I’ve been saving my trash in a “plastic audit” since October of last year. I live a generally plastic-free lifestyle but I’m not 100% plastic-free…yet. So, to see where the last 1% of my trash was coming from, I started keeping track of all of it. At the end of each month, I take a look to see where I could improve.

A few reminders of the rules. This is just my trash not my whole family’s (although they don’t generate too much more than this). My husband is not as stringent on plastic as I am, so he buys a weekly tub of yogurt and occasionally some bacon. But again, my husband and kids don’t generate too much more trash than me.

Finally, the city I live in provides compost and recycling along with trash pick-up. Now, given the state of recycling, I only recycle metal, glass, and paper. This generally includes an occasional tuna can, glass jars with metal lids, and junk mail.

So, now that we’ve covered the ground rules, let’s dive in! Here’s all my trash for the month of October!

Overall, I’m happy with my pile this month–despite some brain farts. What I love about this exercise is that I’m continually learning from my trash audit and getting great ideas from readers. Let’s dive in to see what I learned each week.

Week 1

Week 1 was a little longer than normal since it included 10 days. It has pretty standard items including plastic bags from cheese and online orders, produce stickers and plastic seals.

My takeaway for this month is that I’m going to add some of these staples to my online zero waste bulk shopping orders. Normally, I get vinegar in glass bottles with plastic tops and seals. But recently, I started buying refills from the Wally Shop.

So, instead of continually buying glass jars of vinegar, oil, and soy sauce, I’ve started buying these refills in bulk. When I get the shipment, I dump the contents into my own jars and then send the containers back using a pre-paid label! I talk more about how the process works in this post.

Given my new process, this should be my last plastic seal from a vinegar bottle but I’m still not sure where I can get mayo. Leave a comment if you know where I can get mayo in a glass jar without a plastic seal that contains no sunflower or canola oil. I know…that’s some very specific mayo.

Week 2

This week I did my monthly meat purchase. Before COVID, I would bring my leftover soup container to the butcher each week and get chicken.

But now because of COVID, I’m back to getting meat the regular way. To make the most of it, I get all the chicken I need for the month. I only cook one meal with meat each week, so it’s still under the limit of chicken allowed at my market.

The other thing I’m doing this Fall is replacing some of my polyester blankets with organic cotton ones. The organic cotton blanket ones breathe more (keeping you cooler when you sleep) and they don’t shed plastic microfibers when washed!

I choose organic cotton when possible because conventionally grown cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed plants. I don’t want to cuddle up with a pesticide-ridden blanket and won’t want my kids to either!

Week 3

Week 3 shows two items that I still buy in plastic–Sriracha Hot Sauce and panko bread crumbs. As I mentioned, in 9 Things I Still Buy in Plastic, these are two items I still need to find a solution for.

After post this blog, I had a friend who is a chef tell me that restaurants can buy 20 pound bags of panko in a paper bag and a reader tell me that they have powdered Sriracha seasoning in glass bottles!

Part of the reason I post my audits is to get feedback and ideas from friends and readers–and it works!

Week 4

Week 4 reminds me that plastic-free living requires vigilance. The most noticeable item would be the Wendy’s Frosty cup. My husband went to Wendy’s and asked if he wanted me to bring home a Frosty. I didn’t really think about it and said “sure!”. Who doesn’t want ice cream?

Normally, when I’m physically at a restaurant or store, I think through the packaging and make a decision. Since I wasn’t actually at Wendy’s, the cup and plastic lid did not even cross my mind. And really, it shouldn’t have to be this way. Being able to avoid plastic shouldn’t take up all your consciousness.

Luckily, I saw this week that Burger King is teaming up with Loop to pilot reusable packaging for their burgers and drinks!

Hopefully, in the near future, more companies will invest in reusables so we can avoid single-use plastics all together.

What do you think? Are you interested in doing a trash audit? If so, let me know what you learn!

For related and random posts, check out:

• All My Trash for September
• Plastic-Free Lip Balm