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tesa001

green living decissions

tesa001
14 years ago

we intend to burn all paper trash on our property

i'm well aware of the issues with burning, but we have

decided to be careful in only burning paper, not plastic

and other things that produce toxic smoke, i'm about 20

miles from a recycling center, but am willing to save

and recycle all our glass/aluminum/plastic

that being said, i'm thinking about buying real paper

plates that are burnable, to help conserve water

it sort of bugs me when the kids want a sandwich

and chips and get a dinner plate out for just that

i wonder which is better, to spend extra grocery money

on paper plates that we can burn, or use extra water

to wash

i've kept an eye on things for a few months, knowing

the day would come when we'd be off grid and using our

rainwater harvesting system for all our water needs.

i've watched my family use my good plates so many

times, when a paper plate would have been just fine

any thoughts on this?

tesa

Comments (14)

  • rick_mcdaniel
    14 years ago

    You seriously think you are helping the environment by buying and burning paper plates, instead of washing real dishes?

  • tesa001
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    we live off the main grid

    we do not have access to well, or city water

    we do not use even one DROP without forethought

    do you?

    we don't have a dishwasher, and i only water my garden
    with grey water or what falls from the sky

    after watching my family use dinner plates 26 times
    for sandwiches and chips, or toast in the mornings

    and using several gallons to wash that same plate
    26 times (over the course of the 4 weeks i'm monitored
    them) then yes, i think paper plates might be better

    not styrofoam, real paper

    and if you search for them, you can buy them alrady
    made from post consumer recycled paper, i did

    i've even started making them use a papertowel to lay
    their sandwiches on instead of paperplates, but we
    still burn all our paper products anyway

    the decission is the lesser of two evils

    and i would ask you, "what are YOU doing to help the
    environment?"

    washing a ton of dishes everyday?? or throwing paper plates
    into the landfill??

    do YOU seriously think your helping the environment??

    tesa

  • Redthistle
    14 years ago

    I'm wondering if you couldn't compost your paper plates? Maybe in a pit? Not with your regular compost, but in a spot specifically made for the paper plates. Perhaps then you could use this compost for ornamentals. I'd check with the GW compost/soil forum. Just another idea.

    I've heard other people do this with their junk mail.

    I hear you when it comes to making these kinds of decisions. If you were to take your plates to the recycling facility, you would burn fuel, which is also not environmentally friendly. Sadly, none of your choices are great ones.

  • texasflip
    14 years ago

    I lived in an apartment without any functioning drains for a month so I know how much water is used for the simplest tasks like washing hands and brushing teeth. I had to haul the water in a bucket down 2 flights of stairs to dump it out on the grass. I got the point where I would just wipe my plates and utensils down with a bleach solution and let it dry. The bleach just evaporates along with the water. Just keep a rag and a bowl of solution handy.

  • tesa001
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    i think what i'm gonna do is try and compost them

    i've been trying very hard to consider all the
    facts and make the best decission

    redthistle, your right, none of my choices are
    really good ones, and the recycling center is
    very far away, i'm afraid trying to save them
    with the cardboard might attract wildlife, especially
    with food on them, since i only get to the recycling
    center once a month or so, its maby 30 miles from
    my place to the recycling center

    i have a freind who wants them to layer in her lasagna
    garden

    she doesn't think it will do any harm, and they should
    break down just like other paper folks use in lasagna
    gardens

    at least i'm comming up with alternatives

    i think thinking outside the box to solve these problems
    is a great way to make changes

    tesa

  • marlingardener
    14 years ago

    Tesa,
    Be careful that the plates don't attract undesirable wildlife. We compost paper napkins, paper towels, as long as they have no meat or dairy residue on them. You may not have the problem with coyotes, raccoons,'possums, and feral cats that we do, but if there are rodents in the area, they will delve into your compost pile to get at the meat/dairy residue.
    We, too, are trying to leave as little imprint on the earth as possible (but I still love and grow my roses, and will not do without my clothes washer!).

