Week of Waster: Day 6 - The waste I don't see

18 pieces of waste.  On the surface it may seem like I generated less waste while traveling than I do at home.  But there is waste that I do not see, that I cannot photograph.

The egg sandwich I bought because I was pressed for time and wanted to make sure I ate something for breakfast surely had egg shells from the egg.  The sausage and cheese came from a package of some kind.  There was also the sandwich that I stopped to buy for lunch.  I could not see the food scraps that might have been left over from preparing it.  I did see that the sandwich makers were wearing disposable gloves, so there is that too. I also did not finish the sandwich, and though I was able to take the leftovers with me (they are in the refrigerator down the hall and I am about to make them my first breakfast), had I not been able to take them with me – those would have turned in to waste too. 

I am at a retreat center for the weekend.  The center is providing the food.  There will be scraps, trimmings, and the like left over from the preparation of the meals I am eating here.  I do know this place composts guests’ uneaten food and recycles.  Many of the kitchen food scraps also go to feed the chickens here.  Some of that waste will be reclaimed or repurposed.  

There is so much waste that we do not see, in food and elsewhere.   I will be at the center for the full day today and while I won’t see much of the waste I am responsible for generating during my stay, I cannot help but be aware of it.