Greening Your Garbage Bags

Buying products made from recycled materials is just as important as recycling itself. It helps communities get a good price for their recyclable materials and gives business an incentive to keep the cycle going.

I noticed Harris Teeter has apparently discontinued their Naturals trash bags made from recycled plastic, so I went online looking for an alternative. Amazon carries PrideGreen bags, which are not only made with recycled plastic, but contain an additive that helps them biodegrade faster. And at a price as low as 18 cents a bag (with free shipping), they're competitive with bags made from freshly-drilled petroleum.

The Story of Stuff (Video)

My buddy Everyday Father asked me to post an oldie but a goodie that has somehow never made its way to The Green Miles - The Story of Stuff:

Recycling vs. Trash: Time to Swap Sizes?

Five years ago, I had a standard-sized garbage bin in my kitchen and put recycling in paper grocery bags.

Two years ago, I switched to a smaller garbage bin and not only needed more recycling space, my old system didn't work because I've gone exclusively to reusable grocery bags. So I started using a big clear plastic bin for recycling bottles & cans (and just clap your hands) and used a reusable bag to collect the paper.

Today, my new apartment building does single-stream recycling, so I just use one bin for containers, paper & cardboard. My problem is that I now recycle or compost much more waste than I send to the landfill. I end up having to take out the recycling a couple of times a week, while my trash only needs to get taken out every few weeks. The composting helps get rid of most of what could be unpleasant after a few weeks, but long-term, it's not the optimal set-up.

Maybe it's time to use the bigger bin for recycling & the smaller bin for landfill?