What about Halloween?

I received a few emails and comments asking how we plan to celebrate Halloween. Frankly, I really have a hard time with Halloween. I like the activities, but in a perfect world, the celebration would be a non-commercial, waste-free, treasure-sharing (see “treasures” below), costume festival, that I would fully support. Until then...

Our kids are still at an age where they want to share the fun with their friends and join them in trick-or-treating. And yet, I want to keep the tradition as sustainable as possible. But how? When in doubt, I apply the obvious rule: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. After discussing an approach with the kids, here is the plan that we came up with:

REFUSE:

-Plastic toys or favors when trick-or-treating, the kids will pick recyclable or compostable items instead.

REDUCE:

-Instead of doing a whole neighborhood, we plan to trick-or-treat one street. It helps being invited to a party before or after to reduce time spent going door to door.

REUSE:

-Costumes: Coming up with a homemade outfit is our first choice but it is also a challenge in a minimalist home (probably the only downside of living with less). When we strike-out of ideas, we go to the thrift store, and on the spot choose or make up a costume. I expect thrift shops to be most busy this time of year!

By the way, I am not crazy about dressing up for Halloween: I have enough fun reinventing my wardrobe everyday of the year ;)

-As you would expect, we keep our decorating minimal (What can I say: I did not grow up with this tradition), with just a few tiny pumpkins that I make into a soup the next day and serve sprinkled with its roasted seeds.

-We plan to participate in the Halloween Candy Buy Back for the non-recyclable treats, this year for the first time. This is the most motivating program I have found for my 2 boys to give away their candy;)

RECYCLE:

- When possible, the kids will choose treats in cardboard: Dots, Milk Duds, Nerds or Raisins (but I doubt that we'll run in many of those).

COMPOST:

-To state the obvious, the rinds of our pumpkins used for making soup will get composted.

-I made a watermelon brain for a potluck buffet tonight. Hopefully, it will get completely eaten. If not, and if it gets too picked on, I'll take the leftovers home to compost.

In case you were wondering, our front door is 36 steps from the street, so by nature we do not get trick-or-treaters (sometimes, life just simplifies itself;). If we did, this website gives some good alternatives to candy. Here is the revised list with my waste-free favorites, in alphabetical order:

Food items ("treats"): Boxes of organic raisins, Fruit (like mandarins), Licorice Root Stick (I loved to chew on these as a kid).

Non food items ("treasures") are also a great alternative to treats: Bracelets made with a natural fiber or yarn, Coins (US or non-US: I know my kids would get exited about getting a penny), Feathers, Lavender sachet, Polished rocks or skipping stones, Printed items (jokes, word games, word search or cross word puzzles), Seashells, Seed packets or plantable paper, Soap (unpackaged of course), Stamps from foreign countries.

How do you celebrate Halloween with your kids?

Recycled Products Fashion Show

Wakeboard Chair

Description:
The Wakeboard Chair is perfect for indoor and outdoor use and comes complete with an ottoman. Chairs are made entirely of recycled products and utilize recycled boards.

Wakeboard Chair $374.95

 

Recycled Magazine Home Goods

Water Ski Bench

Description:
Benches are made entirely of recycled products and utilize recycled skis. The legs are made from recycled plastics and weigh 25lbs each. The legs are black in color. Water Ski Benches are available in sizes 65" through 72". Bench Size: Length 48"-60", Height 36", Width 26", Seat Height 18", total weight with two 25lb legs is 55-60lbs.

Water Ski Bench $249.95

terra, not terror

Dog waste is hard to get rid of because the plastic bags aren't exactly biodegradable. Some say they are (here's one), but as I've learned, our landfills are designed in such a way that nothing really biodegrades. We walk our dog every day, and she usually dumps on the walk, but sometimes does it in the backyard, which is where a waste removal system would be most beneficial. There are a couple of ways to design a backyard dog waste remover: a Doggie Dooley, a home-made dog waste compost, or a flushing system.

The Doggie Dooley is a pre-built waste disposal system that you put in your backyard. You add enzymes to get the stuff to compost, and the rest is history. It seems pretty simple, and you don't have bad smell, bugs, or garden contamination.

Visit the City Farmer.com for a step-by-step guide to making your own dog waste composter. All you really need is a garbage can and a shovel. Cut out the bottom of the garbage can, dig a deep hole, bury the garbage can, dump the poop inside, and cover with the garbage can lid. You can add enzymes to start the composting process. Since this method reaches the soil, make sure you bury it away from food gardens.

