Author: Claie Wilson, Functional Director
If you were to filter the trash and recycling bins, how much trash would you find?
According to the latest data from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), from takeaways and toothbrushes to lint and cat food bags, the total amount of waste generated in the UK a year is 222.2 million tons.
Although the recycling rate of household waste in the UK is increasing, it is shocking that this is not just garbage-we also waste 4.5 tons of food every year.
But what can we do, if anyone, should be blamed? To find out, we asked six families to tell us how much rubbish they produced in a week and what #Just1Change they will make to help the planet.
This is how they progress...
Ndah said: When we worked hard to train children to develop the habit of recycling and saving energy, we knew very well where the trash went. Sometimes it is the children who put us on the right track.
Monday: We have a cat. When I fed it this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that we didn't really think about how much waste it produces and where it should go. She has dry food, but she also has a small bag every day. I never thought about whether it can be recycled because they have a metallic appearance inside. I need to investigate further...
Tuesday: We really do our best to be green and environmentally friendly. Today I want to make sure everything is done in the right place. For example, if I remove any plastic packaging from anything, I will ensure that anything that is not recyclable will not enter the recyclable bin, and all food waste will enter the caddy.
Wednesday: It’s the third day. I already know how much we throw away-canned tomatoes, juice boxes, plastic and glass bottles, potato chips, cat litter... I know it sometimes looks worse than it actually is , Especially for recycling, because it is difficult to fold, but even if we try to become green, we can survive the storm, which is still surprising.
Thursday: We operate two businesses, one is a subscription service called A Gran Smile, which people use to send gift boxes to older relatives. This means that we tend to have a considerable amount of inventory arriving in cardboard boxes, and I now realize how much paper and cardboard is the culprit for our level of waste. I know it is recyclable, but we can still reduce the usage.
Friday: We like to cook from scratch, which means that our food waste is mainly cans, cooking oil bottles, plastic packaging and food skins. However, on Fridays, we do like to eat weird takeaways, which I know will produce cardboard and plastic waste.
Saturday: Today is "Big Store" Day, which really opened our eyes to understand how much plastic supermarkets and suppliers use. From grapes and plums in plastic packaging to a little bit used to seal the top of bottles and containers, such as ketchup or mayonnaise. It's just not necessary.
Sunday: Having three children means that we do make some rubbish. There is always a lot of cleaning work to be done, which does not always include environmentally friendly products. Now that they are older, I noticed that the children do not always recycle as much as possible-I sometimes find strange crispy bags and yogurt The can is in the trash can in their room.
Conclusion: Tracking our trash made me aware of the large amount of trash brought back from supermarkets and stores. I never realized how much is not recyclable because it is usually just put in a bag and I didn't notice the quantity.
My #Just1Change: Buy less-or try to buy more often only when we need it, so that we don't waste unused or expired food.
Vic said: We have been working hard to be eco-friendly. Our local authority is one of the few places in the UK that does not use wheeled bins-they are all garbage bags (recyclable and non-recyclable), so we feel a little bit about how much we throw away. However, since we operate a soft tissue therapy business at home, it does generate a lot of waste, which is very annoying.
Monday: The first thing to be thrown away is a box of oatmeal milk and a plastic milk carton, both of which are recyclable, so they are washed and put into recycling! We also received some spam emails-even though I never remembered to register-and a bunch of email flyers, none of them appealed to us, all of which went directly to the trash can. I feel sorry for the company that sent them.
Tuesday: Our dog eats dry food that we usually buy in big bags. However, we have run out, so it is urgent to go to the local supermarket to buy a small bag and some house items. I must bring a few packable nylon bags instead of forgetting and then buying a reusable handbag.
Wednesday: More spam. The dog has eaten a bag of dog food, so I need to buy another bag tomorrow. Business is very busy, so the home-cooked meals of the first two nights were abandoned by the frozen food in the supermarket. Although it is no longer mandatory to wear masks, I still wear N95 masks, but they are all individually packaged, which makes me feel very guilty.
