Bring home the compostables (Change 106)

Whenever I eat out at a fast food restaurant or take my lunch/dinner to work, I throw out garbage. It's a strange habit, because at home, I'm so careful to make sure everything is as reusable, recyclable and compostable as possible. A lot of the garbage I throw out, when I eat out, is made up of items that are perfectly acceptable to the residential green bin program here, but have no opportunity to be taken out of the waste stream at a commercial level.
I've always made sure that portable lunches were as garbage-less as possible for DH, the kids and myself.  I rarely buy one time use snacks, like yogurt or applesauce, and I always make sure that beverages go in a thermos or reusable bottle.  But for a reason that escapes me, we rarely bring our apple cores, banana peels, or sandwich crusts home.

When I visited PEI two years ago, I was astonished that compost bins could be found everywhere.  I mean EVERYWHERE.  One the street, in the restaurants, in the malls - no location was without.  It made me wish that my province, heck even my city, had the political will to enforce such a policy.  My wish has finally come true for the residential sector of the city of Ottawa, but corporate participation is still unavailable.

So I've decided to start bringing the compostables home with me.  It's easy enough to slip an apple core or banana peel into a reusable container already in the lunch box.    I'll ask DH and the kids to bring their food waste home from school and work.  And when I'm at McDonald's or Subway, I'll pack a "take-out" bag of compostable sandwich wraps, drink cartons and food leftovers.  I may look a little strange, I suppose, but at least I won't feel guilty about contributing to the growing landfill problem.

Eat the kids' leftovers at lunch (Day 83)

I love food.  I enjoy cooking and baking, and preparing meals that are, for the most part, health and nutritious.  DH appreciates my efforts.  My kids, not so much.   DD2 tends to eat anything.  DS is the meat eater of the family - I can get him to eat fruits and vegetables, but he'd prefer meat.  DD1 is very finicky.  I'm never sure from one day to the next whether or not she'll like what I've prepared.

This leads to a lot of half-eaten or un-eaten meals.  In the past, I've tossed their leftover meals in the compost bin.  But DH and I have decided this is a waste of food.  So we are going to eat their unfinished meals for our lunch.  I figure I already have their germs, so I'm not really being unsanitary.  And most of the food is perfectly fine.  I'll toss the mangled, mashed or obviously chewed bits in the compost.  But the remaining untouched or lightly touched meat, veggies or bread will go in a container for the next day.

At least I know that my meals will be eaten and appreciated by someone.