Just one garbage bag!

I've always been fairly aware of the need to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible. When I worked in a local public school, I used to hate how much paper was wasted. I used to keep a large paper bag in my classroom to bring home all of my paper for recycling, and sometimes some of the other teachers would contribute. The amount of unnecessary waste in just one school is unbelievable.

This week, we did the most amazing thing. Between my husband and me, we only filled ONE GARBAGE BAG with waste. That probably doesn't sound like anything too noteworthy, but if you think about how much garbage one accumulates in just a day, it's pretty awesome. We've been recycling everything imaginable (we actually have more stuff in our recycle bins than we do our garbage can). Just as important is our "compost."

When asked, I always tell people that I compost, but I never actually did. Here's sorta my composting evolution...

I used to just put everything food-related down the garbage disposal.

Then I started collecting it in a bowl on the counter. When I accumulated a bunch, I'd put it in a blender with some water, and make a nasty puree. I'd take this puree and pour it over my herb/veggie garden in my backyard. I'm sure this made my soil nutrient-rich, but it destroyed my somewhat-decent Black & Decker blender.

After that, I just started tossing all of my food scraps into my garden (after collecting them in this ceramic "compost" container I got at TJ Maxx). This seems to work okay, but it's still not quite right....

Then I came across this "How to Compost" post at Mommy Has to Work. I'm starting to collect what I need to begin this process properly. I'll post photos of my garden and my compost bin once they are both up and running. I'm excited about maintaining my garden so naturally.