(Not so) Waste Free Living - Update

Okay, so its been a while (understatement) since my last post.  I could make excuses but that would be a waste of time and energy - the fact is that I have just not been inspired to write.  Over the Christmas season we slacked on our waste free living, and never really got back into the groove.  I'm not saying that we are total hypocrites, we still avoid packaging as much as possible, but being pregnant, I have let myself indulge and buy foods that come in packaging that isn't recyclable - like prawns, cheese, and the occasional bag of chips. I used to buy all my meats and cheeses at the deli and butcher and avoided at all costs any packaging that could not be recycled.  I will be the first to admit that going to three stores to buy my groceries was more than onerous, especially when Eli was along for the ride (in and out of car seat).  And if you have ever experienced the first trimester of pregnancy, you will know that anything requiring extra effort is not likely to happen. Another big addition to our waste stream is the meat packaging that has resulted in our purchase of half a cow from a local farmer (which I feel is completely justified).  The paper, which I thought (hoped) might have been lined with wax, is actually lined with plastic - not compostable or recyclable.  So it goes into the trash. Cheese packaging is another thing I would like to bring up.  I had this discussion with Jen and Grant from the Clean Bin Project while they were touring the area and they also now buy packaged cheese (further justification - my inspiring heros are doing it!).  Like I already mentioned, I used to buy my cheese at the deli and have it put into my own container.  But the cheese at the deli is already wrapped in plastic so it wasn't like my purchase of cheese was completely waste free - I just let the deli take responsibility for it. Not to mention that every time you buy something at the deli they put a fresh plastic glove on to serve you,  and then wrap the end of the cheese in plastic film.  So it doesn't really result in less waste by buying cheese from the deli. I suppose I could just give up cheese altogether, which would be much easier if I lived in a country where cheese wasn't so prevalent, but I am just not there yet.  And so another addition to the garbage. I have also discovered that stretchy plastic film IS recyclable, which has opened up a whole new realm of foods How much garbage do we produce?  I'd say we are up to about a grocery bag full a month, which isn't so bad but is really bad compared to where we were before Christmas and pregnant.  Well, hopefully this blog post will inspire me to get back into the groove.  Here's to any of you out there still checking in on my blog - thank you.