# How many garbage bags do you go through in an avergae week?



## firstwomantomars (Mar 2, 2005)

(Edited to add: Can you specify the number of people in your household - that might make a big difference! There's five of us)

The number of garbage bags we throw out just seems ridiculous to me!

It's usually about one regular size bag kitchen bag a day!

And our recycling bin is always full (that is picked up once a week) and I use cloth for almost everything!

Most of our waste is food, which is really sad but I don't know what more we can do about it: we get some of our food for free (foodbanks) or cheap and lots of it goes bad before we can eat it; we eat at home a lot and cook from scratch but then there's always lots of fruit and vegetable waste (peeling, etc.)

Also, we do tons of crafts, etc and I feel like we always have lots of little bits of stuff to throw away: paper bits that are too small for any use I can think of, etc.

I have thought of composting but we live in an apartment and I'm not sure what I would do with the compost or where I would keep it???

What is your experience and what tips have helped you reduce your waste?

Thanks!


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

We only throw out one or two grocery bags a week, so maybe one kitchen sized bag.

But we have curbside composting, so any food or organic waste goes in there, and we can recycle a lot compared to a lot of cities.

The only thing we usually throw out is kitty litter and the occasional disposable diaper.

I know some people do vermicomposting in apartments.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Usually one very full kitchen trash a week for our family of three. We recycle paper, glass, cans, and plastic which helps. We have to drive the paper and plastic someplace but have curbside for glass and cans.


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## Trac (Sep 4, 2004)

We usually have one green garbage bag per week, which is kitchen and three bathrooms worth. Our recycling is always overflowing. Usually just DS and I here, and DH doesn't increase things any...well, actually maybe he does create another bag in the garage when he's home.


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## ***Heather*** (Sep 28, 2006)

About 3 grocery bags a week for 2 people. And we recycle.


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## mightymoo (Dec 6, 2003)

Four people, usually between 2-3 kitchen sized garbage bags a week. We recycle all glass, cans, plastic bottles and paper


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## Kirsten (Mar 19, 2002)

There are five of us. I voted two bags per week.

Why is most of your garbage food? You don't have a garbage disposal?

We can recycle glass, plastic (1s and 2s), cans, paper of all varieties. I reuse or recycle both plastic and paper bags. I only buy eggs that come in cartons I can recycle. We can recycle milk jugs, milk cartons, juice boxes and bottles, every type of box as long as we break it down.

My dp calls me the recycle queen. I make the man recycle the price tags from shirts....







I really do!

We still have the small round garbage can; everyone else I know uses the larger square ones. Only at Xmas does it not fit. Since dd potty trained, it is really easy to make it fit.


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## arahzel (Apr 29, 2007)

I voted for 2 bags weekly. However, I must admit that includes a few bags within bags. We have small bags for our bathrooms, and DD's daiper pail uses a tall kitchen bag. We try to dump the smaller bags into the larger bags, but if they're icky they get tossed, too.

Regardless, we put 1 bag of trash at the curb twice weekly. DH is really proud of the household changes I've made in the past year.







:

This is for two adults and 1 toddler.


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## Oonah (Jul 28, 2004)

1 kitchen sized for a family of 4

we used to not use bags at all but we now have a private company collecting our trash and they require it be bagged.


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## delphiniumpansy (Mar 1, 2007)

4 kitchen size a week, for whole house, for family of 3, plus pregnant mom using way too many mini pads.







But, our recycling does not take plastic containers like yogurt, etc. Only plastic bottles. So we have to trash all that plastic.







Makes me sad. I am writing to City as soon as I figure out what to write. But, we do compost a lot so that cuts down.


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

1-2 per week, sometimes three, for a family of five (two adults, three young children). That includes bathroom trash dumped into kitchen trash then taken out to garbage.

We recycle quite a bit of paper and plastic, otherwise it'd probably be another half a bag full.


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## DTmama1 (Jan 17, 2006)

We definitely go through more than 5 most weeks. We've just started recycling some- our newspapers at least. We need to start doing more but are working on it.

When it's just our family- 2 adults and a 2 yo we don't go through too much, but I have a home daycare so we have a bag of dipes every other day. and tons of food trash- they rarely eat what is on their plate but I'm on the food program and have to serve it to them even if they won't eat it. I want to start composting this summer though. Also wanting to start recycling other things.. I'm thinking I may buy some big rubbermaid bins with lids that I can put on the porch to put recycling in. I have no room in the house for recycling and racoons get into any open containers outside.