Thursday: I like my hot chocolate machine, but the grated chocolate sold for the machine comes in single-serving pouches, and when I buy them, it looks quick, simple and a bit indulgent. Although the sachet is made of paper, I find myself wondering why it is not packed in a jar or a big bag-surely it will be more environmentally friendly? I went to the supermarket and bought a lightweight mop with disposable wipes prepared with disinfectant in advance. For our State Health Clinic No. 11, this seemed like a good idea, although there was a lot of cardboard in the package, I tried not to think too much about wipes.
Friday: Since work has been very busy in the past few days, we have taken some protein-based heated water type meals to take away, which means little waste because they are packed in large multi-serving bags. I also finished a package of antihistamines, and I couldn’t help thinking that the package could be much smaller.
Saturday: I'm not sure how we drank so much milk this week-or cheese! My favorite is the smoky, only sliced. Fortunately, the packaging is now easier to recycle because there are no small pieces of thin plastic between each piece (not recyclable), but the disadvantage is that all pieces are stuck together. We have also completed several spray bottles, you can refill the concentrate and dilute with tap water. Is that definitely better?
Sunday: This is the weekend, so I check business garbage. We use a lot of kinematic tapes, which are packed in large cardboard boxes, and each piece of tape has a backing paper. It is all recyclable, but still seems to be a lot.
Conclusion: I'm glad how much of what we have is recyclable, but I hope there is some way to easily "unsubscribe" from spam! Our bulk purchase means less individual packaging, but keeping a one-week diary means that I know more about what we have individual packaging than usual.
Our #Just1Change: We will post a notice on the door, ban flyers, and delete us from the mailing list.
Allie said: I have been concerned about climate change since I was a child-when I was seven I wrote to my congressman asking for glass recycling! I’m now involved in a community-centered environmental movement group called Eco Action Families, but it’s hard for me to live like I want because I run my own illustration business and take care of my family. Plastic store trip.
Monday: I am frustrated by the large amount of paper marketing that fell from the front door this morning. I need to get a letterbox sticker that says "No Spam".
Tuesday: I like to have a good cup of coffee in the morning, but I hate that you can't easily put coffee in at least reusable or recyclable bags. I think I need to find a small standalone roaster because commercial brands are not ready to package their products responsibly.
Wednesday: I have a bad cold. I usually try to avoid minor illnesses, but this is a real stench. I hate blister packs and pouches, but today I am grateful for the contents in them.
Thursday: I am very satisfied to send my two product wholesale orders only using the upgraded packaging (box, bubble wrap, etc.) I received from online shopping. #Rubbish! However, I also had to throw away a plastic pot today because there is no recycling information on it. #Rubbishfail.
Friday: I was very angry today because I spent so much time sorting garbage. Yes, certain things like food should be my responsibility, but the company and the government have to bear more burdens here. For example, I bought a pair of shorts for my son online, which contained two plastic bags, a built-in hanger, and a cardboard. A pair of shorts is too wasteful.
Saturday: Today, there are only two small things in general garbage. cheer! I work very hard to reduce plastic waste when I feed the children, but sometimes I buy picnic items in the supermarket. These items are always packed in a plastic box-I don't know if it can be recycled.
Sunday: I have a friend here, but I feel very tired and have no energy to cook, so I bought some things from Cook. I think this company is conscientious. Many packages are cards, but I want to know whether the plastic trays these small snacks come in will be sent to a recycling plant, or just dumped in the sea, or on a plastic mountain in another country... I washed them before I put them in Before the recycle bin, it is also up. What bothers me is that this may be futile.
Conclusion: This week showed me that I am absolutely trying to keep us as green as possible, but there is still a lot of plastic. I have been aware of all this for a long time, and hate that I can't do better.
My #Just1Change: Looking for coffee brands with sustainable packaging and labeling my mailbox with "NO JUNK".