This site, Pet Habitats, designed a dog waste flusher that may work for you. It connects to the sewer line and uses your outside hose to flush the waste down, bags and all. They say it doesn't clog the pipes. Pet Habitats offers these environmental facts about their product.

I like the home-made composter and the Doggie Dooley. They're both good options for people who want an easy set-up and low cost. Pet Habitats attempts to meet the needs of dogs like mine, who "go" on walks instead of in the backyard. They are all interesting options for getting rid of your dog waste in a environmentally friendly way.

The Smiffs

Hey kids,

How's life? Mine is busy. In two weeks I head off to New Zealand and Australia for some DJ gigs, followed by one in Los Angeles over Thanksgiving weekend.

I just wanted to poke my head out and remind you that we're far from finished here. After the holidays I'm going to keep my schedule wide open until Coachella. I plan on working normal 40-hour weeks and spending my evenings and weekends at home, so I can finally focus on some fun projects like this blog.

There's still a lot to come: expanded listening bundles for each of the five Factory albums, Substance live, some previously uncirculated soundboard recordings, and sometime down the road there'll be Recycle part 3 covering the London years.

In the meantime, you might want to keep an eye on Extra Track for a makeover of The Smiths' complete singles, from the same production crew that's been at work here. They'll start going up sometime in the next 48 hours...

Is the Zero Waste Home only about waste reduction?

I received a long angry comment this week.

The commenter implied that our household was single minded... “Your lifestyle seems to be very austere” he or she wrote . “I'm wondering if you have a viewpoint on what we are all supposed to be doing here on planet earth? In addition to counting the band-aids in our trash cans, I mean”. Do you think your children find that it's a good trade off... you know for them to become social pariahs in exchange for you indulging your obsession.”

Boy! How did this commenter even get to this blog? Why did "anonymous" even spend time reading it if he or she did not understand the subject of it? How can he or she insult our kids so freely, not knowing them or their social life.

I replied that not every blog is for everyone...

And yet, what sticks in my mind about this comment is: Who does this person really think we are? Does this person really think that we ONLY care about waste?

In other words: Is the Zero Waste Home only about waste reduction? As I mentioned before, if it was not for this blog, I would not even think about waste on a daily basis. No seriously, beside the frustrating unavoidable trash bits, zero waste has become a no-brainer and a natural, unconscious part of our life, it has become automatic. We take our bags / jars and try to make good buying decisions when we shop once a week, refuse the occasional freebies, send an occasional email of complaint, and ask our friends and family to respect our lifestyle when they come. That's it. That's as much time as our family would think about zero waste... had I not started writing (and thus elaborating) about it.

I personally love art, fashion, foraging, homemaking, organizing, volunteering, simplifying,... I could have written a blog on any of these. And yet I chose zero waste. Why? Because in my mind it sums it all up. It has made my art more focused, my foraged miner's lettuce tastier, my thrifting more acceptable, my minimalism more understandable, my homemaking and volunteering more purposeful. For once in my life, it seems that all my interests and talents are connected. Plus, wouldn't it be selfish not to share my trials (Lush deodorant), failures (vinegar hair rinse), successes (baking soda toothpowder) and finds (local bulk stores) with others?

Let's face it. Zero waste is not just about waste: it's about enjoying simple pleasures, eating local and seasonal foods, living a healthier lifestyle, enjoying the outdoors more, getting closer to the Earth, finding fulfillment in volunteering activities, and simplifying your life to make room for things that matter most to you. If it was not for the latter, I would have never found the time to write this blog.

The commenter went on to criticize my refusing laminated school work last June. “Did you know that a lot of parents don't judge their children's artwork on whether it will biodegrade easily?”, he or she asked. “Actually a lot of parents would treasure their childrens' artwork and want it to last forever. But you rejected your childrens' artwork because it had become the wrong kind of trash.”, the commenter wrote.

Is this comment supposed to make me feel some kind of guilt for the laminated work that I refused? I am sorry to disappoint the commenter even further, but I don't. Through my simplifying business I witness numerous homes filled with “heirloom guilt" and I could not agree more with this quote from a New York Times article: "Barry Lubetkin, a psychologist and the Director of the Institute for Behavior Therapy in Manhattan, who has observed this [heirloom guilt] in a number of patients [...]. It’s an unhealthy setup, in which people become "slaves to inanimate objects,” he says. “Once you’re defining it as something you can’t get rid of, you’re not in control of your life or your home.”"

