Our dustbin has got emptier – we are disposing of less than one kitchen rubbish bag a week. The reason is that we now compost vegetable and fruit waste on top of paper, plastic and cans. But what can be done about all the other kitchen and domestic overspill that we regularly send to landfill?

The kitchen bin has a lot to answer for. It’s so readily accessible in the corner. It’s the easy disposal point for all kitchen waste and small household rubbish, and somehow disguises what’s really happening. Other bins get emptied into it indiscriminately. It’s final – once the rubbish is in there it’s on its way to landfill. Landfill is like a black hole; matter is endlessly consumed but unlike a black hole it isn’t destroyed unfortunately. Let’s be radical, the bin ought to be viewed as the last resort, not Plan A. It’s a knotty problem and asks us to rethink knee-jerk domestic procedures. Fortunately you can extract a huge volume with two green strategies: composting and a wormery.

Composting uncooked vegetable and fruit waste diverts a lot from the bin. Use a bucket outside the back door as a holding container. Chop it up if it’s in large bits such as cauli stalks or chunky peelings and regularly empty into a large composting container. This can be garden centre bought – open at the bottom is best – or a square of spare bricks or planks with netting. If you can’t get grass or garden clippings to add to it, use torn-up cardboard, egg boxes or newspaper. Dig the heap over regularly and it’s better if the container allows air in at the sides and on the ground. Tip some water in occasionally, particularly if you keep the container closed.

A wormery is the solution for cooked leftovers, and unused food (not too much meat).  Don’t compost, it will only attract rodents who basically eat what we do. In a wormery container, worms convert the food into excreta and liquid; this is actually compost, which you can then put on the garden or into your veg or flower box. Prices vary, but if you Google it much advice is available. The right surface area is important to encourage quick processing and some garden waste is good for aeration. Wormery bins can be stacked – look for bins that slide into each other; the worms need to be able to “jump” between layers. You will need compost worms, not ordinary earthworms.

It’s a green issue – think globally, act locally – we have to aim for sustainability. “The bin” is not just the thing in the kitchen but a metaphor for our unsustainable disposal of rubbish. Moreover the bin is the biggest household source of landfill along with its big brother the dustbin, which gobbles other junk, all dumped as “mixed household waste” or even burnt by some councils. So there are compelling practical reasons to target the bin, on top of which it’s habit-forming and you start to think beyond it to consider all household surplus in a different light. This may sound like a joke, but we need to take the issue on to make any lasting impression on that bin and once you have your systems in place, stick to them; they’ll soon become built-in.

So far everything can be dealt with holistically at home, but this is impossible with non-organic waste. The big culprit is “non-recyclable” plastic packaging. It’s so relentless. Actually all plastics are recyclable, but many are just not widely recycled.  Google “recycling non-recyclable plastic” and see particularly Waste Online if you want the technical stuff. Check the website of the local operator (eg Veolia) to see what they accept at collection points; you may be surprised. The rest is up to you, but often ends up mixed in with all the recyclable packaging destined for the supermarket recycling point. You know the feeling; it’s a nuisance to look for that little circular arrow. The alternative is to remove it all on purchase for the retailer to deal with – yeah right! Well until we reach that point, many will just recycle the lot indiscriminately, suitable or not.
 
Plastic carrier bags raise the same problem – we all know the answer to this but it’s not easy to solve. All retailers should be charging per bag and handing out proper re-usable bags. Meanwhile if shoppers take them – well, they’re reusable aren’t they?
 
Non-degradable heavier rubbish can be toxic and there’s a lot of it. Take aerosols and old batteries. No, of course we don’t throw them in the bin; they go into a container for the next trip to the council recycling point – right? Better still, don’t use aerosols and convert all battery use to rechargeable. These are widely available and require a simple charger. Some retail at under £10, but you can take your pick. Rechargeable batteries are more expensive than single use, but are well worth it and the problem of waste is deferred indefinitely. The same principles apply to light bulbs which are easily replaced with long-life. There was a government initiative to introduce them nationally over the last two years and you may have had free boxes through the post.
 
Bits and pieces of all sizes – don’t throw them away, sort them. Screws and nails can be kept. It’s so easy just to chuck all that hardware in the bin, but some simple storage boxes will deal with the problem. Old door handles, hinges, brackets, cable and so on don’t take up much space and will eventually find a use. Once you get going, you’ll be on a roll and might even clear out that kitchen drawer, not throwing anything in the bin of course. The fact that you are making the effort to sort out and keep things promotes the habit of thinking about what you already have that can be used for a new job. It’s a new angle on make do and mend and re-using, selling or exchanging things means you don’t enter the labyrinth of recycling at all.
 
Old toys, torn clothing, rags, shoes – there’s no excuse. If you can’t pass them on, don’t bag and bin them, there’s always the collection point. Larger items are more of a problem. Alright they won’t go in the bin, but the council still has to deal with them and will collect, solving the problem for you; but they don’t recycle furniture. We have to think globally about how we minimize the dreaded “mixed household waste”. Many unlikely objects will find a buyer if advertised in the local paper or freebie, so why does so much just get dumped? Because it’s less effort; keep up at the back. You can always sell to a local dealer if you aren’t too concerned to get the best price and most should collect. Alternatively sell on Ebay if there’s no urgency. We once used an auctioneer to sell an old brass lamp stand that was cluttering the front room. It went for £50. It’s surprising what you can sell at auction. Salerooms sometimes offer mixed lots and dealers are always trawling for bargains. If all else fails, have a garage sale or book a car boot space, and finally don’t forget the charity shops and freecycle networks.

However if polystyrene packaging and plastic fastening bands seem too much to handle, I wouldn’t blame you. There are a few recycling centres nationally, but you do reach a point where you wonder just how resourceful the consumer is expected to be; some problems need to be dealt with by industry.
 
And when you finally get round to clearing out the cellar, the old planks, boxes of fittings, brewing jars, LPs, old tapes, mystery bin bags, packaging, paint, ancient hi-fi, plastic bowls, unused china and ornamental thingies from Aunty Dot will all find a destination if you are a bit methodical and don’t try to shift the whole lot at once, which can only end unsatisfactorily in throwing most of it in the council skip. There’s a cellar-full waiting right under my feet. Wish me luck!

Article by Nick Fleischmann nickfleisch@yahoo.co.uk
for Third Age.