zerowaste

My mom was complaining that the city has limits on how many leaves that they'll pick up, and she's got bags and bags of leaves stuffed into black garbage bags. This seems like a problem that should have some kind of backyard solution.

I've done a cursory search, and see that leaves are very compostable. They can also apparently be turned into "mold", though I don't fully understand what this means.

But I also see that there is a lot of variety in compost bins, and they're quite expensive. So I'm wondering: what's the best strategy for making leaves go away? She's not specifically interested in the product of the leaves, she just wants to find somewhere to put them after she rakes them up. Any ideas?

This is the story of how potential textile waste is intercepted, transformed and given a second life at the Material Research & Development (MRD) Facility of The Or Foundation. Speakers, hangers and laptop stands are a few of the products our talented MRD team is able to create from clothing waste coming out of Kantamanto (the world’s largest secondhand market) that would have ended up in landfills and water bodies.

Too much of the secondhand clothes that are exported to Kantamanto every week ends up as unusable waste that needs to be discarded. As we work to address these problems from source (the Global North), we are also exploring ways to bring down the quantity of waste that ends up polluting our environment. The work of transforming these materials into fibreboards and subsequently into speakers and more is one of the many alternative approaches we have.

With these products we are proving that cleaning up fashion's waste crisis can be creative, colorful and fulfilling with the potential to generate hundreds of jobs making products from materials that are responsibly and thoughtfully crafted.

This may be a stupid idea, but to my knowledge metals is are some of the best materials when it comes to being easily recyclable.

Ignoring the cost and reusability, wouldn't recyclable disposable cups made of metal be a better deal than the largely incinerated plastic cups?

I wasn't sure the best community on slrpnk to post this; but this one seemed pretty applicable.

We recently switched to using a Linux Mint laptop with an adblocker for our streaming (while also cancelling a bunch of services). A friend at the recycling center set it aside for me - the screen was irreparably smashed but it was otherwise quite a nice little laptop. Replacement screens were too expensive so I carefully removed the broken one entirely so it'd default to the HDMI port and then set it up as a quick media center (we watch a lot of YouTube and the ads were driving me crazy, I might switch to a more purpose-built OS eventually). The TV is one I pulled from an ewaste bin to replace my previous ewaste TV after it finally gave up. It has a thin line through one edge of the screen occasionally but is otherwise fine. I also recently found a perfectly good wireless trackball mouse and a Bluetooth keyboard in the same bin where I got the TV (came with that other mouse). The bin even supplied HDMI cables. The whole thing is perched on a particle board TV stand I found like a decade ago when the college kids move out.

Hey all,

In my recent post about popcorn kernels, I had a comment suggest that I could also just put the leftover kernels or stale popcorn to use for compost.

This has been something I've been thinking of for a while now. Guilty as charged, I've let good food spoil in my fridge while I've been figuring out what to do with it. While this has been getting better as I've been learning more vegan substitutions as I'm new to being vegan, as well as home cooking in general, I don't want to throw my food waste in with the garbage as I have been doing for eons now when situations arise where something spoils on me.

My issue is that, while I was taught how composting works in school, they only ever taught us how to do so if we lived in a detached home that had a backyard. I have always lived in apartment buildings, and currently am living on a second floor apartment unit. While my city does allow for people to separate food waste from other garbage and recycling, and even encourages it, my current building does not have a designated area for food waste.

What options are available to me when it comes to disposing of food waste so that in the end, my waste isn't quite "waste"? I should also likely add that I live in an area with a colder climate where winter (which is coming up soon here) often hits -30 C.

Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

Been wanting to reduce the amount of waste I generate, and one small way I was thinking of doing so was perhaps by reheating the unpopped popcorn kernels that appear in the bottom of my bowl after making a batch with my air popper.

Would this be safe to do, or is it recommended against? I'd love to reuse them if possible and ensure I have no unneeded waste there, but I also want to make sure I'm not making myself sick by eating something I shouldn't be.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve been stock-piling electronics that either people throw away, or things I bought 2nd-hand only to find they are broken.

