After 1 year, Ottawa man wraps up zero-waste experiment

An Ottawa father wrapped up his zero-waste experiment this month after a whole year of not sending anything to a landfill. 

From October 2017 to the same month in 2018, JP Torunski said he produced almost no trash. Instead, he kept almost everything he couldn't compost or recycle in two Rubbermaid bins in his basement. 

"Ideally, I would avoid having any waste in the first place," he told CBC Radio's In Town and Out. "[But] certain things I'd allow myself to throw out, like anything [that] was dangerous."

Torunski said he bought his produce and meat from farmers directly to avoid packaging and creatively reused items that he would have normally thrown out.

The experiment made him think about what it would be like to live with your own trash forever, he said.

"It's not going away. It's always going to be there," he said. "The planet Earth is like a big spaceship that we're all on and we have to look after it."

Healthier lifestyle 

Torunski said the zero-waste experiment helped him adopt a healthier lifestyle. 

When he started the experiment, he was unable to eat his favourite foods like chips and Ramen noodles because of their packaging. He started baking crackers, chips and pita bread at home instead. 

"I was kind of scrambling. But it forced me to eat a lot healthier," he said. "I really enjoyed the experiment, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

Now that the experiment is over, Torunski said he is still sticking to the habits he developed over the year but has made some exceptions for chips and a few other snacks. 

With files from CBC Radio's In Town and Out.