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## fek&fuzz (Jun 19, 2005)

It's just me in my house and I use one bag a week. Then I have a bag of plastic, a bag of glass, 2 bags of paper usually (I get it delivered daily, plus junk mail, envelopes, tissue boxes, etc.) I throw garbage and left overfood into the way back of the yard, in the chicken coop foundation that serves as sort of a compost.


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## moderngal (Jun 7, 2006)

You can compost indoors!!
http://journeytoforever.org/compost_indoor.html


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## Leta (Dec 6, 2006)

We are a family of 3.5 (DSS is here part time). We have two cats and a dog, also.

We recycle plastic (#1 and #2), aluminum, glass, and paper. We live in MI, where we return pop and beer bottles/cans. Our (stupid) city regulation requires us to use brown paper bags for this.

We are still learning the art of composting, so we don't do as well as we can, but we are learning more all the time. We have two compost piles, one for food and one for non edibles (houseplants, flowers). In the food goes vegetable and fruit scraps and eggshells, as well as leaves and peat moss. In the non food goes dog poop, the alfalfa pellets that we use as cat litter, meat/dairy leftovers, dirt, and lawn clippings. We have a municipal compost heap, so sometimes we take the non food compost to the municipal heap when it gets to big and/or smelly. I use a brown paper bag to empty the cat boxes. I just rake the dog poop, but we take plastic sandwich bags with us on our walks to pick up our dog's poop.

We have a very small undersink kitchen trash can, a bathroom trash can, and a basement trash can. The bathroom and basement use regular tall kitchen bags, and the kitchen uses plastic grocery store bags. The kitchen trash gets changed every day or every other day, the bathroom once a week, the basement once a month.

So our total weekly use breaks down like this:

Brown Paper Bags: ~8
Plastic Grocery Bags: ~6
Tall Trash Bags: ~1.25
Plastic Sandwich Bags to Scoop Poop: ~15

I'm always trying to go lower, but we've been stalled out here for a while now.


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## rsps (Nov 20, 2001)

i voted 2, but that is a guess. We use plastic grocery sacks, so they are smaller than garbage bags. Probably 3-4 of those a week for a family of four. We additionally fill our huge recycle bin every two weeks (that's when it's picked up) that includes all paper, glass, aluminum/stell cans and most plastic bottles.


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## oneKnight (Aug 4, 2006)

We probably use 3-4 actual bags (13 gal kitchen size) but they're not full. I usually make DH take change them out because something (meat wrapper usually) is starting to smell up my kitchen.
We can't compost in the apartment, and there is no handy recycling system here either.

Sometimes I get smart and take all the meat out of the wrapper and put it in the fridge in some better container, that way all the wrappings go out the trash at once. But sometimes I just don't do it.


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## lilgsmommy (Jun 21, 2004)

We use 1 a day right now, but thats cause its mainly full of sposies (severe diarhea in the kiddos and not enough dipes in thier size right now). On average its is more like 3-4 a week rather than 7.


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## De-lovely (Jan 8, 2005)

Sadly enough, we use 5.....we CD, recycle everything from platic to steel to paper...though I believe a lot of trash is still paper dh doesnt feel comfortable recycling and we have to get a shredder. If anyone has anymore suggesions I am open! I hate it!


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## mesecina (Apr 22, 2004)

Usually one full kitchen bag a week - occasionally we'll have two. That's for 4 people, and we recycle paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic, so those are not included. We can't recycle plastic bags or styrofoam, though. I carry my own bags (when I remember) to minimize the numbe of plastic bags we get, and I take styrofoam peanuts to the mailing place down the street, where they are happy to reuse them. We do end up throwing out a lot of plastic food packaging.


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## bwylde (Feb 19, 2004)

We throw out less than one a week unless I'm decluttering for a family of 4. Some weeks we don't even put it out and when we're good, we could put out a garbage bag once a month. We recycle tons, plus compost.


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## mommyto4grits (May 26, 2006)

Wow, are we bad. We have a smallish kitchen garbage can right now, and there are 6 of us and I would say we go through about 10 a week. Yikes!
We are also moving so I have been decluttering, and not recycling as much as ususal. When we are recycling a lot, I would say more like 7 bags, but again that is kitchen bags, but gosh, I guess still to many.


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## lovemysunshine (Jul 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *moderngal* 
You can compost indoors!!
http://journeytoforever.org/compost_indoor.html

Thank you for the link; I'm going to see if I can dig up some supplies for starting this inside or on our tiny balcony. We're in a condo now and I miss composting terribly.