Let's say I had succumbed to the heirloom guilt: Was I supposed to bring the laminated piece home (no matter its quality) and add it to a bin full of other laminated school stuff, which would then be passed on, along with the same guilt, to my kids children and grand children? Our life is not about stuff and we're teaching our kids that life is not about stuff. So why should I allow teachers to fill my house with stuff? Shouldn't parents and children have the right to choose what to keep? After all we receive a ton of artwork from school all year long, so why should the one that is laminated be kept? What if your child, was sick and not in the mood or simply botched that particular project? Yet it would get laminated for a whole family branch to keep forever? Does not make sense to me at all.

Let's say my great grand kids felt liberated enough to discard it later: Do I want my kids laminated art to contribute to the great pacific garbage patch? Of course not.

I really don't think I am being “very austere” here and I don't think it was wrong to reject lamination. Quite the contrary, I think it would be more wrong NOT to reject it and allow this wasteful school practice to get out of control.

Accepting is condoning - just like shopping is voting. I cannot ignore (the easy way in life) the negative environmental impact of lamination, not to mention its expense. I would rather our public school money be better spent. If I don't do anything about it, who will? Obviously not the commenter. So, I say it once again: “Be the change you want the world to be” - Gandhi.

The commenter also implied that my son was deprived because he loved band-aids and we ran out... mmm.

Can one really be deprived of Spongebob band-aids? The Merriam Webster defines “deprived” as “marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life or of healthful environmental influences”

Are Spongebob band-aids “a necessity of life or a healthful environmental influence”? Maybe to the commenter, but our son does not seem to think so. He has not asked for them since we ran out. Luckily, his livelihood does not rest on band-aids, but rather on more important activities (like playing football with his dad).

And if one dares to say that my children are deprived because we don't have band-aids, can you say that my children are deprived because they also do not have video games (they play outside, build Lego's, or learn to bake or paint instead)?

Can you say that my children are deprived because we don't buy junk food (they eat healthy bulk or homemade meals instead)?

Can you say that my children are deprived because we don't drive them to school in a warm/or air conditioned car (they get exercise and fresh air by riding their bikes instead)?

Can you say my children are deprived because we don't give them vitamins (we believe in a healthy diet and outdoor activity instead)?

Can you say that my children are deprived because apart from a few french comic books they don't have books (the local library has made thousands of books available to them and turned them into avid readers instead)?

Can you say that my children are deprived because they don't have TV (they prefer to watch a commercial free Netflix movie instead)?

Can you say that my children are deprived because we do not keep ALL their artwork (together, we select and store our favorites)? By the way, our staircase is filled with them. See picture above.

Can you say my children are deprived because we don't have trash cans in the house? Seriously.

I guess the answer to the questions above depend on the personal health and life standards you have set for your family.

We are not perfect and we are not 100% waste free. But we love what the zero waste lifestyle has done for our family beyond waste reduction. We hope that many more families will get to discover it for themselves. This is what this blog is really about. Sharing an on-going life changing experience. But my words will only make sense to you if you're ready and willing to accept change. The commenter obviously is not. Are you?

Or if you started already, what has Zero Waste done for you beyond waste reduction?

bamboo boat

milk packs bags

shoe recycling

bamboo crafts recycling

bamboo sculpture

recycled flowerpot

http://dollarsofwaste.blogspot.com/

recycled paper

waste paper

It is made from paper that has been unused (waste). Actually, waste paper can still be processed and combined with berabagai materials, namely at the time the paper making process. The goal is to create different effects from the paper. Sehingg results in can be more beautiful and attractive.

Paper of the Reed

Paper from Elephant Grass

Avoid Flood Trash 2012

His Avalanche Final Disposal Leuwi Elephant in Bandung on February 21, 2005 and became an important momentum for further care waste. Incredible human tragedy caused by the waste with the victim up to 200 people bring meaning that inevitably we have to manage waste. Every year on February 21, serve as a warning to us all for a similar incident will never again occur. There was never a country in the world who experienced similar events except Indonesia.

Day care waste should be observed because in 26 major cities in Indonesia, all of its potential experienced landslides in the mountain waste landfills, potentially even kill humans. This is a momentum course, because regardless of garbage should be done every day. With ANY keywords: everybody, every household, every community, and so on should be concerned about waste. Became a certainty when every man must be producing rubbish in all his life.

