Dumpster dive | August 21, 2023

• This headline will appeal to many of you: Turning off your Zoom camera is much better for the environment (and also less distracting if you ask me) [Fast Company]

• Relatable, and maybe good riddance? Goodbye, Old Friend: a love letter to a 750-square-foot roll of plastic [NY Times]

• Buzzfeed lists can be all over the map, but this one had some decent suggestions—as long as you focus on "reduce" and don't just end up buying more stuff: 31 Ways to Reduce Waste in Your Home

• Over at the Guardian, the poem Earth Cries! by Ben Okri opens with a lexicon I don't usually associate with poetry and unfurls as a powerful call to action. Reader responses to the poem make some excellent points: The climate crisis calls for individual accountability.

• While poking around the Resourceful website, I found this nifty garbage sorting quiz. The information applies to certain parts of California, but the quiz was still educational! (Sorting and recycling guidelines vary widely by area, so be sure to follow your local guidelines.)

• In general, I found the Resourceful website to be a handy app for figuring out how to dispose of things (well, for some Californians), and I wish this was standard. An easy lookup or search leads to not just instructions, but suggestions for alternatives plus other facts. I searched for "compostable bag" and got the following very helpful entry (specific to the Berkely area):

Instructions Make sure that the bags are labeled BPI "compostable." If labeled "biodegradable", "bioplastic", or anything else, put them in the gray cart (landfill).

Alternatives Not using a "biodegradable" plastic bag is best.* However, you can use a paper bag, newspaper or cardboard to line your kitchen compost bin if you want a barrier. The soiled paper materials can then go directly into the compost as well.

Facts In general, "Biodegradable" waste products have a one year or longer breakdown requirement and are intended for deposit in landfill settings, while compostable waste products have a weekly to monthly breakdown requirement and are intended for deposit in compost facilities.

*The site does not indicate if using a plastic bag is better or worse than using a "biodegradable" plastic bag, or if additional factors need to be considered.