Reducing Food Waste

• What I Did: I committed to meal planning for the week and making sure I used up all leftover food to avoid unnecessary waste. I kept track of the items I had in my fridge to ensure I didn’t overbuy and ended up with forgotten produce that would spoil. I also made a conscious effort to only buy what I needed, using up any leftovers creatively (like making soups or smoothies). Additionally, I started saving scraps of fruits and vegetables (like carrot tops, potato peels, and apple cores) to feed my chickens. This helped me reduce waste and give my chickens a healthy, natural snack.
• Challenges: I found it challenging to resist impulse purchases when I went grocery shopping, but I made sure to stick to my list. Another difficulty was using up certain items quickly before they went bad (like leafy greens), but I ended up making a lot of salads and wraps, which was a delicious way to minimize waste! Feeding my chickens was a great way to repurpose scraps, but I had to be mindful of what I gave them to make sure it was safe for them to eat.
• Rewards: I felt more organized and mindful of my food consumption. Not only did I reduce waste, but I also saved money by using everything I had, and I felt good about not throwing away food that could have been used. Plus, the chickens seemed to enjoy their extra snacks, and it was satisfying to know that I was helping the environment by feeding them scraps that would otherwise go to a landfill.

I do not use plastic water bottles because I have my own water bottle and why would I pay for water like that when tap water is basically free anyways.

To help reduce and properly dispose of waste this week, I looked further into what contaminates recycling. I already knew a lot about what shouldn't be in the recycling bin, but there's always more to learn. In a previous class I took, I learned about the idea of "hopeful recycling," where people put things into their mixed recycling in hopes that it will be accepted and recycled. In actuality, this can contaminate the properly recyclable materials, causing entire batches of otherwise recyclable material to be thrown out.
I'm aware that food is a big contaminant, so any food packaging that has food residue on it I make sure to throw away. Additionally, I make sure to rinse out plastic containers very well so they do not leak liquid that could contaminate paper/cardboard recycling.
Frozen food boxes or containers that have a waxy coating are also not recyclable. Unfortunately, I've been putting this type of box in the recycling for years, so I feel pretty bad about that. But I'm able to make that change now.
For plastic in Portland, much of what is recyclable depends on the shape and size of the item, rather than plastic type. Plastic bags are an especially troublesome contaminant, because they can can get wrapped around the processing machinery and damage it.
Tin/aluminum foil can be recycled as long as it is clean, dry, and crumpled into a ball at least the size of a tennis ball. So I've started cleaning some of the foil I use and keeping it in a little ball, to put in the recycling once it gets big enough.

One action I chose to complete regarding reducing trash was implementing a reusable water bottle. Often I find myself going to the fridge and getting a cold plastic water bottle in the 24-pack. However, we have learned just how devastating trash can be to the environment this week.

One of the things that inspired me to buy and start to use a reusable water bottle was this week's TED Talk. I was fascinated that she was able to hold the amount of trash that she produced in 3 years. This made me reflect on my habits which included drinking water at home as the 24-pack of plastic water bottles has an insane amount of waste.

One obstacle that I faced when starting to use my reusable water bottle was the extra effort needed just to drink water. Usually, I just take another bottle out of the pack which is already cold, and it's very simple. However now with my reusable water bottle, I need to fill it up with tap water and add ice to make it colder. Even though it's less convenient I think it's a sacrifice that's worth it now after understanding the benefits of a reusable water bottle.

Topic: Sustainable Transportation