Looks like the right to repair law is in very slow motion. Not yet enacted be the European Commission. And once it is, member states have like 2 years to actually enact it in their law. Probably even more time before consumers begin to see results.

(edit) I think some US states were the first to enact right to repair laws. So some consumers could perhaps pretend to be from one of those states to demand things like service manuals. But parts and repair is likely more out of reach ATM.

The avg. age of a car bought in Africa at the time of purchase is 21 years old. All these people buying EVs think they are taking a gas-burner off the road. But in fact cars do not get thrown away. They get shipped to Africa where they live on and continue to emit GHG for decades longer.

So what’s the answer? Destroying the car is a non-starter, as no one would throw away value. It would be like asking people to set some of their cash on fire.

Why not remove the engine and repurpose it as a backup power generator for power outtages? Then convert the rest of the car into an EV.

Conversions are being done. There are some companies offering to do the work. But these are very small scale operations that are rarely spoken of. I have to wonder why (what seems like) the best solution is being overlooked.

In the past few years I have salvaged 4 LCD screens from curbs. All of them function without defect. I have no idea why people are tossing them out. One of the 4 was perhaps tossed due to size (it was about the size of a laptop screen). But the other 3 are a decent size. Most of them even have DVI connectors. I think one of the three only has a VGA connector, so perhaps the owner did not know that could be adapted.

If you notice a dumped LCD, grab it. Don’t assume it’s broken.

I also often see flat screen TVs being dumped. They are too big to easily carry on my bicycle so I’ve not made the effort to collect them and test them. Has anyone? I just wonder if I should make the effort. Why are people tossing them? Is it because ”smart” (read: cloud dependent) TVs are becoming obsolete and owners are not smart enough to use the HDMI inputs? Or is it more commonly a case of broken hardware?

(update)
Saw ~4 or so big flat TVs in the “proper” city e-waste collection. The city provides a pallet with walls (a big box) where people dump their electronics. Then the city goes through it and gives anything that works to 2nd-hand shops. They also try to repair some things. In principle, it’s a good idea to have a process like this. But I’m somewhat gutted by this:

• no one labels the waste as working or not
• the designated middleman who sorts through it does not bother testing most things.. e.g. printers are categorically destroyed.
• the public gets no access to the waste in the step between salvage and dump (I need a spare part for a particular device and have no hope of getting it)
• the stuff is just dumped unprotected in this big box. So other appliances get tossed on top LCDs and edges of those things damage screens in transport

It’s illegal to dump e-waste on the street or in landfills in my area. They must follow the above process because persnickety neighborhood cleanliness people have pressured the gov to enforced the ban on curbside dumping. But curbside dumping is actually more environmentally sound because locals have a chance to grab something in a less damage-prone way.

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100% wool dryer balls are growing in popularity to the point where I have even seen them at my local dollar store, and for good reason. They can save you money in laundry costs.

If you are someone who uses dryer sheets, these wool balls are a great alternative that removes static from your clothes and can decrease drying time by around 30-50%. So, you save money by not having to buy dryer sheets, as well as on electricity. All you do is toss them into the dryer with your clothes!

"Per Toner, “Dryer balls excel in reducing drying time due to their ability to create space between clothes. This separation facilitates better air circulation, leading to faster drying and potential energy savings.” | bobvila

I have had mine for many many years now, and they are still in great shape. When or if they do ever break down to the point of being unable to use, the wool is biodegradable.

Just make sure that what you buy is 100% wool. If you are crafty (and have access to wool) you can also make your own fairly easily.

https://youtu.be/de644Zwtnbg

I stumbled onto this article while working on a photobash of a solarpunk scene. I think it does a good job of explaining the concept but there seems to be something wrong with its certificates, which might throw an error in your web browser. https://nwedible.com/urbanite-broken-concrete-retaining-wall-as-a-garden-feature/

Just in case you don't want to check the link I'm also going to plagiarize a few quotes and images from the article:

"The marketing term for “old chunks of broken up concrete” is urbanite. Urbanite has a lot going for it: it’s durable and heavy like natural stone, reusing this product in garden and landscape design takes it out of the waste stream, it’s often a uniform thickness which makes it easy to stack or lay as a permeable patio surface, it’s often available in most urban locations, and it’s frequently free for the hauling. Free is good.

