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 November!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my trash pile. You can definitely tell that it’s November due to the Halloween candy. 😛 Let’s dive into each week to see what I learned.

Week 1

Week 1 shows the time of year. Since I never buy candy in plastic, Halloween is the only time of year where plastic packaged candy enters our house. My kids got way too much candy at school and so of course, we have them pay a parental tax . 😛 This is really the only time of year that I eat candy that’s not high-end chocolate bars that are wrapped in foil and paper.

Week 2

Week 2 didn’t have a whole lot of things I could avoid at the moment. This week I got my monthly amount of chicken. I use two chicken legs this week and then freeze the rest in these 3/4 L Weck Jars.

I talk about other options to freeze food in “How to Freeze Foods Without Plastic“.

I also went to the doctor this week where they drew blood. I wasn’t able to ripe the bandage wrap so I’m assuming there’s some sort of plastic in it.

Week 3

Week 3 illustrates a point I love making. It’s super easy when you get on the plastic-free train to throw out every piece of disposable plastic and replace it with reusable alternatives. But this would be a HUGE waste. So, before you throw things out, make sure to use it all up!

I’ve had this bottle of toner for YEARS. I bought it when I was still going through my normal routine beauty routine. But not too long after that I started questioning what I actually needed. I realized I didn’t really need toner. So, I would use it after working out and going for a run. And even then it has taken me use to use up. Now, I will say, if whatever you’re using smells like it’s gone bad, then by all means, throw it out. But if it’s still good, use it up before throwing it out!

Week 4

Week 4 the impacts of COVID. Before COVID, I gave up buying large bags of organic loose leaf tea and started buying them in bulk at the grocery store or at my local tea shop. Since both of those options aren’t currently available, I have gone back to my large one pound bags.

Overall, even with the restrictions brought on by COVID, I’m happy with how my trash pile has decreased over the months.

What do you think? Are you interested in conducting a trash audit? If not for a month, then how about for a week or even a day? If you do, tell me what you learned in the comments!

For related and random posts, check out:

• 4 Things I’ve Learned From Saving My Trash for a Year
• My Minimalist Kitchen