I hear the orchestra, dun, dun, duhaaaa. These…are our family’s real trash challenge. Our two toddlers are still in disposable diapers!!

Two toddlers can go through 3 cases of disposable diapers in about a month! That is

• 3 huge cardboard boxes
• 6 large plastic shrink wrappers
• and 336 plastic diapers filled with you don’t want to know what…right into the landfill.

There are heaps of statistics about how long this stuff sticks around in our landfills and none of these stats are up-lifting. Move onto the money issue, and this consumption equals about $130 a month going out with the trash, not to mention the dollars required to repair the damage these things do to the earth.

Now wouldn’t cloth diapers, that cost pennies to launder, be more economical and eco-friendly? Yes. There are bunches of lifestyle reasons why I didn’t do cloth diapers from the get-go, but I’ll not go into those now. It is the present isn’t it? So, right now, I am looking at a very near horizon of potty-trained toddlers and at this point I don’t want to invest in the cloth method. I do, however, have a stash of g-diapers which are a more eco-friendly way to diaper.

These nifty guys consist of a cotton outer, a snap-in plastic liner, (both of which can be laundered) and a fluffed wood pulp absorbent liner that can be flushed, and is bio-degradable, or can be composted, or simply thrown away.

A 2 starter kits (that contain the cotton and plastic diapers) and a month’s supply of absorbent liners will waste you:

• 2 plastic totes (these used to be cardboard boxes)
• 9 large plastic bags
• and 324 flush-able liners

The price tag on these babies is kind of steep…about $60 for the cloth diapers and $140 for the liners. Also I should note, these aren’t for those with septic systems or slow plumbing…the flush needs a bit of umpf behind it for this system to work.

So the packaging…is there a winner? A close finish? In terms of product packaging, I think they are about equal. G-diaper liners are biodegradable. Perhaps this is the most profound difference and if you have a compost, or an able water waste system, oh…and the cash, g-diapers could be a less-packaging waste option.

For those families who cloth-diaper out there, what is your throw away waste like?

The kids don’t like wearing these bulky things. And slim fitting toddler pants are difficult to get on over these puffy diaper-butts. But, with spring around the corner, bare g-diaper bums may come into fashion and we may see potty-training sooner rather than later. Wish us luck.

There are certainly families out there who have their wits about them and do cloth diapers. But there are others for whom lifestyle simply makes cloth diapering much more work. There are other battles out there and parents you need to choose which ones you have the strength to take on. Perhaps while you are at it, you can do a something else that better fits your lifestyle to lessen your impact on the precious earth. Each little bit always counts.

Still drinking here! Coffee, milk…tea… Isn’t it amazing how much beverage packaging we consume when water from the tap wastes zero packaging? Hummmm….

Anyway, on to tea. My mother is an avid tea drinker and really brews with science in mind. The water must be at the right temperature and she sets a timer to know the exact moment to pull those leaves out of the liquid to make the perfect pot of tea. I am a casual tea drinker. I like mine sweetened with honey…and occasionally like milk or lemon in a cup of Earl Grey. But to the casual tea drinker, many might suggest individually sealed tea bags keep a fresh tea taste longer. But to the eco-friendly tea drinker this might not be the solution!

A box of individual tea bags wastes:

• 1 plastic shrink wrapper
• 1 cardboard box
• 1 waxed paper pouch or 20 paper pouches
• 20 tea baggies string, staple and paper tab included (which can be composted, although if bleached, I don’t know if you’d want these in your compost)
• and 20 teaspoons of tea leaves and herbs

What if you were to purchase a tin of loose tea? What then would you waste?

• 1 tin (which can be reused)
• 1 plastic shrink wrap (I haven’t ordered tea in a bit, so this was new to me…the company didn’t use to do this)
• 1 corrugated cardboard box

(Notice here I am ignoring the fossil fuel costs of mail ordering this tin of loose tea. If you are lucky enough to have a tea shop near you, shipping wouldn’t be an issue. And that extra paper thing you see in the box is the company’s catalog. So, maybe you’d have to toss that too, or make a paper-mâché bunny for Easter if you like to re-purpose.)

