On January 27th I made a video about starting a new trash bag for my waste. I predicted I would take six months to fill it. With a guest staying over, we ended up filling it in just over four person-months. I think I can produce less waste, but I’m pleased with how I did so far.

In no way did I feel constrained. On the contrary, I felt less confined by stuff and certainly less dirty, having less garbage around.

Here’s a video about it.

Efficiency and Responsibility

Why do I post about garbage? Who cares about it?

Your waste affects everyone. Within your teams, you create less garbage, literally and figuratively, when you run more lean. Beyond your teams, your garbage is someone else’s pollution. I don’t like when people pollute my world. I don’t want to pollute theirs.

If you produce more garbage than a canvas sack in three or four months, I recommend trying to cut down your garbage and pollution. I see a lot of people produce this much in a couple days. I don’t see them enjoying their lives more for it.

How to waste less

My biggest reductions in garbage, waste, and pollution came from

1. Getting less stuff
2. Avoiding food with packaging

Getting less stuff creates more freedom in my life. Who doesn’t want more freedom?

Avoiding food with packaging has resulted in more delicious food, more nutritious food, more convenience, lower costs, connecting with local vegetable farms, more variety of food, and more things like that. Fewer changes in my life have created such improvement.

Living life like running a business, at least in terms of running lean and wasting little, works for me. I recommend it.

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