Cutting down on household trash – yes, it’s possible!

My family hosts our town’s July 4th potluck every year, a 300-person feast on our street corner complete with seven long tables of everyone’s favorite food, live music from talented neighbors, sidewalk chalk masterpieces by all the kids, and handshakes from our wonderful state and county elected officials (plus a keg).

It’s a beloved event, 45 years running. But it generates loads of trash – usually eight or ten 55-gallon garbage bags full.

Our July 4th trash bags are emblematic of a national and growing problem. The country’s total mass of discarded waste nearly doubled between 1980 and 2018, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And only about one-third of all waste is recycled or composted.

In our town we’ve been chipping away at the July 4th waste each year, asking people to bring their own plates, cutlery and cups, and setting out compost bins for food and paper waste – with mixed success.

This year only 20 people brought their own tableware. Abysmal! Everyone else used the disposables our town provides. It’s clear that we need to amp up our messages to inspire more neighbors.

We did better with composting. We set up a dedicated trash and compost station with signage. A volunteer staffed the table, helping people segregate their trash properly. The protective gloves came in handy for digging out stray paper and food that ended up in the garbage cans when she turned her back.

We were also diligent about recycling all of the aluminum food pans that were left over.

The result? Lots of recycling bins filled, four big compost bags picked up by the Compost Crew the next morning – and only four bags of trash to be landfilled (well, in our county, incinerated). Far from zero-waste perfection but moving in a good direction.

We were especially proud of the food waste we diverted from the county incinerator. The U.S. throws away more food than any other country, collectively tossing 30-40 percent of the entire U.S. food supply and creating greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 42 coal-fired power plants. Our efforts helped nudge that number down.

For next year’s July 4th potluck we’ll brainstorm more ways to improve. Can we get more neighbors to bring their own tableware and reusable cups instead of single-use bottles? I’m sure we can. And we’ll look for compostable tableware we can afford for those who don’t. (Please send us suggestions for affordable brands.)

Are you interested in helping others reduce their household trash? Check out Mission Green Team’s fun and easy waste-reduction project and our WasteWatchers Trash Tracking Guide for your group. Let us know what you think.