Composting
From trash to earth treasure…
The other week my husband resurrected the compost heap. We had had a compost pile many years ago. In fact a friend gave us her black plastic compost bin. For a time we dutifully added grass clippings and leaves. Though it was never a well tended compost heap. Whenever I thought about it, I would stab a pitch fork into the middle and wiggle the pitch fork around but never really worked on it enough to make the yard debris into gardening black gold.
So, I was curious as to what prompted my husband to do so.
“Greta said I should do it.”
At first I thought, “Who the heck is Greta?” And then I remembered that he had read an article about Greta Thunberg.
Which is why we now have a stainless steel container on our kitchen counter containing coffee grounds, vegetable peels, old cut flowers. Each day, he will dump the contents into the black bin and stir.
I have been thinking about composting. One. I love the idea of recycling and “using it up”. What better way to use up our food waste than by turning it into something useful. According to the EPA, food scraps and yard waste together comprise of 28% of what we throw away. What a waste (pun intended). Especially when that waste can be used for something good.
Environmentally it makes sense to compost. There is a removal of items in the landfills. Not only is space freed up, but I also think of the gas needed for transporting that waste to a dump or landfill whether by a paid trash collector or yourself.
Composting has made me aware of other waste products our house hold produces. Compared to my unscientific study of our neighborhood (looking at the trash bins lining the sidewalk on trash day), we do not throw out that much. Not even half a can for the two of us each week . But I am no way near the people who are trying to produce zero trash. You may have heard of the minimalist folks who, if not completely without trash- meaning not recyclable in any way, can contain their year’s worth in a mason jar.
Our reduction in waste results from trying to avoid purchasing anything with too much packaging in the first place. Nothing new to our lifestyle. We were practicing that when our children were small. We started out that way because it was more budget friendly to do so. At that time, I never gave it much thought to our purchasing preferences until one day in the grocery store our one son was heard saying in a loud voice that only five-year-olds can produce, “Look at all the packaging that lady has in her cart” as he pointed to the evidence. I did a quick 180 with the cart and darted down the next aisle.
Composting is also a tangible and wonderful life metaphor about how God is at work in our lives. What I especially love about this metaphor is how, that which is inedible can be turned into something which supports growth of edible products. Even at the end stages of an organic item, it can be broken down and reused as soil to enrich the next crop of items. With just warmth, moisture, oxygen and nutrients you can have an ideal environment for microorganisms which will break down any organic debris.
How many times do we think we have broken and unusable waste in our lives? Faults, situations, problems or relationships that seem to have no purpose other than toss into a trash heap. We wonder how can anything good come out of this mess? Yet with God, it always does. He is the ultimate recycler, re-user, restorer. He is in the business to change things from worthless to worthy.
I have seen time and time again, either in my own life or in the lives of those around me, that there is potential for growth and goodness even with the most challenging and seemingly hopeless situation. There might not be direct goodness (or seemingly so) to the individual but there is always a definite goodness in the longview of relationship building and/or societal growth. For God is sovereign and His purposes are not ours.
When you think about it, even if there is no good for you, your situation might be a reminder, warning or good for someone else? “You meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” Joseph reminds his brothers (and us) in the review of Joseph’s long, troubling and ultimately triumphant life.
What about you? What trash do you have in your life? Are you holding onto it? Or getting rid of it? Can you trust God to take that which is ugly and allow Him to turn it into something useful and good? Can your trash be a treasure for something else?
I can think of nothing better than to learn that a difficulty of mine has been turned into something good for someone else or that it has built a relationship. The by-product that gives meaning to the hardship. I think of my recent wrist injury. While it has been a difficult three months (and I still have some surgeries and healing ahead of me) I do see this trash of an experience turning into the groundwork for a lovely friendship. An acquaintance of mine helped me navigate the orthopedic process for my broken wrist. It was unexpected and a God-send and I have been able to help her with some of her personal issues. More than a tit-for-tat but rather the groundwork of friendship and caring. She would have remained an acquaintance had I not had my injury. For that I am grateful. Who knows what this good thing will turn into?
What does your composting pile look like? What trash in your life is turning into an earthly or heavenly treasure?
Civilized Recycling
When we were in Italy and Austria this summer I was in awe of the recycling and multiple use of items. No waste for them (or so it seemed to me through my rose-colored sun glasses). Restaurant orders on the backs of old receipts. Bring your own bags/containers/baskets for purchased store items. Container gardens in all sorts of items- bins, boxes, baskets, old tires.
I really liked Florence's organized street trash cans. They had containers for specific items: organic matter, paper, glass, plastic. The containers were solar compactors. On trash day a truck with a large claw like arm, lifted the individual containers from the sidewalk and opened the bottom to dump the contents into separated trash compartments on the truck. It makes such sense. From the users standpoint, there didn't seem to be too much difficulty figuring out what went in what container. One can feel good about recycling. The city remained relatively clean because all items have a place to go. The trash that can be recycled is and that which can be composted, does.
Trash cans lined up on the street.
Trash day. Truck's arm lifts the entire unit and empties into the appropriate collection container.
In our hotel in Florence, there was all sorts of artwork. What was so interesting was that all of the artwork was from recycled material. Some of it was purely decorative and others were useful.
The "chandelier" in our room. Look closely- see the water bottles, tops and metal bottom of cans? (I apologize, I couldn't edit the size of this picture.)
It makes me look at my space differently. It makes me think- how can I re-use what I am currently using?
Usually I am pretty good with the re-using of things. From old handkerchiefs becoming bathroom curtains to cracked mixing bowls becoming flower containers, I like to be able to use something in two, possibly three incarnations. Though, there are times when I am just ruthless and wasteful. I have been known to just "throw it out". When I am tired of having too many in my cupboard, or in having to move and pack up items, I get rid of it all. To the dump. I just don't want to "deal with figuring things out".
I think for me, it comes down to excess. When I have excessive amount of things it is easier to be cavalier and just toss. No wonder that Americans waste approximately 219 pounds of food waste/year. Who knows how much of our landfills are filled with plastic China made junk from the dollar store? Certainly we have plastic and trash floating in the oceans, and with wind and currents, converge into "islands". While there is debate over the actual size, all can agree that those items shouldn't be there in the first place. Click here for the facts from NOAA.
It seems when we don't have an excess of things, we tend to "use up" the items or reuse in another way and even discard it appropriately. We become more in tune with the items, "Can it be recycled or totally reused? If I cannot use it, maybe someone else can?" I know that I don't always dispose of things properly. You would certainly ascertain that if you looked at the contents of my trash can. But I do want to be creative in the way I use and reuse the items in my home. Not only does it give me a sense that I am being a good steward of the environment, but it is just plain fun to be creative. Whatever I have "created" doesn't have to be forever; some of those handkerchief valances have been replaced, but I was able to get a couple of years of extra enjoyment with them.
What about you? Have you ever thought about the trash you throw out? Do you have many trashcans out on trash day? Do you recycle? Can you recycle? Does your town, jurisdiction, county, village, province offer recycling centers? Before something goes to the trash heap, have you looked at it with new eyes? Can it be re-purposed?
Archeologists find many clues in the trash heaps of previous societies. I think societies will be judged by the way they leave their trash. How will we be known? Will our trash labels us as wasteful? As careless? Or will we be seen as organized and showing a good usage of what we have? Will we be considered civilized?
Before and after... We have owned those 2 black lamps for years (30+). In redoing the guest room, we needed another lamp. I painted one of them white so that it would fit into the decor better. I liked the white so much, since this photo I repainted the second black one so that in my office we now have a white one too. (I apologize but couldn't edit the size of this picture)