Law no 18 of 2008 on Waste Management contains an important substance in it, is let us manage waste close to its source. Starting from the waste producer. The first is the source of waste factories such as instant noodle manufacturers and producers of mineral water. They must also urged to be responsible for waste generated. Immediately use technology such as the use wrap that can be processed directly by nature. Ministry of Environment to give time to the factories that waste producers until 2013 to do something against their garbage. At least companies working with waste processing plant to process the return (recycle) packages of food / drink from paper into recycled paper.

Currently, waste production is highest in large cities of Jakarta as much as 6500 (six thousand five hundred) tons per day. Most comes from household waste including domestic waste. While in other cities still under it. All Title including low-waste production to the big city category. Nationally, production of waste per day to reach 200,000 (two hundred thousand) tonnes. Noted also 70-90% of river pollution comes from domestic sources.

Ironically 90 percent of landfills in Indonesia, its existence does not qualify. Should be made with the concept of Sanitary Land Field Open Dumping System is not like most there. In the year 2013 was the final chance to throw in the open. After 2013 there should be no longer publicly disposal. But once Sanitary Land Field also need expensive, would be more suitable is the waste which is managed from its source, especially organic waste. Because organic wastes can be turned into compost and to support sustainable agriculture to fertilize the soil and plants. From about 500 the number of landfills in Indonesia, which this year is expired.

Law no 18 of 2008 giving a period of 5 years to local governments to transform into a sanitary land field systems. But the more mainstream is to make the points at the level of communal waste processing or the level of the source. Encourage the management of this waste to the city selected the bestowal Adipura other than a clean city is based also because of its waste is managed.

Condition of solid waste in Yogyakarta is still better than other cities such as Jakarta. TPA at Jogja-making from the outset has been designed according to the concept of Sanitary Land Field. If there's an open landfill dumping, disposal only in the wild, and even then immediately closed by the City Government of Jogja.

Waste production per day in Jogja reached 300 tonnes, mostly from household garbage. These last years have tended to waste production decreased quite good, from 350 tonnes in the year 2006-2007. In each village there is also waste management groups 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle). Carrying around 15-20% 3R family heads have done at home. Meanwhile, independent waste management reached 10%.

Preserving the landfill Piyungan expected out later in 2012, and to avoid a flood of garbage, growing of Jogja City Government to promote the 3Rs of waste management directly from the source. Jogja City community have a passion to perform its waste management independently. Various production of handicraft goods have been produced from garbage. Jogja City Government party also gave full support to the existence of various stimulants in the form of equipment, technology, skills and promotions to encourage more efficient management.

Yet still there is little constraint in pegelolaan garbage in Yogyakarta, namely the limited number of troops that only 400 people yellow, to the city of Yogyakarta, ideally, need about 1000 people.

Source: Ministry of Environment and the Environment Agency of Yogyakarta City

European society has grown wealthier

As European society has grown wealthier it has created more and more rubbish. Each year in the European Union alone we throw away 3 billion tonnes of waste - some 90 million tonnes of it hazardous. This amounts to about 6 tonnes of solid waste for every man, woman and child, according to Eurostat statistics. It is clear that treating and disposing of all this material - without harming the environment - becomes a major headache.

Between 1990 and 1995, the amount of waste generated in Europe increased by 10%, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Most of what we throw away is either burnt in incinerators, or dumped into landfill sites (67%). But both these methods create environmental damage. Landfilling not only takes up more and more valuable land space, it also causes air, water and soil pollution, discharging carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) into the atmosphere and chemicals and pesticides into the earth and groundwater. This, in turn, is harmful to human health, as well as to plants and animals.

By 2020, the OECD estimates, we could be generating 45% more waste than we did in 1995. Obviously we must reverse this trend if we are to avoid being submerged in rubbish. But the picture is not all gloomy. The EU's Sixth Environment Action Programme identifies waste prevention and management as one of four top priorities. Its primary objective is to decouple waste generation from economic activity, so that EU growth will no longer lead to more and more rubbish, and there are signs that this is beginning to happen. In Germany and the Netherlands, for example, municipal waste generation fell during the 1990s.

The EU is aiming for a significant cut in the amount of rubbish generated, through new waste prevention initiatives, better use of resources, and encouraging a shift to more sustainable consumption patterns.

The European Union's approach to waste management is based on three principles:

1. Waste prevention: This is a key factor in any waste management strategy. If we can reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place and reduce its hazardousness by reducing the presence of dangerous substances in products, then disposing of it will automatically become simpler. Waste prevention is closely linked with improving manufacturing methods and influencing consumers to demand greener products and less packaging.

