I've decided to try to measure my household waste. All my trash ends up in a specific trash bin before I throw it out, and all my compost ends up in a specific compost bin. I take out the trash as infrequently as possible: it only happens when they're full or when they stink. So why not measure it while I'm at it?
Using the magic of my postal scale and/or my luggage scale, I measure each bin before it goes into my trash barrels. Right now I am only measuring compost and trash, because I find that easiest.
The Net Weight of my Waste
Without further delay, here is my Waste Weight log. I use grams because metric is easier in terms of the math. Just remember that 1000 grams is roughly 2.2 pounds.
What is being measured? What are the rules?
Trash generally includes things that I perceive to be un-recyclable and non-compostable. That includes things like plasticized or metalized paper, plastic films, quasi-paper products, soiled paper-like products, and weirder hybrid materials (think "juice boxes" and "k-cups", although I don't use those things). My general rule is that if I have reasonable doubt that something is un-recyclable, or if I have no idea what it might be made of, then it goes in the trash.
Compost includes food waste, household plant waste, paper towels soiled with non-human, non-pet, non-chemical crud, coffee grinds & filters, and other scrapsWhat's not being measured
The waste that I produce that is not included:
- Things I donate, sell, or give away.
- Recycling, including curbside or anything subject to specialty recycling, like electronics & clothes.
- Bulk waste, like a sofa or building materials (very rare, but usually super-heavy)
- Yard waste (leaves, sticks, etc)
- Waste water/sewer (including soaps, various liquids, toilet paper & "bio matter")
- By weight, waste water is likely my largest amount of waste
- Waste I produce while not at home (e.g., while away on vacation, at a restaurant, etc)
- Waste produced by consuming fuels & electricity
- Indirect waste created to make the products I buy
I could cheat by "optimistically recycling non-recyclables" and "give away total trash", pushing my trash off to someone else. That's not my point of doing this. I am not in competition with anyone. This is just plain old me trying to realistically measure my own current impact, and to see how it changes over time, and to see if my behaviors are realistically changeable.
Other waste measurement ideas
For future consideration:
- Electricity, natural gas, and gallons of gasoline used could be translated into a waste number.
- Household water use could be translated into a waste number.
- Recycling weight could be measured.
I speculate that it is probably more informative to measure the weight
of all inputs (purchases) instead of outputs. But I'm starting by
measuring my waste.