Trash and Recyclables
What goes in must come out. This is especially the case with the kitchen, where you bring a huge amount of food, packaging, and other containers in, and many of these things will need to eventually be disposed of. Have you ever read Shel Silverstein's poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out”? This kind of stench and disarray can come if you don't have a good system for managing garbage and recyclables.
Choosing a Garbage Can
Garbage cans with lids are ideal for keeping bad smells in and pets out. Stainless steel can also be attractive and can endure for many years. If you purchase a can that uses a foot lever, you'll reduce the risk of picking up bacteria while cooking. After your garbage bag is full, seal and dispose of it as quickly as possible. If you're tossing food scraps, place these scraps within a small plastic bag that can be sealed and toss that into the larger garbage bag. This will reduce bad odors.
To maintain a clean environment, you'll also want to spray your garbage can with disinfectant spray (that also removes odor) and clean the garbage can itself on a regular basis.
Your garbage should not be accessible to pets or children. If you must spend more to purchase a garbage can with a lid that can be opened only by foot, this investment will pay off. Visits to the vet are costly, and certain items, such as plastic, chocolate, or corncobs, can endanger your pet's life.
Compost
If you're a gardener, you know that food scraps can have a second life as compost. Decomposed food scraps can provide rich nutrients to your soil. Instead of scraping off your plates into the trash can or garbage disposal, put fruit and vegetable scraps into an airtight jug. As these items slowly decompose, you can add them to your soil for the health of your plants.
You can buy small, discreet countertop compost pails at many home stores. These items make it easy to gather peels, eggshells, and other food-waste indoors, while keeping odors to a minimum. You can store a compost pail under the sink, on the counter, or in a cabinet for accessibility.
Simplify recycling with a double bin.
Managing Recyclables
Recycling is a great way to reduce waste and to conserve resources. Most American cities now have dynamic recycling programs. Minimal effort is required on your part to make recycling work in your home.
First of all, make sure that you rinse all cans and glass bottles well. These bottles, cans, and boxes can stink and attract pests if they are left with residue on them. In most cities, you will be expected to foot-flatten food cartons and plastic bottles and jugs. You'll also be expected to separate green, brown, blue, and clear glass as well as newspapers and cereal boxes.
If you purchase a recycling sorter with at least two separate bins, this can simplify your task. Keep in mind, however, that, like trash, even well-rinsed bottles and cans will create a sticky, stinky residue in your bin. The bin will need to be washed frequently.
In most cities, you don't need to remove labels from your cans because the high temperature used for processing recyclables can easily remove them. You do, however, want to remove lids, which are not reused and can be a nuisance for your recycling company.
Ideally, you'll take your recycling out as quickly as possible. If you live in an area where you keep large color-coded bins out back at all times, you can simply store your recycling in plastic grocery bags and then carry them out each morning or evening.
This is especially the case with newspapers — they tend to create a lot of clutter and can be cumbersome, if you try to take out too many at the same time. Just as you bring in a single newspaper each morning, try to take out (or place in a recycling container) a single newspaper each night.
By tackling your recycling quickly, you can prevent the work and mess involved in managing a larger recycling system.