2. Recycling and reuse: If waste cannot be prevented, as many of the materials as possible should be recovered, preferably by recycling. The European Commission has defined several specific 'waste streams' for priority attention, the aim being to reduce their overall environmental impact. This includes packaging waste, end-of-life vehicles, batteries, electrical and electronic waste. EU directives now require Member States to introduce legislation on waste collection, reuse, recycling and disposal of these waste streams. Several EU countries are already managing to recycle over 50% of packaging waste.

3. Improving final disposal and monitoring: Where possible, waste that cannot be recycled or reused should be safely incinerated, with landfill only used as a last resort. Both these methods need close monitoring because of their potential for causing severe environmental damage. The EU has recently approved a directive setting strict guidelines for landfill management. It bans certain types of waste, such as used tyres, and sets targets for reducing quantities of biodegradable rubbish. Another recent directive lays down tough limits on emission levels from incinerators. The Union also wants to reduce emissions of dioxins and acid gases such as nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulphur dioxides (SO₂), and hydrogen chlorides (HCL), which can be harmful to human health.

Citizens recycle waste

The human side of Yoslan Nur's paper on 'Waste management and recycling at the grassroots level/Jakarta Bay-Indonesia' was observed in the flesh on Friday, July 14th 2000, when representatives of international agencies visited two organic waste recycling sites in a low-income neighborhood in North Jakarta.

At the Kapuk Muara recycling center, they watched Rizal Fauzi, 12 years old, gluing a sheet of recycled paper onto a three-sided prism-shaped pencil holder. At a shed in an adjacent yard, the visitors looked at worms eating away at household organic waste to produce compost. Pak Mudakin Zaini, 63, the site compost manager, explained that the residents use the fertilizer for their garden plants. At the Pluit traditional market, a ten-minute drive away, the group saw how organic market waste was transformed into compost using the heap method. Pak Siregar, the market manager, showed the visitors ready to use compost in 1.6 kilo bags for sale at 2,000 rupiah (US$0.25) and a more refined variety that used worms selling for 3,000 rupiah.

At a meeting earlier in the day, the group listened to presentations from ordinary citizens on how they coped with local waste. Ibu Bambang Wahono, a homemaker at Banjarsari, Cilandak, South Jakarta, told how her community turned their household waste into compost. They used the fertilizer not only to grow medicinal plants, but also to sell at a monthly profit of 100,000 rupiah (US$12.50). Meanwhile, Endang Wardiningsih, a school teacher, described how her pupils at Public High School 34 in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, learn to recycle waste paper and make compost with worms. Now other schools and local community groups ask her school for demonstrations in waste recycling.

The Greater Jakarta area has 20 million people and produces 25,000 cubic meters of solid waste daily, 4,000 cubic meters from traditional markets alone. The sobering fact is that 70% of the waste is organic and that some 1,400 cubic meters end up in Jakarta Bay everyday. The recycling activities at Banjarsari and Public High School 34, both about 15 kilometers inland from the coast, are small but meaningful measures to reduce the waste that originates in the city and ends up in the sea. More communities like Banjarsari and schools like PHS 34 can markedly reverse the garbage pressure on Jakarta Bay. What is needed are community leaders with communication skills and the burning zeal to spread the word on wise practices in organic waste management.

Crappy Month and Wasteful Repairs.

Boy did we have a crappy, wasteful month. People say “shit happens”, but a whole truck load fell on us these past few weeks. Not a pretty picture, I realize ;).

It all started on a Thursday evening.

After a long day of work and dinner time fast approaching, I had been faced with a practically empty refrigerator (I grocery shop on Fridays), and challenged once again to make dinner with the few bits scattered in the refrigerator. I had managed to make the best of the one tomato, chunk of cheese,  lonely egg and last cup of milk - and had proudly put together a tomato quiche. (These are my proudest moments in the kitchen: Making something out of “nothing”. I even surprise myself sometimes). But we never not got to savor the pretty quiche that night... My gas range would not turn on. I tried resetting its power, but in vain. I would have to wait until the next morning for further repair action (the service center being closed for the day of course). So there we were: hungry, kids showered and in PJ's, Scott pacing, 7:30pm and nothing on the table.

Confronted with six hungry desperate eyes, asking “What's for dinner?”, I called in for my 1st takeout pizza ever (I am 36 years old by the way and have been avoiding takeouts, since I started home cooking 18 years ago). I felt all goofy on the phone, not knowing the protocols of ordering a pizza (if there are such things), but I did not forget to request “no Lilliputian table” (you know the white plastic piece in the middle of the pizza to keep the box top from sticking to your toppings). Within 20 minutes the extra large pizza and its extra large box crossed the Zero Waste Home's threshold. Gasp.

