Though this isn’t the most pleasant job, a trash audit is a necessary step to really getting a hold on what you currently throw out, and more importantly, what you can save from the trashcan. The audit itself is simple, just follow these easy steps:
- Pick a time period –A week is a good place to start.
- Get everyone on board - If they live in your house and they make trash, they are involved, so catch ‘em up to speed.
- Throw stuff away - Go about your normal routine, and throw away what you usually do. It is important that you be honest with yourself and not try to be on your “best behavior.” Remember, you are trying to get an accurate measurement of your waste output.
- Weigh in - If you can, weigh your trash. Each time you take a trash bag out of the house, plop it on the scale. This way you can have a baseline for comparison (sort of like “before” and “after” photos when you’re starting a new workout program). Though you will visually be able to see your trash dwindle, the satisfaction of cold, hard facts is the icing on the cake.
- Put on some gloves - Check daily to see what you threw away that could have been recycled, composted, reused or avoided. This part is the “eeewwww” moment - we are talking about trash here. But, by doing it daily, it wont be as bad. Don’t be deterred by what you find. Remember your mission; you can do it!
- Get graphical - Make a list, chart, pie graph, power point…whatever you want. Just write down your findings, and use those findings to make a plan. What can you recycle that you are currently tossing in the trash? What can be composted? What can be reused and, in turn, what didn’t need to be there in the first place?
