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Managing Your Large Family Trash Disposal
Whether Camping, Or at Home
By Linda Walsh
I recently spoke to a new friend of mine who moved to Denver from Chicago.
She has what I consider a larger family of 5 boys and 1 girl, two of which
are still in diapers. She was asking me about trash pickup and stated her
family generates 2 garbage cans of trash weekly due to the size of their
family. The trash company, however, refuses to pick up their second dumpster
due to a Denver company policy. It almost seems absurd that our City would
not accommodate large families with their trash quandary.
I then remembered a camping trip where my husband and I decided to spend
Thanksgiving under the canopy of the Red Woods in Butano State Park in
California. The scenery was truly spectacular and the smell of the forest
intoxicating. After we ate our Turkey Tetrazzini hiker food out of a bag,
with wild rice, mashed potatoes, and a strawberry granola desert, we went to
the trash area to toss out our small handful of trash. Granted, we did not
have children at the time, so our amount of trash was very small, but when
we arrived at the trash bin in the campground, we stood there dumbfounded as
the phrase, "Leave no trace behind" echoed in my mind.
Several raccoons scattered as we walked up, revealing mountains of trash.
There was everything from whole turkey carcasses, to half eaten corn on the
cob, plastic bags, used napkins, card board boxes, etc. These items were not
even bagged up, but simply tossed loose onto the pile. It was unbelievable
and it left a lasting impression. From that moment on, I became acutely
aware of the amount of trash I personally generated each day, and decided to
make a pro-active decision to reduce my own personal trash trail.
I now have 3 young children, with #4 on the way, along with 2 Border
Collies, 3 hamsters, and 3 chickens, and I am happy to say that my strategy
of minimal trash is still effective, and being used by all my family members
today. Here are some of the steps we take to reduce our trash amount through
organization techniques, whether we are in a campground, or at home.
When shopping and the clerk asks you if you would like your items in a box,
refuse. This is a great way for stores to dump their trash into your house
while they avoid excessive trash disposal fees. Let each man be responsible
for his own garbage.
Reduce your waist by separating the recyclables from the compostables. If
you don't know how to compost, you need to learn quickly. Composting can
literally cut your trash amount in half, while providing you with rich
potting and gardening soil.
Donate your unused items including clothing, toys, furniture, and other
items to thrift stores. One mans trash is another mans treasure! Some stores
will even come to your house each month for free and pick up your unwanted
items, so be sure to place your items in boxes (such as an empty diaper
box), to reduce your household items, and trash.
Don't use paper plates, paper napkins, paper cups, and other items that make
you feel like they are making your life easier. They generate way to much
unnecessary trash. Cloth napkins wash easily, and dishes can be washed,
dried, and reused.
Paper towels are advertised as Mom's best friend, but are they really? Yes,
they can be composted, but we simply cut up our old bath towels, and use
them for spills, and other clean ups. We then wash them, and reuse them, or
toss them out when they become too soiled which only happens occasionally.
Teach your children while they are young not to waste things like paper, and
to make an effort to reduce their own personal trash amounts. You will be
raising some very conscientious kids into some very responsible adults that
may be able to come up with new ideas on how to keep our beautiful planet
clean.
Purchase a trash compactor. This will help you to take a larger amount of
household garbage, and mash it down to half the size so large families can
toss out more weekly, without it looking like more. Yes, your trash bin will
be very heavy, but at least you will only need one trash bin each week.
Call your trash company and request a second recycle bin. They offer two
recycle bins here in Denver, and pick up every other week. Be sure to learn
what items are able to go into your recycle bin, what items can be composted
in your yard, and what items are trash. By throwing non-recyclables into
your recycle bin, you will ruin a batch that could have been used for the
good of the planet as well as others.
Use your card board boxes to deliver used clothing to thrift stores, to wrap
presents, and to share vegetables and fruit from your prolific gardens with
your neighbors. Chances are, they have much smaller families, and more space
in their trash cans.
Save your bottles, jars, and other glass containers. They are great for
canning, pickling, storing raw beans, grains, hair clips, rubber bands,
pens, bath salts, etc. Start recycling right in your own home.
There are many other ways to reduce your household trash including canceling
your newspaper subscription and getting your news online, canceling catalog
subscriptions, and signing up on the no-junk mail list. If every large
family does their part to reduce their individual trash amount for their
family, down to each member of the family (including the family hamster), we
can all make a huge difference in keeping the planet healthy, and beautiful.
These steps are but a few of the ways families can help to manage their
personal trash quantities. Let's all do our part to keep our houses clean,
and our planet beautiful. Happy Travels!
About the
Author:
Linda Walsh is a mother of 3 young children - one with
special needs and a forth child on the way. She is also a family travel
expert who has developed a unique system for traveling with babies and young
kids, budgeting money, cooking from scratch on the road, managing life with
special needs, and living an organized lifestyle to get the most miles out
of raising her family. If you would like to find more ways to simplify and
organize your travels through life with your children, visit her website at
http://www.familytravelgear.com
or her blog at
http://www.blog.familytravelgear.com.
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