Drawbacks to urbanite can include potential contamination – this is more of an concern if your urbanite comes from a torn out commercial parking lot where all manner of auto fluids may have seeped into it than from the neighbor’s pool deck tear-out. Concrete itself can contain additives that might pose a health or contamination risk, although my feeling is that old, weathered concrete has probably already leached the worst of itself out somewhere else.

I probably wouldn’t use urbanite to build edible garden beds, but I can see great potential for turning this waste product in retaining walls, steps, and patio areas."

And a few examples of recycled concrete patios:

This last one came from https://www.terranovalandscaping.com/90/, which has a few other examples, including raised beds, so perhaps they knew their source of concrete was clean, or weren't worried about the potential for contanimation?

Around 50 billion disposable drink cups are used every year in the US, but in the city of Petaluma, we will see if Americans have the discipline to reduce this footprint.

The city numbers around 60,000 people, and will participate in the Reuseable Cup Project. The aim is to furnish 30 local restaurants, from Starbucks to Taco Bell, with identical, durable, plastic drink cups, which customers and diners can use and then either leave on the table, or deposit in a network of dropoff bins around the city.

I saw a video about ten years ago on crocheting with plarn (plastic bag yarn) and I thought it was such a neat idea. There was just one problem: I didn't know how to crochet. So, I started hoarding all my plastic bags (even more than I already was) thinking, "Oh, I'll learn how to crochet one day!" I finally learned to crochet a few weeks ago and now I'm working my way through my massive bag stash. I left the tail ends on and tried to tie them into decorations so I wouldn't waste any of the plastic.

I am way too excited about my trash bag bag. :)

Plastic Free July is upon us! Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of Plastic Free July, encourages people to take the challenge with friends, start small and keep a “plastic-free kit” on hand.

After eating the last pickle save the jar of pickle juice. Then when a broccoli stem becomes available cut the tough outer skin off, chop it up and toss it in the pickle juice. Works well. They reach a taste that’s very close what the pickles tasted like. After 2 or 3 cycles of that the pickle juice starts losing its strong punch. Adding vinegar and a sweetener can help at that point if you don’t have more pickle juice by then.

Otherwise broccoli stems are not too versatile. They’re not that great in veg. stock because they bring a bit of bitterness. So I only use like ½ a stem in a pot of broth (which is wholly from veg scraps).

My next experiment (untested): reusing juice from a jar of jalapẽnos to pickle broccoli stems.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16216407

I'm sharing this because any reduction in unnecessary packaging waste is good for the planet - and because I think laser-etching avocados is funny. 🙂

It doesn’t take long for mold to grow on empty beer bottles. Considering beer bottles get returned for a refund, you have to assume that the brewery will make an effort to reuse as many as possible.

I toured a brewery once and they showed us the big industrial bottle washing machine. They said the bottles get scanned for cracks using a laser, and rejects obviously get tossed. The question is: what about mold, which adheres quite well to the corners of the glass? I wonder if the laser also detects bottles that didn’t get clean. Or if they just figure the temps would kill everything and just be considered safe enough from there.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9263490

Pictured: three glass bottles in a row. On the left, it's a full bottle of soy sauce. In the middle, it's an empty bottle with the label removed. On the right, it's another empty bottle with a rooted pothos cutting in it.

My workplace provides snacks and some condiments for folks. When the soy sauce runs out, I do my best to snag the bottle. It looks like it ought to have a potion in it. A plant is the next best thing!

Article in French. Feel free to use a transaltor.

A french speaking zero waste community has opened : [email protected]