BTW, I voted less than 1 for our family of 4. We recycle a lot and don't throw too much away really. We seem to average 2 grocery bags of trash a week, so I was guessing that's less than 1 of the larger ones, but maybe it's closer to 1?


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## zeldabee (Aug 23, 2004)

I voted two, but really it's barely more than one a week. It probably averages to 1.25 a week. I don't compost my food yet, but I've moved into a place with a backyard, so I just have to get my act together and do it. Then it'll definitely be less than one a week.

As it is, I get minimal garbage pickup service. They don't offer a lower level, and I have yet to fill up my container more than halfway.


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## Learnintolaugh (Nov 9, 2006)

I think we are averaging about 3 a week for a family of 4. We recycle plastics #1 & 2, and cans. Unfortunately our city doesn't do the glass, I have no idea why. After we first moved here I forgot and put a jar in and the guy threw it into the bottom of our trash can so hard it shattered.







: We were doing more, but I've tried being really conscious of packaging lately; getting meat at the counter wrapped in butcher paper rather than on the styrofoam trays, buying stuff in bulk at the coop and bringing my own containers, etc. It seems to me like its been making a difference.


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## zo's ma (Mar 4, 2003)

less than one for a family of 4.


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## Shirelle (May 22, 2006)

We throw out 1, maybe 2 (if we have company) kitchen sized bags of garbage a week. We don't compost, but we do recycle. We're also a family of four.


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## sabrinat (Jul 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firstwomantomars* 
(Edited to add: Can you specify the number of people in your household - that might make a big difference! There's five of us)

The number of garbage bags we throw out just seems ridiculous to me!

It's usually about one regular size bag kitchen bag a day!

And our recycling bin is always full (that is picked up once a week) and I use cloth for almost everything!

Most of our waste is food, which is really sad but I don't know what more we can do about it: we get some of our food for free (foodbanks) or cheap and lots of it goes bad before we can eat it; we eat at home a lot and cook from scratch but then there's always lots of fruit and vegetable waste (peeling, etc.)

Also, we do tons of crafts, etc and I feel like we always have lots of little bits of stuff to throw away: paper bits that are too small for any use I can think of, etc.

I have thought of composting but we live in an apartment and I'm not sure what I would do with the compost or where I would keep it???

What is your experience and what tips have helped you reduce your waste?

Thanks!

There's 6 of us and we pretty much go through a bag a day, plus I recycle anything I can. I also use cloth diapers most of the time w/dd. It's crazy, but that's just how it is.


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## scrapadoozer (Jun 10, 2004)

Two kitchen sized bags a week for a composting family of three.


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## firstwomantomars (Mar 2, 2005)

Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

We're a family of five (with a newborn).

We only have curbside trash and recycling pickup and only one recycling bin per family. Without a car, I don't really know how we could recycle more.

I'll look into composting in our apartment.

It's just so much trash it's depressing (at least five bags a week, sometimes six or seven)!


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## Malva (Nov 2, 2005)

Less than one for a family of 4 with a toddler in diapers.

We compost, reuse and recycle alot so we normally end up with about half a bag per week (mostly diapers actually).


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## Kerlowyn (Mar 15, 2002)

Less than one bag a week...family of 5


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firstwomantomars* 
Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

We're a family of five (with a newborn).

We only have curbside trash and recycling pickup and only one recycling bin per family. Without a car, I don't really know how we could recycle more.

I'll look into composting in our apartment.

It's just so much trash it's depressing (at least five bags a week, sometimes six or seven)!

I will never understand why some places put a limit on recycling. We have 2-3 bins of recycling a week.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Most weeks, a small white one.

Last week we put out the one, but a couple of weeks ago we put out two. I fill my recycle bin with glass, any cardboard etc.

We have chickens and a compost pile, so we never put any scraps at all in town garbage. Plus, we aren't big shoppers. I mean, I desire to...


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## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

One,

We compost but our rabbits eat most of our veggie scraps.


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## chel (Jul 24, 2004)

we're a family of 3 and we go through about 2 kitchen size garbage bags a week. We're in an apartment and don't have access to curb side recycling. The city recycling program only does glass and newspaper (most of our trash is plastic and food boxes and tons of school papers dd brings home)


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## AuntLavender (Apr 22, 2002)

disposal. Why not try composting it? (I make no judgement either way. The article shows there is no clear solution either IMO.)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kirsten* 
Why is most of your garbage food? You don't have a garbage disposal?

