciting as a Tootsy Roll, but to me it makes a lot of sense.  And I have to think there are other parents out there that would be happy to have their kids get something guilt-free. 

What You Get: I haven't gone so far as to not let my kids trick-or-treat.  But we make a deal: In exchange for giving away the candy they collect I let them pick out an assortment of bulk bin candy that they can keep in their own jar to have in the future (in small quantities here and there).  This way, they still get to have the exciting delicious candy, but I have the peace of mind that they are choosing waste free items that don't include artificial ingredients, preservatives and other toxins.  You would be amazed at the selection of candies in bulk bins these days (candy drops (i.e., M&M equivalents), jelly beans, gummy bears, toffee, chocolate and yogurt covered you-name-it, etc.) but without all the artificial ingredients.  My 2-year-old knows where the candy section is in our pantry and hits me up just about every day for a jelly bean or 2.  

Costumes: This is, in my opinion, the least restrictive in terms of the effort to be zero waste.  You can still get a new costume, but consider getting one second hand (like a family hand me down) or as part of a costume exchange before getting a new one.  And if you do get a new one, make sure you save to hand down to someone else or donate.  In LA, many of the farmers markets have costume exchanges.  Don't hesitate to check them out.  It's also a great money saver!  Another option is to rent a costume.  

Decorations: Get things that you can use over and over, year after year, as opposed to single use items.  And try to find fun ways to incorporate compostable items into your decor, like pumpkins, corn stalks, paper, cardboard and hay.  Also, choose things that you can use for more than one holiday.  

Pumpkins: Last, but not least, don't forget to compost those jack-o-lanterns (which means your green bin Angelinos)!

Junk Mail Opt Outs & Going Paperless

Hopefully, this topic causes your ears to perk up because who doesn't abhor junk mail?  It truly makes me ill at how much paper is wasted every day on junk mail, not to mention the needless paper monthly statements that payees can easily access online.  The paper literally gets moved from your a box/slot to the recycling bin and is such a waste!  Given today's technology, why do we even need catalogs, flyers, paper advertisements or statements, when everything we need and want is right at our fingertips online.  If you are not sure how to tackle this problem, here are some quick, easy and free solutions:



Catalog Choice (https://www.catalogchoice.org/) is a great place to start and covers a huge chunk of unwanted mail, not to mention it's easy and free. You simply register and then start selecting the catalogs, phone books, credit card and other advertisements, etc. that you no longer want to receive.  This company works directly with merchants to ensure that the opt-outs are being honored.  So, it has proven to be highly effective.  They also have a unique tracking feature that shows you how much water and trees you are saving based on your opt-out selections, which I find to be rewarding.  It's nice to get a little pat on the back for your efforts, right?



DMA Choice (https://www.dmachoice.org/) is very similar to Catalog Choice and is an alternative service that does the work for you.



PaperKarma (https://www.paperkarma.com/) is by far my favorite.  I had opted out of receiving catalogs long ago, so the stuff I get is more related to credit card applications, local realtor and restaurant advertisements, and the like.  This type of stuff isn't always covered in the online services like Catalog Choice and DMA Choice because the merchants aren't large enough to be identified.  PaperKarma is a free Apple (at the iTunes App store) or Google (Google Play) mobile device app.  Once you download the app, you simply take a picture of the piece of mail you received using the app, and it does the work for you.  PaperKarma contacts the sender and sees to the opt-out.  My husband and I have come to love this app for it's ease and effectiveness.


Yellow Pages Opt-Out (https://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/) is a site dedicated to opting out of receiving phone books.  While Catalog Choice offers this option too, I found this site to be really quick and effective.  Phone Books are the monsters of junk mail in that they use so much paper.  Given the online resources we have nowadays, they are all but rendered useless.



The next time you get a paper statement, look it over to find out how to go paperless.  Most merchants offer this option nowadays.  And if the statement doesn't tell you how, just go to the website.

Simple Solutions - Rubber Bands

As hard as I try to prevent bringing things into my home that will have to been thrown away or for which I have more than I can possibly use, sometimes it seems unavoidable.  One example is rubber bands.  Even when shopping at a local farmers market for organic produce, you're still likely to bring home rubber bands because they are often necessary to hold your asparagus bundle together.  But don't give up.  There are alternatives to throwing them away.  Here's one idea...



But for a simpler more practical, simpler solution is simply to return them.  I give them back to my grocery store cashiers and farmers market vendors.  I find they are happy to take them back for reuse, particularly the organic stands.  They get it!

Simple Solutions - Corks

Since deciding to hit the road to Zero Waste, I have still been trying to work out a solution with what to do with all of my corks.  For the longest time, it was a non-issue, as I gave them to my dad to make trivets he would then gave away as gifts like this one below.  But, when the need for gift giving waned, I was faced with a challenge.


