A lot of things come to mind when we think about rubbish. Generally speaking, though, we think rubbish bags. I’m here to tell you that even your average Joe and Josephine have been fooled by the illusion that we need to wrap our rubbish in more rubbish to dispose of it. It’s like throwing a landfill in another landfill. Here's some tips for how to manage kitchen waste.A brief historyRubbish bags came about because people didn’t want food waste dripping into an already sealed off compartment.. go figure. Enter the 1950s and Canadian inventors Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen. Wasylyk created the bag in his kitchen, made out of stretchy, waterproof polyethylene.
The solution
- Prep your meals and plan your shopping trips. You want to be able to eat what you’ve bought without it going bad. Therefore, buy only what you’ll need.
- Don’t buy unnecessary packaging (if you’re not sure what unnecessary is- the penny will drop when your apple is wrapped in a polystyrene container, wrapped in a layer of cling wrap).
- Eat less livestock, vegan or veggie alternatives that don’t include soy are for the most part tastier and won’t stink up your rubbish bin as much.
- Most importantly, almost all, natural food waste can be used as compost for the garden- throw in some earth worms to generate a richer compost and you’re in business.(Compost if not used in the garden can be stored in newspaper in the freezer or in a separated, unlined bin outside until trash day)
(Tip: Use bees wax covers instead of cling wrap. There are also vegan style food wrap covers if you're anti bees wax)
Compost yourselfNot only that but a heap of compost generates enough heat to heat up pipe- so if you really want to make the most of it, you can build a natural, warm outdoor shower. Compost heaps can provide hot water for showers for up to 10 months. In a nut shell, the idea is to layer coils of insulated poly pipe between layers of compost (allow for about 20 cm of mulch for each layer of compost). Leave to bake for about a week and expect a cosy 45 ℃.To make this even more exciting, the water that comes from that shower (provided you aren’t using harmful soaps) allows for further optimisation by enabling the water from the shower runoff to water plants, including fruits.Cut offs and other garden trimmings can also be used for your outdoor shower.
(Tip: Try to keep the smellier food compost hidden under plant-based compost)And boom! No unpleasant smells in the house, no trash bags, less nonsense packaging, healthy, thriving garden, an outdoor shower and to top it all off, fresh fruit to pick as you shower or go about your garden duties.
