There are a couple of truths to keep in mind when you start changing the way you do things. The first being that if you live with other people, you have to make them part of the process in order for them to support the change you are proposing.
When I first started making an effort to reduce the environmental impact of our household, I knew that I wanted to reduce the amount of waste we put out each week. An easy way, I thought, would be to collect food waste and compost it out in the yard - we had the space and the food would be mixed with the leaves, grass and other landscape clippings to make a nice compost. I talked with my wife about the change and she said she would be willing to support it under the following conditions:
- Don't want to see it
- Don't want to smell it
And honestly, those are pretty reasonable - I did not want see or smell rotting food either, and I wanted something with a wide mouth so it would be easy to put the food waste into. So I set about finding a container I could keep on the kitchen counter that would meet those requirements. At first, I had a tough time finding what I wanted. I checked the stores, but almost every glass or plastic container that had promise was clear. I tried a tin that we had sitting around, but it didn't quite keep the odors contained and it started to fall apart.
After a little while I gave up and quit looking - I didn't find what I wanted and was frustrated by what seemed to be a reasonable idea. Then one day, I found what I was looking for in our closet. My wife had been saving some empty coffee containers for various kid-craft projects. They were red (can't see it), had a wide mouth (easy to put stuff in), and are sold as "aroma-seal" (can't smell it). And they work! We have three on our counter top right now and there is no odor coming from them at all. They are just these little red containers that you would assume held coffee or some other kitchen item. And since they are plastic, they are not being destroyed by the food waste.
Not only did I get containers that met our requirements, but I got to reuse something that we already had. One lesson that I keep learning is to check around the house first - I quite often find what I need by looking at what I have. That way I am not spending money on something new when I can just put something old to good use. So as you look for the perfect solution to your next project, take a look in your closet - you never know when you might find the perfect solution!
