I recently met with a group of people who are trying to promote zero waste in our community. I was aware of their accomplishments but had never attended a formal meeting. I was impressed with the wide range of people who are willing to work in this area, and it seems that some of the local public spaces may find themselves with new or improved recycling stations.

It is amazing how much trash accumulates when people gather, and it is a sure bet that large volumes of waste leave private homes every day. I hope that the presence of effective recycling programs will influence consumers to lower their own private waste output.

My family throws out a good amount of waste as well. This is despite recycling whenever possible and choosing reduced packaging when possible. We also compost everything we can, this includes not only kitchen scraps and used coffee filters but also junk mail after we run it through a shredder. The end product is wonderful for growing things.

Another thing I always try to remember when I am leaving the house is my insulated coffee mug. Coffee houses are happy to fill my cup instead of using theirs as it saves them money, and over time small actions like that can make quite a dent in the landfill.

This post is a participation in Blog Action Day. The aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future. Let's do it.