Gen said: Our "waste" habits will definitely change over time, and we must have noticed how packaging has changed over the years. We seem to produce more than ever before, even though there are only two of us now because the children have moved away. Recycling also annoys me because I think most of my waste is recycled or composted, but I always want to know what will happen to the rest?
Monday: Every time I separate the packaging, put some in the recycling bag and some in the trash can, I make faces. For example, tomato or fruit packaging is often 50/50, half of which can be recycled in the form of cartons or card boxes or plastic trays; the other half is disposable cellophane-or plastic packaging.
Tuesday: While shopping today, I noticed that although I purchased a custom drawstring muslin bag from the supermarket to let me put loose fruits and vegetables, most of the time things that might be loose-apples, pears, tomatoes, avocados- —All are pre-packaged anyway, so I rarely use these bags.
Wednesday: I am an intuitive energy therapist. My last treatment usually ends around 6:15pm. Then the last thing I want to do is to cook from scratch, so I tend to buy HelloFresh (cardboard box, many small Containers) or ready-made supermarket foods (tinfoil trays, cardboard packaging and cellophane, which must be removed before being placed in the oven). Tonight I chose to put baked beans on toast and scrambled eggs-believe it or not, I recycle my eggshells as fertilizer by crushing and using them in the garden.
Thursday: I think I drank too many iced coffee products-in addition to the adverse health effects of too much sugar, the same goes for plastic cups. I do like the new paper straws of the brand I bought, but I never know if they will escape with my other recyclable items (such as socks in the washing machine) and eventually flow into the river?
Friday: Charles likes to eat fish on Fridays, so earlier this week, I bought a delicious fish pie from the supermarket — wrapped in a foil tray, cardboard wrapper, and cellophane. More recycling and thorough one-off! Swallow.
Saturday: Have a Chinese takeaway for dinner tonight. Although it is in a plastic container, I have no opinion on it-we clean them and reuse them to put food in the refrigerator or freeze them, and we can also take snacks with us on the road.
Sunday: If I don't mind, I will make some weird mops in this place on weekends, and usually we use toilet products that are very toxic to the environment-of course, there are more plastics.
Conclusion: Over the weekend, we noticed that the black trash can we throw away may be half of the recyclables. I think in principle we are doing the "right thing"-but first we definitely need to put in more effort to "reduce."
My #Just1Change: I no longer drink packaged iced coffee, but start to make it at home. No more straw!
Sonali said: I am very happy to be able to do this, because like most people, I throw things away without thinking. One thing I noticed is that although I like Amazon and the convenience of online shopping, the packaging definitely needs to be checked, so it will be interesting to see how much waste it actually causes.
Monday: Since I only expect one delivery this week, I realize that the number of packages I receive does affect the amount of garbage I will generate. Sometimes up to three or four a week, because I tend to buy things like wash pods and dog food in bulk. I also noticed how much kitchen paper I use to clean up today, so sometimes I try to use reusable cloth.
Tuesday: A lot of my trash comes from my French bulldog Luna. Not only her food, but also her medicine. There are several types of her skin. The drug that causes the most garbage is a drug called Atopica, which is like a human drug. It is packed in a box with a leaflet and four plastic sheets, each with only five plastic sheets. I also use wet wipes to clean her because she is allergic-I don't like to use them, but they are medicines, so this is really an easy choice.
Wednesday: This is a very busy working day for me. I spend most of my time on my laptop and calling customers. I drink Nepresso coffee several times a day, and I must admit that at first I was really worried about what would happen to the pods. But then I found out that there was a recycling program, so I collected all my pods in a trash bin and transferred them to the bags provided by Nespresso. When I called them, they would collect them. So there is no rubbish there.
Thursday: I went out today, so I actually put on makeup-which means I had to use the cotton pad to remove it again. If I went out more, I would obviously throw more, but it was a quiet week for me. I have tried reusable makeup pads, such as Halo, but they need to be cleaned frequently, so I think this may waste water and electricity? Instead, I have changed back to disposable cotton pads.
