In It’s Getting Hot in Here, Healthyish assistant editor (and aspiring low-waste disciple) Aliza Abarbanel walks us through one thing we can do each month to adapt our lifestyles and pantries for a pre-apocalyptic world. Up first: Taking a trip through our trash cans to gain a new perspective on what low-waste looks like.

The Problem

I don’t have to tell you why we’re here. With all the bleak environmental studies, ominous breaking news updates, and Greta Thunburg memes, we’ve got climate change on the brain...pretty much all the time. Sweeping reform lies in the hands of corporations and countries, but cutting down on trash is one way to enact change as individuals. So here we are carrying carrying our reusable totes and wondering what to do next. There’s a seemingly endless parade of so-called eco-friendly products on the market, from shampoo bars to silicon bags, but before we start spending on all those chic, well-branded alternatives, we have to think about what waste problems we actually need to solve. There’s no point in hoarding stainless steel straws if you never used the plastic ones in the first place.

So how do you figure out which habits are worth changing—and what products are worth buying? For the first installment of It's Getting Hot in Here, I'm challenging you to take a trip through your trash can (I promise, it’s not as gross as it sounds). Once you know what you’re throwing out, you’ll know where to spend your money on sustainable replacements.

The Challenge

Track everything you’re tossing and recycling for one week. (Yep, we’re also aiming to reduce our recycling, which I will explain more below.) If you’re already composting, that’s great! No need to include those onion peels, but if your food scraps end up in the trash can, add them to the list.

Know right now that you’re probably not going to eliminate all trash from your life, and that’s okay. This challenge is like setting up a budget for waste instead of money—you’re still going to spend (a.k.a. throw out) something, but you can choose when to take the hit.

Step 1: Make a list.

Sure, you could grab some gloves and actually dig through your bin at the end of the week, but avoid the mess (and probably the single-use plastic gloves) by writing things down as you go. Put this list somewhere you won’t forget about it, like on the fridge or right above the trash can, so tracking can become a seamless part of your routine. Use a note on your phone to tally up anything you toss while away from home, then update your tracker before bed to leave no disposable coffee cup behind.

Step 2: Sort your waste.

Divide up your list into three categories: Trash, recycling, and would-be compost (if you don’t use a compost bin).

Obviously, straight-up trash is the biggest problem to focus on here, but plenty of stuff we usually toss in the bin can actually be composted or recycled. Compostable material varies depending on the capacity of your compost site, but organic materials like coffee grounds, produce scraps, and non-greasy foods are almost always fair game. If your compost gets picked up curbside and processed at major plants, things like bones and cooked leftovers are okay to include too. If these rules seem complicated, don’t fear: We’ll get into this more in a future column.

Recycling may feel like the responsible move, but it’s important to track that too because most of it ends up in the trash due to contaminated shipments and recycling plant restrictions. A particularly bleak 2017 study found that only 9% of plastic actually gets recycled. Also, a lot of our recycling is aspirational: Plastic shopping bags and lined to-go cups aren’t just unrecyclable—they contaminate shipments and risk the whole bundle getting rejected. So while it’s possible your stuff will get recycled, reducing and reusing should come first.