  • maden_theshade
    14 years ago

    My husband likes to do the paper towel thing for sandwiches. I compost all the paper towels, kleenex, kitchen waste, etc in my worm bin. (45 gallon trash can w/ holes in bottom).

    I put all our junk mail in the recycling bin that is picked up weekly. I'd like to compost that too, but we get way too much. The sensitive stuff we shred and if I am making a new flower bed, or filling up a new pot, etc I'll put a bunch of the shredded paper in w/ the dirt to let the worms eat it. You could mulch your trees w/ shredded paper. I think mulching and composting the paper is awesome! And if you have too much, you can always give it to your friends to use in their gardens!

  • beachplant
    14 years ago

    I chose not to reproduce, putting less of a burden on the earth.

    I am donating my body when I die, recycling it. Any idea how much formaldehyde leaks into the water table from decaying bodies? And the decaying coffins? Gross huh!

    Tally Ho!

  • gardenspice
    14 years ago

    You might not have liked the message or the delivery, but Rick is right.
    Using paper plates is not the green choice here, if that is what you are after. Remember that you have to consider the resources (including a great deal of water) needed to manufacture those plates and the resouces to move those plates to your store.

  • TxMarti
    14 years ago

    This is kind of a crazy idea, but then, I'd hate to be known as normal. My kids were using every glass in the cabinet until I bought 4 glasses that were different colors and assigned one per person. Each one has a spot they keep their glass on the counter, or I put them in the dishwasher and they can resuse them from there too.

    What if you did something similar, with each having their own plate, and storing them in the freezer between uses? Then just wash once a day.

  • TxMarti
    14 years ago

    Hey, better yet, prepare them for being single by teaching them to eat over the sink! roflol

  • sylviatexas1
    14 years ago

    It's very easy to criticize another person for not doing the utmost, but I wonder how many of us would go to the extent of hauling water to wash dishes?

    & how much gasoline is involved in this little chore?

    I'd eat off paper towels or paper plates & toss them into the compost in a heartbeat, & I wouldn't ask anyone what they thought about it.

    tesa is trying to figure out the best policy in a "rock & hard place" situation.

  • freshair2townsquare
    14 years ago

    howdy ~

    if you are interested in composting or lasagna-ing your paper plates, try to get the plates that *don't* have a waxy (no leak) exterior layer to them - if you do that, they'll definitely be a good addition to the composting process

    re: comments about good ideas - here's the thing: if we are here, we *are* impacting the environment - simply breathing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is impacting the environment - there really is *no* "zero impact" way to live, if you are going to go on living - what matters is that these environmental issues are on our minds, and that we are thinking about them and searching for better methods

    rick: a coworker (who is vegan and very green) of my husband's did a great deal of research before going with disposable diapers on her children - according to her research, the additional water, detergents and electricity necessary to regularly wash cloth diapers exceeded the environmental impact of additional disposables in the landfill - i don't know how this compares to the paper/washed plates, but it does illustrate the reality that determining what is best isn't as obvious as we'd like it to be

    recycling in the country: my grandparents live behind the pine curtain & things like weekly recycles pickup just doesn't happen out there - and they're "in the city", a city of about 4,500 - the nearest facility that takes metals will only accept soda cans, so any other metals still go to the regular trash - they have a regular burnpile of mostly yard trash and some paper - options that are ideal for some simply aren't available for others

    tally ho: as a side note, i've been intrigued by new "green burials" that do not prep the body with chemicals and do not bury in coffins that will outlive roaches - don't know if i'd actually ask for it, but it has made me seriously rethink the current social norm of embalming

    plates, washable or disposable, for sandwiches/chips: we use paper towels for stuff as simple and containable as that - the paper towels are even more compostable than paper plates

    ~ frshair

  • sylviatexas1
    14 years ago

    In Texas, you can opt for green burial
    no chemicals, no preservatives, no coffin, just a cotton shroud or a cardboard coffin.

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