Friday: I have a gray trash can. I put all the trash of my business there. It is called Enigma. It sells crystals. Not long ago, customers started asking for packaging that is as environmentally friendly as possible, and I tried to do so. Sometimes it is not as minimalistic as desired. I want people to imagine that they are opening gifts, because crystal is a form of self-love. But in hindsight, this may bring them a lot of rubbish-but mine is not much.
Saturday: Look at my food waste. Most of it comes from breakfast. I like eggs in the morning. My boyfriend also came over and made pizza last night, so it was a bit wasteful.
Sunday: Today was a very quiet day for me, so I strolled around in the kitchen and cleaned it up with recyclable cloth (Mrs. la la Hinch!).
Conclusion: This week will definitely make me more aware of the amount I throw away. I need to start using more reusable things, such as my kitchen rags. I think I am doing well now, but I also think it depends on the big companies to make sure they consider the amount of waste they produce.
My #Just1Change: Use less kitchen paper!
Jolene said: At the beginning of this experiment, I was very excited and suspicious. As a family with two young children, I expect a lot of waste, and I really want to know where I will store everything this week!
Monday: We always remove all items from the outer packaging and immediately pour them into the container or basket. When I did this, I noticed how many packages carry things. Our grains are poured into wine containers, and potato chips and snacks are loosely placed in buckets. It's too annoying, we can fill a whole bag with the extra waste generated from this!
Tuesday: We use HelloFresh for two people four times a week. Since the ingredients provided are very small, I found the packaging is very small-I know some people think that the sachet is a waste, but in my opinion, if I want to buy it from the supermarket.
Wednesday: When I put more packaging into the wheeled bin, I will keep in mind that I will recycle my waste into useful things as much as possible, such as crafts for children with cereal boxes. I run a gift company called Obscenity Cards at home, and in the past five years, I have learned to reuse every package I receive. The only waste I got was the small cellophane strips I tore off to seal the cards, but last year I switched to biodegradable cellophane card wrapping paper, so I don’t have to worry about it.
Thursday: When I ask children to prepare lunch for school, I can see that snack packaging seems to be the most wasteful. I always use wrapping paper, preservation bags, etc. to fill the recyclables. We have eaten a lot of snacks throughout the week, which makes me think very seriously about how to further reduce this waste. Thankfully, almost all of this is recyclable, but it is still much more than I thought!
Friday: My husband and I are doing Sober October-if we do this for another month, the garbage we collect this week will contain more! Even so, knowing that we usually finish two or three bottles and up to 12 beer cans/bottles-this really reminds me of how much waste.
Saturday: I try to use as little cleaning products as possible-for example, I wipe the surface with a warm soap cloth, dust with a dry cloth, etc. I do not use surface wipes, nor do I use a lot of bleach, spray or polish. The only real regular cleaning waste is washing pill boxes and discarded wet tissues, which my kids use often. This does make me feel guilty because I know they are bad for the environment, but when it comes to snot and other body fluids that we won't mention, it is a necessary evil! Sunday: We mainly shop today and see how much waste we have accumulated from snack foods. I hope to see more items wrapped in sturdy paper instead of plastic, such as small bags of candies, small chocolate bars, and breakfast bars. Kind of stuff. I always buy fruits and vegetables in bulk as much as possible because it is more environmentally friendly and cost-effective-but it is not easy to buy where I live, unless I go to a large supermarket farther away, which is usually not convenient.
Conclusion: I am surprised that we had so little waste a week later. We use wheeled trash cans. When you see a messy, full, and messy trash can, it looks more. We did much better than our family of four thought, and I am very proud-although there is always room for improvement!
Our #Just1Change: Reduce the use of wet wipes.
Do you have any stories you want to share? Get in touch by email Claie.Wilson@metro.co.uk
Share your opinion in the comments below.
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At COP26 and beyond, we will share stories, ideas and suggestions on a common theme: the climate crisis.
When the weight of environmental issues feels very heavy and overwhelming, our goal is to provide content that not only provides information and education, but also hope and inspiration.
Here are some of our #Just1Change highlights so far:
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