Even as cities become more progressive and implement trash-reducing policies like Austin's Zero Waste by 2040 plan or recycling programs, citizens still throw out too much. Ultimately, waste management takes a lot of time, especially at the household level. What do you throw out, what do you recycle, and what do you compost?
In Austin, all houses and apartment complexes are required to have single-stream pickup. If you're curious when yours is or you need to contact City Residential Services for a new bin, etc. you can use this link. You'll notice, too, that there are a few things listed on the city's site that you can't recycle in the bin: like electronics and food. So what do we do with those?
For electronics and batteries, there are often separate sites that are designed to handle that type of waste, as electronics have acids in them that hurt the environment. We also need to keep these out of landfill as much as possible, because there can (rarely) be issues with landfill liners breaking, allowing chemical waste into groundwater or running off into streams.
For food, because we can't recycle food products (including packaging like pizza boxes or cartons), there's nothing we can do, right? Well, no. A large part of food waste that houses throw out isn't always food that's spoiled or just wasn't eaten, but biodegradable waste like fruit peels, eggshells, or plant stems. If you make a salad and peel leaves off the ribs (look for my kale recipe to be posted here later today) the ribs get thrown in the trash, just like orange peels, stale bread, and potato skins.
So here's what I'm proposing: compost it. Lots of folks don't have their own garden or space to pile up leaves and food waste (living in apartments with now yards complicates this strategy) but live near community gardens often without knowing it. If you commute to or from work, there's often at least one on the way. Here at my university's campus, we've also got places to compost at our community gardens or other green fee project sites.
So where's it go? Potato, orange, and banana skins can be wrapped in a recycling safe container or Tupperware bin, sealed, and thrown into the freezer. Provided that your containers are airtight, it won't generate smell and you can keep it at your pleasure until you can get to your nearest compost site. A few weeks ago, I had some boiled cabbage leaves in a sealed bin for four days before I could get out to Sunshine on 45th! That compost gets turned into fertilizer, goes back into your community to feed your neighbors, and doesn't need to be trucked out (read, "carbon emissions") to be processed elsewhere. And when we can easily keep material out of landfill, we ought to, if only to fight the Pacific Gyre.
If you've got some time, google around and see if there's a garden near you that will take your compost. In some parts of town, they might even pick up! Also, feel free to use the contact information at the bottom of this site to get in touch with me and I'll help you find one nearby.
Works Cited
Cohen, Philip. "Food scraps compost heap." Digital photograph. Flickr. Flickr, 7 Jun. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. Source