Since then, I have been research the issue.  I looked into composting and assumed that they would be given they are tree bark/plant based.  While they are compostable, it's hit or miss as to whether a municipality curbside composting program will take them because they take much longer to decompose than normal compostable food waste.  In one article, I read that you could put them in your compost if you grind them up into small pieces in your food processor.  I didn't really like that option because I am certain it will seriously dull the blade.

So, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across a cork return bin in Whole Foods.  Someone will gather and recycle/reuse the corks for me without any inconvenience.  Problem solved!

So be sure to check in at your local store (whether it be Whole Foods or even a wine store) to see if they too have a collection bin for reuse.  Funny enough, one of the guys working there saw me put the corks in the bin and thanked me!!  No, thank YOU!

Simple Solutions:Old T-Shirt Turned into Reusable Bag

I recently saw this posted on Facebook (I can't remember where) and felt compelled to share.  Who doesn't have old T-shirts that they no longer wear?  Before you toss into your rag pile (as I know none of you throw them in the trash any longer), here's another use.  Turn it into a cloth bag for your shopping pleasure.  Kids tees make great produce bags and the best part is that they are free!  How cool to be able to show off your favorite team/school, etc.?  This would make a great weekend craft project with your kids too.  You can teach them to reuse, sew and have fun!

Simple Solutions - For Women's Eyes Only

I am guessing that most if not all of my audience at this point are women.  But if there are any male readers out there, feel free to skip this week's post.  Then again, if you are one of those men that have had to make the ever embarrassing tampon run for your wife or girlfriend, then you may want to read more because this would eliminate you ever being put in that position again.

Simple Solution #2: "Feminine Care Products"

I know many of you may be reluctant to open your mind to this alternative, but I can say with 100% honesty that I wish I had learned about it sooner.  Zero Waste aside, I completely prefer using these products.  In the 5 months that I have been using them, I have never had a leak, not even at night.  Another benefit is the cost savings.  For about $50-$60, you will never have to by tampons or panty liners again!!

Tampon Alternative: The Mooncup.  It comes in 2 sizes depending on whether you have birthed a child and can be found at Amazon.com (and other places I am sure).



Panty Liners: Cloth Washable Liners.  There are several brands available at Amazon.com or etsy.com in all sorts of fun colors and designs.  See links below.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=cloth%20panty%20liners&sprefix=cloth+panty%2Caps%2C176&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acloth%20panty%20liners

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=cloth%20panty%20liner&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US&ref=auto3

Helpful Tips: I got a washable wet/dry case (i.e., separate compartments for each) to carry my supplies and use a small squirt bottle (it's actually a travel shampoo bottle I found in one of my drawers) for rinsing.  These are particularly handy for work, travel or public restrooms.  I keep the bottle filled with water and use it to rinse the Mooncup after emptying into the toilet.  Then when I wash my hands, I simply fill the bottle back up for next time.  The wet/dry tote (see pic and link below), comes in all sorts of patterns/colors.



http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-MINI-Wet-Dry/dp/B005WWHU86/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1377205170&sr=8-7&keywords=planet+wise+wet+bag

Simple Solutions - Dry Cleaning

My apologies for not having posted anything on the blog since May!  I thought that summer break would afford me more time given we aren't bogged down with the kids' busy school load and activities, but instead I've been tied up on the major renovation taking place on our house, which included having to move into a rental house for 6 months.

Given, I only have sporadic chances to blog (as opposed to taking several hours to write a longer, more thought out post), I decided to use this opportunity to post about one-off solutions that don't require a lengthy entry.  I hope to hit you with as many "Simple Solutions" this month as possible BEFORE school is back in session.

So, here goes #1: "Dry Cleaning"

A couple of months ago, I had a "aha!" moment when it came to the problem of dry cleaning, namely those single use plastic bags in which your clothes are returned.  Looking back, I have to laugh at myself for not having thought of it sooner.  Honestly, it was more of a "duh!" moment than "aha!"

Obviously, I had choosen an environmentally-friendly dry cleaner years ago.  But it was only recently (once my Zero Waste mission commenced) that I realized I needed to tackle the problem of the single use bag. My first solution (rolling my eyes in hindsight) was to return all of the bags to the cleaners to use again (fingers crossed).  I have been returning hangers for years thanks to the convenience of a hanger caddy compliments of the cleaners, so why not bags too?  They can reuse them, right?  Then one day, while stuffing the plastic bags along with my dirty clothes into a "cloth" laundry bag to be handed off to my cleaners, the light bulb went on.  Instead of the single use bags to return my clothes, the cleaners could simply put them in a reusable "cloth" garment bag like this:

You only need 2 and they cost about $10 each (http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Five-Gusset-Dress-Bag/dp/B0000YRQEE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376504631&sr=8-4&keywords=garment+bag): 1 to drop off the first visit, and 1 more to drop off on the second visit when you pick up the previously dropped off clothes.  So, for $20 bucks you can help eliminate the need for single use garment bags.  Heck, many of you may already have these laying around from dress or suit purchases from department or other high end stores.  Before you go buy some, check around your house to see if you already have them.  A simple and inexpensive (if not free) solution!