Reduce the Waste week-long challenge

I am issuing a challenge this week, my friends! This week, starting today, will be Reduce the Waste week at Happy Home, and you too can participate! The rules of the challenge are simple, and can be fitted to accommodate you and your own goals. 

Goals of this challenge:

1) Analyzing all the "trash" you create in a week's time

   -- Sort your waste into trash vs recycling

   -- Set a goal of how much less trash you'd like to have per week

   -- Monitor your progress towards that goal

2) Consciously reducing the amount of trash you create and therefore throw away each week

   -- Before you pitch something, think about it:

           Can it really not be reused or repurposed?

           If not, can you recycle it?

3) Creating a more intentional space for recycling in your home

   -- Investing time, money or even thought into your trash/recycling system will help you be more intention about your efforts, and also will give you a place to put all the trash you save from the landfill, by either repurposing or recycling!

Doing these things will allow us to:

1) Make better decisions when shopping, eating at restaurants, and going about our daily lives (thinking about packaging on groceries, take out boxes and other "disposable" things)

2) Be encouraged to re-purpose things rather than buying new and creating more trash

3) Recycling more of what can no longer be re-purposed or reused

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So in order to set my household up for success, here's what I've done to prepare:

Re-purposed my current trash can (35 qt) into a recycling bin 

-- Before, there was no space for the recycling inside (besides hauling the bright red recycling bin inside and back out every week), so all the recycling would pile up on the counter- ug!      

Labeled the (now) recycling bin so people don't forget about the new purpose and throw trash in there

Purchased a new, smaller 20 qt trash bin (grey one on the left)

-- Hoping that a smaller trash can will remind me to throw away less and will also literally fill quicker so I'll have to stop and think more about what I put in.

Installed a pull-out cabinet system for the new trash can so it is out of the way yet easy to get to    

Announced the challenge my roommate and my partner, and got their buy-in, so everyone is up for the challenge and on the same page

Reduce the Waste- Day 1 trash (L) and recycling (R) 

If you're up for the challenge, set a trash-reduction goal for yourself, and leave a comment! Good night, and good luck! :)