Wait! Don't leave the blog yet. While we were gone this summer, our town finally started City Compost (the best "sustainable" thing that has happen to our town since we moved here three years ago). We are now able to compost our meat, fish bones, butter wrappers... and the emergency pizza box. Not that I condone the compostable cardboard takeout container, which in our case only had a useful life of literally 5 minutes (ugh)...

The next morning, I called the service center for the range. After a few questions, they recommended that I call in a repairman. I did. But since labor day weekend was about to start, the repairman could only come on Tuesday.

A few BBQ, salads, and sandwiches later, came Tuesday with the repairman. Then, Wednesday with two repairmen, Thursday with a handyman, Friday with a new repairman, another stove-free weekend, and Monday with a plumber. And on top of all expensive and unexpected gas repair bills, a whole lot of trash: the repairman's takeout soda cup and straw, the repair parts packaging, the broken pieces... And the old gas pipes. Did those get recycled? I did not even ask, too frazzled and mad at our original contractor for screwing up the oven's installation in the first place.

It took a week and a half to get the oven up and running again. And when we thought we were done with repairs, more (completely un-related) problems came... It's as if we had been cursed by the unavoidable powers of Trash Evil.

- Our kitchen sink backed up and in spite of our unclogging efforts, all the original piping from the sink to the sewer had to be replaced. Repair: New copper piping outside, and new ABS piping under the house, glue, caulking, paint and parts... Landfill: Completely clogged metal piping (empty caulking tube is a #2 and went into the recycling)

- Our entertainment center fan stopped working, and without it our sound system is unusable (it gets too hot in its enclosed space under our stairs). Repair: New fan in a cardboard box and plastic packaging. Landfill: Fan parts (I hope to recycle the motor at an e-waste station).

- A corner of our marble counter broke off! Repair: Epoxy putty. Landfill: Double plastic packaging of epoxy putty (packaging within packaging).

- Our hair trimmer for our DYI haircuts broke. Repair: New hair trimmer in cardboard box. Landfill: Plastic parts of hair trimmer (will take the motor to the e-cycling also).

- Then the plastic casing of Scott's beard trimmer broke (No seriously, the hair trimmer just went out - and now the beard trimmer!). Repair: New beard trimmer. Landfill: Plastic part of trimmer and plastic packaging of trimmer (will take the trimmer motor to e-cycling also).

- We noticed our dining chairs scratching the hard wood floors, they needed new pads. Repair: Felt pads on chair bottoms. Landfill: Packaging of felt pads (FYI - The next day I found some in bulk. Bummer!)

- One light bulb went out, then another, and another: that's three light bulbs in one month (and I am trying not to be paranoid here). Repair: Three specialty light bulbs (two in plastic packaging, one  in cardboard). Landfill: Three light bulbs and two plastic packages.

- We noticed that some paint had bubbled up on the side of the house. Repair: Sand and paint the siding before the rainy season. Landfill: Sand paper and paint roller.

- I dropped my all purpose shears, the plastic handle completely shattered. Repair: Get a new sturdier pair of shears. Landfill: The broken shears (I could not get the metal off the plastic to recycle the metal).

- We got a flat on a practically new tire, sometimes they are repairable, in this case (because of the location of the puncture on the side of the tire) it was not. Repair: New tire (the tire shop said that they would recycle our old tire...) Landfill: The greasy hand rag (a piece of retired tee-shirt) we used in changing the tire.

- Our remote control ran out of battery (the last disposable batteries we had). Repair: A new pack of AAA rechargeable batteries. Landfill: Plastic packaging of new batteries.

When people now ask me what the packaging the hardest to avoid in a Zero Waste Home is, my answer is: Hands down, home repairs. No doubt about it.

Hardware stores might have some good bulk items: Loose screws by the ounce, loose plumbing parts, irrigation parts, felt pads, cable by the foot, all scattered in different stores around town (oh, do I wish there were all in one place). But they also have some of the worse packaging. Come on Ace and Home Depot, can't you ask your suppliers for alternatives to the plastic packaging everywhere? Do felt pads, batteries, CFL's, and a single tiny junction box cap need to be displayed in this frustratingly-hard-to-open hard shell plastic?

 Here's to a better month ahead!