A wasted packaging tie you delight! Well, maybe not really. A 125g tin of black tea with mango makes 49 cups of tea per the package directions. So, that would actually be 2 1/2 boxes of individual tea bags…or to taste that much tea you’d have to toss,

• 2.5 plastic shrink wrappers
• 2.5 cardboard boxes
• 2.5 waxed paper pouches or 50 paper pouches
• 50 tea baggies
• and 125 grams of tea leaves and herbs

That is a whole lot of wasted packaging. Buy loose tea leaves. You need only buy a tea strainer, or one of those aluminum eggs with the holes in it, to brew your own cup of tea and feel better about wasting less paper and plastic packaging.

Has it really been 10 days of packaging discussion already? Milk, coffee, applesauce, magazines, meats, paper towels, juice, popsicles and chai tea lattes…yep, 10 days. 10 more days of packaging discussions to go.

Although it seems many of these purchases are kitchen related, I can think of so many more items we consume and packaging that we waste. The very cute, big-girl-bed and dresser, given to my daughter, came packaged in styrofoam bags, plastic wrappers, cardboard space-fillers, and (4) gigantic cardboard boxes from Thailand. The plastic toys the kids get during the holidays that have those plastic and wire twist ties, tape, cardboard, and plastic-windowed boxes are pretty wasteful too. Or a computer packed in boat-loads of styrofoam, cardboard and plastic packaging…ack!! Now we are getting into the realm of plastic packed inside of plastic. Why IS that? Why is EVERYTHING packaging in plastic? And we wonder why we are so dependent on oil. Okay, that was a little too soap-boxy. *sigh*

My family has come to rely on certain conveniences and plastic products are among those. We are simply trying to open our eyes and become interested, enfranchised, and mindful of our responsibility to preserve the earth. Modern inventions and advances in technology aren’t always bad in my book. I prefer indoor plumbing, central air, and vehicle mobility. But I know I must choose carefully and consume responsibly so my children and their children will have an earth to inherit.

Since we are on a packaging discussion beverage trend here, why don’t we continue with milk.

Remember those days of yore when the milk man delivered glass bottles full of milk settled into wire baskets? And when the family consumed what was inside you set out the empty bottles for the delivery man to pick up. What waste is there in that? Perhaps the bottle caps?

FF>> to present day…our family thinks little of plopping a couple plastic gallon containers into our shopping cart. Only to later plop those same plastic gallon containers into the trash. When we had two little ones taking bottles that was about 2 1/2 plastic containers in the landfill a week or 150 per year!! Yikes.

I just found a more eco-friendly alternative at our natural foods store. With this glass container you need only waste the plastic carry-thingie and the bottle cap. Return the bottle to the grocery to get a deposit refund and feel much better about throwing out less.

There is however, a hefty price tag that goes with this more eco-friendly product. (Why is it that throwing out less costs you more?) A gallon of milk in a glass container is 400% of the cost of conventional milk in plastic. And it is still 125% of the cost of a gallon of organic milk in a plastic container. THAT is expensive.

My children love the taste of this un-homogenized milk and we go through it pretty quick. I love the creamy taste too, and love baking with it. Special occasions I say.

Which brings me to, why is it that less wasted packaging costs more? Or is it that price is relative? What if all milk were $7.58 a gallon? Would we use less? Would we use it more frugally? Would we waste less? Would we choose alternatives? Hummm. This made me think a bit about what we choose to put in our fridge and how much we choose to consume. Are we just accustomed to excess? How do we re-orientate our minds and our pocketbooks to consume more responsibly and waste less? THAT is difficult I say.

My morning pick-me up. My friend. My coffee-filled cup accompanies me to the computer in the morning. That fresh brewed aroma…the nutty, creamy, and rich taste sets me off in the right direction.

When purchasing items like coffee, sometimes there are choices to be made. You can’t well just plop a pound of loose coffee beans in your cart, so packaging is a must. What type of packaging do you choose. Is there a lesser evil?

As I was scooping my morning coffee out of it’s foil pouch, my husband wondered out loud, “were did coffee cans go?” We reminisced for a bit about the coffee cans of our youth. They held nails, screws and bolts in the garage. They held dirt and small plants. We punctured them with an awl to make candle lanterns. Those tin cans had a million second lives.