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003...bra-disposal/:

Your question outlines the intrinsic problems of food-waste disposal, a solid-waste issue of concern to municipalities with limited landfill space, limited sewer space, and limited water. Food waste makes up about 11 percent of garbage nationally. The bulk of that is uneaten food from culinary establishments, but some of it comes from the home kitchen. Other than eating less food, what can we do?

Home composting is the best choice, of course. It keeps trash out of the waste stream, uses no chemicals, and enriches garden soil. Alas, composting is not always possible, so back to Richard's dilemma -- down the drain or in the trash? In landfills, peels, rinds, and cores have no access to oxygen and hence biodegrade very slowly. But disposals use high volumes of water, at the sink and at the sewage treatment plant. Sewage with a high organic content has a higher Biochemical Oxygen Demand, or BOD, a measurement that gauges how many chemicals are needed to clean the sewage before it is expelled from the plant into free-running bodies of water. A higher BOD means higher water use in the plant as well. Richer sewage outflow may also lead to increased algal growth in streams. Chunks of goo formerly known as breakfast also simply increase sewage volume, requiring additional sewage-treatment capacity for municipalities already struggling with funding for existing plants and thorny issues about where to site new ones.

Older, pre-disposal sewage systems may not have the right slope or capacity to handle wastewater with minestrone in it, leading to clogged pipes. Homes with septic tanks are well advised to avoid in-sink choppers, which will fill the tank quickly. To further complicate the issue, during the sewage-treatment process, large debris is removed to landfills. I can't say whether onion skins fall into this category, but it seems likely that all roads might lead to the landfill for some food chunks.

So, there you have it: a lopsided catalog of problems that seem to point away from the insinkerator. If you can't bear relinquishing the frightening maw of the garbage disposal, call your local sewage folks and see what they say, as these issues do vary by municipality. The answer will depend on the current configuration of sewer and solid waste problems in your area. But, as clean water comes at more and more of a premium, and as it gets harder and harder to site and operate sewage treatment plants, the likely answer will be: Put it in the garbage.


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## AuntLavender (Apr 22, 2002)

We're a family of 6 and we have 2 13 gallon size kitchen bags a week.


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## Denvergirlie (Oct 22, 2005)

A bag of trash every 10-12 days or so. Sometimes more if the trash gets stinky thou.

Only 2 adults in this household, we recycle, compost and vermicompost. Honestly most of the trash is plastic packaging that can not be recyeled, scoops from the kitty litter box, empty take out packages of leftovers (we eat out on the weekends at least once) and misc plastics that can't be recycled.

We almost never throw away food, most of it seems to be packaging for other products. Wish I could get away from that, but I've never seen a roll of papertowels that hasn't come wrapped in plastic etc.


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## mlleoiseau (Jun 28, 2005)

In our family of three, we use one regular sized garbage bag a week, but we use lots of plastic grocery bags in all the garbage cans. I also buy the clear plastic recycling bags since we don't have a recycling bin, (and for whatever reason the garbage company won't bring us one even though they say they will.) Our recycling has to be sorted, so I put out a bag or two as they fill up. We use our disposal for food scraps, but when we move we plan to start composting. It seems like most of our garbage is packaging, too. After we've moved and get settled, I plan to do better.


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## MaddieMay (Jul 14, 2006)

For the two of us, I'd say one 13 gallon bag a week, but it usually ends up being two because of the stink. We recycle all aluminum, plastic, cardboard, and paper-pick up is once a week for trash and recycling. You can tell which house is ours because our recycling bins on the front porch are always overflowing.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firstwomantomars* 
I have thought of composting but we live in an apartment and I'm not sure what I would do with the compost or where I would keep it???

What is your experience and what tips have helped you reduce your waste?

Thanks!



I am on a personal mission to get the word out about Bokashi composting. It is ideal for apartment dwellers or people who have limited space. I have just started, so I don't have nearly enough knowledge yet, but the guy who writes the blog Bokashi man is very helpful. In fact, he called me the other day to answer some questions. He sells a system on his website also, but is interested in educating people on how to make their own bokashi. If you truly want to reduce the amount of waste your family produces, this would help a lot. We do conventional composting for fruit and veggie scraps, etc... and use bokashi for food waste that can't be composted in the traditional way (ie meat, bones, eggs, etc... I especially like it for food waste that is mixed (like a casserole that has meat in it). We have been able to dramatically reduce the number of garbage bags that we use as well as the amount of waste that we put into the landfill.

