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069: For Dumpster Diving Skeptics

069: For Dumpster Diving Skeptics

Did you know? The average household wastes $2200 per year on food that ultimately gets discarded. Here are unique strategies for households to waste less food + save more money.


Freshly baked artisanal breads, still warm from the oven. Imported cheeses in original packaging. Untouched organic berries.

Did you know? You can find all this + more in your local dumpster.

Cameron Macleish first learned about the food waste epidemic as a broke college student. These days, he dumpster dives and – with his mom’s help – cooks delectable meals with his finds to push back against both food waste + food insecurity.

While Cameron neither wants nor expects us to dumpster dive for sustenance, he does want to educate us on the food waste epidemic. He comes armed to our conversation with his best tips for the average family to waste less, too.

Enjoy!

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3 thoughts on “069: For Dumpster Diving Skeptics

  1. You touched on the composting idea here, but I’m still wondering about things like meat scraps/fat and bones. I’ve been told they don’t belong in the compost but where else should they go. And another question, how about waxpaper??
    Thanks for your lovely podcasts, I’ve been enjoying them!

    1. Hi Joyce, You’re correct – meat scraps, bones, cheese, milk + other dairy products are generally not composted (the exception is egg shells: compost the heck out of egg shells!). That said, composting meat is possible; you can find out more about doing so here. Please know, however, that flies, odors and unwanted animals are often byproducts of meat composting. If doing so sounds like more than you’re willing to tackle, the only options are to continue to throw your meat and dairy scraps in the trash and/or eat more plants (and less meat).

      Almost all wax paper sold in traditional grocery stores have paraffin-based wax (aka a petroleum byproduct) and therefore shouldn’t go in the compost bin. Can you swap out wax paper for parchment paper (you can compost it!)? Or, even better, silicone baking mats which are a one-time purchase but are not disposable?

      Hope this helps 🙂
      Stephanie

      1. Thanks for the tips! I’ll have to have a look around to find parchment paper here in Holland, but I do know that we have those silicone mats. I like to use wax paper in my round baking tins, I guess it should work to cut a silicone mat to size.

        As for the meat story, I guess we’ll just have to stay aiming at low waste instead of no waste. We’re not ready to go vegan yet!
        Thanks again!!

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The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast
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How To Let Stuff Go

When we let go of what doesn't serve us, we remove weight that holds us down. On today's show we turn to Zen Buddhism for wisdom on letting go of anxiety about the future, grudges, stuff, dead relationships, and more.

Here's a preview:

[4:00] Insanely anxious about the future? (Me too!) Don't spend your energy worrying; do this instead

[12:00] Think of decluttering not as throwing stuff away; think of it instead as setting your stuff (and yourself!) free

[19:00] How to let go of lost friendships and relationships, straight from the mouths of Buddhist monks

[26:00] Holding a grudge requires vast amounts of energy so become skilled at forgetting

[34:00] You're going to get to where you're meant to go, so there's no need to second-guess your choices

 

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