There are tin coffee cans, plastic coffee tubs, foil and plastic lined coffee pouches, and perhaps you can purchase coffee in bulk…though I haven’t seen this yet. (Have I just not been looking? Readers, enlighten me please.)

Fast forward a few decades from the prehistoric coffee-can era to today. Companies want to save money and are selling their coffee in thin foil lined pouches. Where do they go? Usually they are tossed in the trash is my guess. Although this particular organic coffee pouch can be returned to a brick and mortar store for a free tall cup of coffee. Good way to keep these babies out of the landfill I say.

I prefer to drink the stuff in the pouch. It tastes better. I prefer to buy the stuff in the can. I like cans. It is actually difficult to find a coffee can. Try to find a can of coffee the next time you go to the grocery. Hummmm. This may just boil down to a lifestyle choice. Unfortunately the lesser packaging product doesn’t always fit your lifestyle. Nevertheless, I am certainly game to try the next more eco-friendly coffee I find.

I thought applesauce was applesauce. It grows in its own biodegradable, sustainable, compost-able packaging called a skin. You pluck it ripe and juicy from a tree in the brisk sunny days in autumn. Peal it and toss that “packaging” in your compost, cook up the wonderfully sweet flesh, and after a run through the food mill, presto, *apple sauce.* Canning it is best for preservation, although a sleep in the chest freezer could do as well.

Eat applesauce in a cake, eat it as a snack…I take vitamins I don’t want to taste with this stuff. My children eat so much, I feel they are going to turn into a small apple. So we buy the biggie jar from the grocery store. I feel glass jars are best for food storage; the less plastic that comes in contact with our food the better. And, we so toss into our recycling bin that large glass jar when we are all done.

Recently, we found these little, reclosable, very convenient, packets of applesauce. They stand up. The cap screws back on. Oh so convenient when your toddler doesn’t finish it all. They are easy to open, and easy to squeeze. The fruit inside is yummy and there are different flavors! And when you finish this pin-sized portion of sauce you can toss:

• 4 plastic/foil pouches
• with 4 plastic screw-on caps
• and that wonderful cardboard box.

All that packaging in the trash for only 12.6 oz of apple-y goodness! (4) packages would equal the applesauce in (1) large glass jar. Not to mention that this convenience will run you about 75¢ each. Whew! I think we know who is the less-packaging winner here!

I think we are going to try canning a bit of applesauce this year. It is a good way to go organic, keep a bit more cash in our pocket, and consume a lot less packaging. Raise your applesauce spoon, *here is to less packaging!*

**There will, will, will be a crafty update this week. I am working to finish a few projects and hope to have a few moments to stitch and knit!** Have a wonderful Monday!

I love getting mail. I love, love, love, opening the mail box and finding something addressed to me that is fun and entertaining. Sometimes that is a letter or photos. Sometimes it is gorgeous inspiring fabric. Sometimes it is chocolate. (Note, in the winter only do I mail order chocolate. Melted goodness in the summer, or that pesky extra rush shipping fee are no fun.) Sometimes it is magazines.

I love foodie magazines, natural living magazines, and personal finance and business magazines. Gotta keep up with those tech entrepreneur trends! Okay, maybe not that important, and isn’t it interesting I didn’t list any crafting, sewing, or knitting magazines? Hummm.

Anyway, you ask, what packaging do magazines require? Well, mine come either enter my abode with an extra paper outer to protect it’s front page, like one above, or with plastic shrink wrap packaging stuffed with offer and subscription mailers that just go in the recycling bin. Most of my magazines also end up in the recycling bin, minus a few pages that were torn out and inserted into my crafting binder or recipe folder.

So why retain only the knowledge from the printed pages and toss out the entire stack of inked paper you pay for each year? Why not go to your library or the internet for the same information? You’d save some money and you’d throw out a lot less paper.

Next week, stay tuned for more packaging discussions about choosing to consume less paper and plastic. Maybe at the end of all this, my family will throw away less too. Have a great weekend!