13th May 2016
It’s been just month since I’d kept my first batch of waste for decomposing, and it’s already ready!! I spent about 15 minutes sifting the compost through the sieve – this was super fun! I was so so happy to see that rich brown colour and wonderful earthy smell! I’ve now got some fine powdery compost to use for my pudina, dhania, chillies and kadipatta plants (biggest success being pudina which has multiplied three folds and been used for many glasses of mojito ;)).
This process has taken much less time than I expected and it’s been so rewarding! <3 My remix powder is almost over though, it’s serves 2.5 batches of wet waste. I’m wondering if I should use the compost as remix powder or buy some. It’s also difficult to make sure my roommates and my maid chop their waste to smaller bits to help it decompose faster.
About my plastic waste, it’s cut down to maybe 20% of what I used to consume; but all of us together generated a dustbin full of bottles in 2 months which I gave to the raddiwala for 6 bucks (600g). I now empty our dry waste once a month ONLY! I’ve found local vendors in my area who sell fresh loose chips, peanuts and snacks. I’m buying household cleaning items in massive bulk (5kg tide etc) and the largest bottles of shampoo since there’s no alternative to this. Arvind suggested we quit buying facewash – we can start using besan (gram flour) with milk for facewash. I’m not very happy with the inconvenience, but I’m willing to try it out. Of course I’m also gonna substitute milk with water. Will let you know if it’s good.
The biggest problem is the waste I’ve seen in restaurants! We went to McD and I noticed the huge amounts of waste they generate by serving in Styrofoam cups with plastic lids, burgers in boxes and the small ketchup sachets! Some of those aren’t even used by customers and simply discarded.
When I spoke to the manager he they stopped using dispensers so that customers don’t overuse, and cause them losses. I explained how they were generating tonnes of waste, causing wastage of product as well as a loss of money since each sachet costs Re. 1 while dispensers can be filled in bulk. He said it’s higher authorities who can take a call on this. So I’ve emailed them but haven’t got a response.
I’m actively contacting restaurants which have their own space and can afford to serve in glasses and mugs; OR take responsibility of their waste, segregate and recycle. Really hoping to see some change here.
The task at hand so far feels overwhelmingly large and people don’t seem to take waste as a personal responsibility or a serious issue for us and our environment. I’m stubborn, and I’m not giving up; neither should you guys. It’s such a small easy step to take, and the inconvenience is only in the beginning transition; after which it becomes a habit.
My mom said, “You unnecessarily get into these things. Sometimes it’s not in your control and you can’t make the world’s problems your problems.”
But I think it was Steve Jobs who quoted “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
It’s been just month since I’d kept my first batch of waste for decomposing, and it’s already ready!! I spent about 15 minutes sifting the compost through the sieve – this was super fun! I was so so happy to see that rich brown colour and wonderful earthy smell! I’ve now got some fine powdery compost to use for my pudina, dhania, chillies and kadipatta plants (biggest success being pudina which has multiplied three folds and been used for many glasses of mojito ;)).
This process has taken much less time than I expected and it’s been so rewarding! <3 My remix powder is almost over though, it’s serves 2.5 batches of wet waste. I’m wondering if I should use the compost as remix powder or buy some. It’s also difficult to make sure my roommates and my maid chop their waste to smaller bits to help it decompose faster.About my plastic waste, it’s cut down to maybe 20% of what I used to consume; but all of us together generated a dustbin full of bottles in 2 months which I gave to the raddiwala for 6 bucks (600g). I now empty our dry waste once a month ONLY! I’ve found local vendors in my area who sell fresh loose chips, peanuts and snacks. I’m buying household cleaning items in massive bulk (5kg tide etc) and the largest bottles of shampoo since there’s no alternative to this. Arvind suggested we quit buying facewash – we can start using besan (gram flour) with milk for facewash. I’m not very happy with the inconvenience, but I’m willing to try it out. Of course I’m also gonna substitute milk with water. Will let you know if it’s good.
The biggest problem is the waste I’ve seen in restaurants! We went to McD and I noticed the huge amounts of waste they generate by serving in Styrofoam cups with plastic lids, burgers in boxes and the small ketchup sachets! Some of those aren’t even used by customers and simply discarded.When I spoke to the manager he they stopped using dispensers so that customers don’t overuse, and cause them losses. I explained how they were generating tonnes of waste, causing wastage of product as well as a loss of money since each sachet costs Re. 1 while dispensers can be filled in bulk. He said it’s higher authorities who can take a call on this. So I’ve emailed them but haven’t got a response.
I’m actively contacting restaurants which have their own space and can afford to serve in glasses and mugs; OR take responsibility of their waste, segregate and recycle. Really hoping to see some change here.
The task at hand so far feels overwhelmingly large and people don’t seem to take waste as a personal responsibility or a serious issue for us and our environment. I’m stubborn, and I’m not giving up; neither should you guys. It’s such a small easy step to take, and the inconvenience is only in the beginning transition; after which it becomes a habit.
My mom said, “You unnecessarily get into these things. Sometimes it’s not in your control and you can’t make the world’s problems your problems.”
But I think it was Steve Jobs who quoted “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
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