sf wrote:
>
> I just realized that we don't generate much. I don't use my garbage
> disposal very much. We don't compost, so coffee grounds and food
> trimmings go into the (covered) garbage can and yet, we generate only
> one bag of waste per week... which turns into more like half a bag
> when it's taken out of the trash can to go to the trash bin, so we
> empty the trash baskets in the den, bedrooms and bathrooms in there
> too. We didn't eat out at all last week and still didn't generate
> enough garbage to make emptying the kitchen trash worthwhile.
> FINALLY, yesterday - hubby came into the kitchen and said with a
> chuckle "I think it's full enough to take out". Blue Bin, recycling
> is the same. Not much generated by us - it's mainly junk mail and
> only one box a week. Hubby eats breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks -
> so there's plenty of opportunity to produce trash. Is reducing your
> carbon footprint a normal part of getting "older"?
>

The vast majority of my garbage output is:

1. Boxes, packing foam and the like.

2. Shredded junk mail.

This has been the norm for many years and I'm 44. I don't think it has
anything to do with age, though the older you get the less you typically
acquire since you already have it. I think it's mostly a function of not
buying prepared foods (more packaging involved than fresh) and not being
wasteful i.e. not finishing what you put on your plate or not eating
leftovers.