HAPPY FARMER BOKASHI

http://www.bokashiman.com


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Family of 5 and 2 cats, about 2 kitchen sized bags a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. We have no free recycling program here, and I cannot afford to pay to recycle so everything gets put in the trash unfortunately. No yard or outside space at all to compost either.

We live in a UA Violation apartment building with 6 units, and a small dumpster outside. It has to be emptied once a week or else trash from all the units is overflowing on the ground.


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bevo12* 
HAPPY FARMER BOKASHI
BOKASHI MAN BLOG

The second link is not working for me unless I had a www in front of it.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nature* 
The second link is not working for me unless I had a www in front of it.









Thanks. I'll fix it.


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

About one regular size bag a month. So I guess 1/4 bag a week? We return cans and bottles for deposit. We have limited recycling that we have to haul in ourselves. We do so about once every two months with a full garbage can of cans and 1 & 2 plastic. They will not recycle glass or other plastic so we take those on vacation with us and recycle them elsewhere. We do not buy a whole lot with any sort of packaging. I buy bulk when possible and bring my own containers. We do compost but some does go down the disposal if the weather is crappy or I am too busy to walk out to the bin. I am not really sure what is in the actual garbage. Some packaging and cat litter? We are three people and two cats.


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## mamangazelle (Apr 25, 2003)

Less than one a week, because we recycle and compost.


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## TwinMom (Dec 27, 2001)

A FULL kitchen-size trash bag goes out to the big trash can every night, but there are usually days when there will be more. Most weeks there are one or two bags of clutter that go out in trash bags (to a charity, not the trash). Our recycling container is the same as a large city trash can, but it's only picked up every two weeks, and it's always overflowing. We're a family of six who create a lot of trash, I guess!


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## Canadianmommax3 (Mar 6, 2006)

where i live they gave us two green bins, one for inside for food waste (you have to buy special bags) than you put the bags in the bigger green bin which gets picked up once a week. (recycle comes once a week also)

We are only allowed 4 garbage bags every two weeks, which i find hard to do sometimes.

oh yeah there are 5 of us


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## Igraine (Jul 1, 2006)

One.

We composte a lot and have to pay for the bags (*village will only pick up THEIR garbage bags) we use so that is another incentive to keep garbage low.


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## mysticmomma (Feb 8, 2005)

4 full time adults, 2 part time adults and 2 kids
1 13 gallon bag per day is average.
We recycle paper and plastic/glass/aluminum and try to buy in large boxes as opposed to individual packaging. Use cloth everything most of the time as well.
Trisha


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## laralou (Nov 27, 2001)

We have 5 and usually it is a bag a day, but not always. My dh is responsible for most of it, I think. It isn't a huge bag or anything.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

We are a family of 6, we usually have 2-3 of the 13 gallon bags per week.


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## dealic (Feb 25, 2007)

We have 7 adults in the house (and 3 dogs and 3 cats, and transient friends and family), and we put out one can a week (slightly larger than one bag). We also have 4 recycling bins a week, and a composting bin. We are only allowed one bag/can a week here, and somehow, we had no problems hitting that. Often the can isn't even full.

Rebecca


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## jtbuko (Sep 28, 2006)

We are a family of four people, one dog, two cats, and two pet rats.

We recycle & compost more than we trash, we are thoughtful in our purchases, we use (mostly) cloth diapers and some cloth for tissues/ wipes, we use things like paper towels sparingly, we save interesting packaging for junk sculptures, we to freecycle, donate or creatively reuse things other might toss, yet still we create a lot of trash.

Not sure on the number of bags, maybe four-five, mostly because we take it out daily to prevent smell build-up.

big contributors to our trash:
kitty litter
rat bedding (can we include this in our compost)
dog poop
disposables for overnight X2 kids = too many
allergy season = lots of tissues
non-recycle-able packaging items
trash we pick up from community playground behind our home

Basically it equals one very full small curbside can every other week.


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## Alkenny (May 4, 2004)

There are 5 of us in the family, and we've been throwing out about 4 thirteen gallon sized kitchen bags a week. We do curbside recycling and any food waste is put in the garden/compost heap or down the disposal.

We don't have any in diapers at all anymore (we clothed our last one), but we just moved and have been buying things for the house and more convenience food (going to put a stop to that!) so we have a bit more than we used to.


