I finally took down the Christmas wreath on March 30

We were given a Christmas wreath as a gift last year, and it was resplendent before the evergreen turned ever brown. I meant to take it down ages ago, but science got in my way. You see, I recently read that our brains are hard-wired to make us conserve energy. Plus, I can be forgetful.

My plan was to compost the (not so) evergreen parts of the wreath, and then save and reuse the wire frame and adornments for next year. That meant I'd need to find some pliers and a storage box, and then I’d need to take the time to disassemble the wreath outside, ideally on a day when it wasn’t raining. (I live in the Pacific Northwest, so rain often hinders plans.) I also needed to find a place to store this stuff. My brain was convinced that this plan required a considerable amount of energy. I was often tempted by the path of least resistance and the ease with which I could simply chuck the whole thing into the garbage. Out of sight, out of mind, as the adage goes.

The point here is that yes, garbage is complicated: It takes effort to dispose of things responsibly. People are busy and have limited time, funds, and energy to spend on the things that matter most to them, and I’m fairly certain that figuring out the “right way to garbage” is not high on the list of priorities.

Each year we dump 2.12 billion tons of waste, and 99 percent of what we buy ends up in the trash within 6 months. It's a shame that most companies don't focus on keeping the things they create out of landfills. Planned obsolescence should be outlawed. Products should be durable, designed to last, and easily reparable. They should be highly compostable and easily recyclable. If only companies were taxed on the amount of waste they generate, instead of making consumers foot the bill for waste disposal.

If I end up reusing the wreath parts next year, I'll let you know. Don't ask.