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## Neth Naneth (Aug 11, 2006)

Well it is just me and my son, nearly 1 years old, right now. I voted 1, but sometimes it takes about 10 days to fill a bag. Hate to say it but I think 99% of it is packaging from food, Silk container, used tea bags, plastic that comes from cereal boxes, etc. Really trying hard to eat oatmeal more often, cheaper and uses less plastic and cardboard.

I recycle glass, cardboard, aluminum etc.

One thing that I do hate throwing away is unediable food, apple cores, orange peels, banana peels, green parts of the carrot etc. Oh how I wish I could make a compost even though I live in an apartment.

I clean out and save all of my bread bags, yogurt containers. I save sealable envelopes that come in junk mail (I just black out the writing and use them to pay rent and stuff like that). I have small waste baskets, one under the kitchen sink and one under the bathroom sink and I don't put bags in them - just more plastic I am throwing away. If there is something that is wet, apple core, tea bag etc. I will let in dry in the sink or wrap it up in some plastic, like one comes on top of a yogurt container, before I throw it into the waste basket. Then when the basket gets full I dump it into a garbage bag that I keep in the broom closet. When that is completely full, I take it out. Another reason that I try to limit the amount of food that I throw away, besides it being wasteful of course







, is so I don't attrack bugs in my home.


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## varaonaid (Jul 20, 2006)

We went through one (13 gallon?) kitchen garbage bag every 2 days or so (stretching it) before we saw An Inconvenient Truth and really became committed to recycling. Now, we use 1 or less per week!









We plan to build a rotating compost bin this summer and that will further reduce our waste. I'm still trying to reduce our waste further, use less paper towels, plastic bags etc. We're making strides but I'm still trying to do more...

Edited to add: That's for two people and two dogs with friends coming over often and regularly.


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## beansricerevolt (Jun 29, 2005)

We throw out 1 or less kitchen size garbage bag a week.
It really helps that we recycle almost everything. Last year we were using our compost and it was probably even less than now. We do through out old bread and stuff like that for the birds and squirrels.
We use cloth everything as well.

family of 4 with 3 pets, cats and turtle.


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## beansricerevolt (Jun 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Igraine* 
One.

We composte a lot and have to pay for the bags (*village will only pick up THEIR garbage bags) we use so that is another incentive to keep garbage low.

This is a GREAT idea.


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## Neth Naneth (Aug 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bevo12* 


I am on a personal mission to get the word out about Bokashi composting. It is ideal for apartment dwellers or people who have limited space. I have just started, so I don't have nearly enough knowledge yet, but the guy who writes the blog Bokashi man is very helpful. In fact, he called me the other day to answer some questions. He sells a system on his website also, but is interested in educating people on how to make their own bokashi. If you truly want to reduce the amount of waste your family produces, this would help a lot. We do conventional composting for fruit and veggie scraps, etc... and use bokashi for food waste that can't be composted in the traditional way (ie meat, bones, eggs, etc... I especially like it for food waste that is mixed (like a casserole that has meat in it). We have been able to dramatically reduce the number of garbage bags that we use as well as the amount of waste that we put into the landfill.

HAPPY FARMER BOKASHI

http://www.bokashiman.com


I am off to check out these links.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Neth Naneth* 
Hate to say it but I think 99% of it is packaging from food, Silk container, used tea bags, plastic that comes from cereal boxes, etc. Really trying hard to eat oatmeal more often, cheaper and uses less plastic and cardboard.

I couldn't agree with this more. I would really like to open a business that specializes in selling in bulk. I would sell all kinds of empty containers or you could bring in your own and have bulk quantities of everything... cereals, baking products, oils and vinegars, natural cleaning products, laundry soap, etc... There is absolutely no reason why everyone needs a new container for everything they buy. All of this packaging is way out of hand. I have stopped buying Seventh Generation products actually, because of the small quantities in packaging. I would be more likely to buy their products if they would either put more in them (it would be ok to charge more), but I'm sure they are aware that few people would be willing to spend $20 for a box of dishwasher detergent, or offer refill stations at stores, or offer concentrated formulations. I think they are a good company, but they could be doing so much more in that arena, in my opinion. Anyway, sorry


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## amyamanda (Mar 16, 2002)

I voted two, but usually it's more like 1-1/2, for six people. These are the regular 30-gallon bags. We don't even fill our plastic trash bin every week, which is good because we have to drag it 1/4 mile down our hill for collection. I think that is pretty good compared to what I see our neighbors putting out (mostly couples with no kids).


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