We Are Literally Running Out of Room for Our Trash

This is one of those topics nobody wants to talk about. Trash is not glamorous. It does not photograph well. It smells. And yet here we are in Candler County facing a very real problem.

We are running out of space for trash.

Not in a vague someday way. Not in a far off future kind of way. In a real, happening now, decisions-have-to-be-made way.

 

Candler County is small by design. That is part of why many of us love it. We sit at around eleven thousand people. We wave at each other. We recognize trucks. We notice when something changes.

And things are changing quickly.

Our local landfill stopped accepting regular solid waste. That alone should make everyone pause for a second. Now it has to go somewhere else. That somewhere else costs more, travels farther, and puts pressure on systems that were not built for rapid growth.

At the same time, our region is growing rapidly.

Looking just up the road, Statesboro and Bulloch County have exploded. Tens of thousands of new residents in a short period of time. New housing. New developments. New stores. New everything.

People move in. Trash follows.

The average American creates over four pounds of trash per day. Per person. Do the math. One thousand new people equals roughly two tons of trash every single day. Now imagine ten thousand. Or more.

That trash does not disappear. It has to be hauled, stored, buried, or managed somehow. And while I fully understand that solutions are necessary, I also know this one very honest truth.

I do not want it next door.

Nobody does.

So here we are as a county talking about land use, expansion, votes, long term plans, and what makes sense. These are not easy conversations. They are uncomfortable and often heated. But they matter because the choices we make now affect where we live, how we live, and what kind of community we leave behind.

This is also what made me step back and look at my own habits.

It is important to not only watch what we consume just as much as we watch how we consume it.

We cannot control every policy decision. We can control what comes into our homes.

Small habits done daily actually matter when enough people do them together. That is not wishful thinking. That is math.

That is what pushed me to start finding ways to cut plastic and waste before it ever becomes trash.

We started using zero waste laundry sheets and boxed all natural laundry detergent. No giant plastic jugs. No mess. Less waste.

We switched to soap bars. Not just body soap either. Shampoo bars. Conditioner bars. And yes they work. They lather well. They last longer than bottles. They are made with natural ingredients. And they do not leave behind empty plastic containers every few weeks.

Dish soap came next. A solid dish soap bar paired with a brush. Simple. Effective. No plastic bottle sitting under the sink waiting to be thrown away.

Cleaning products were another easy switch. Mixing our own nontoxic cleaners using simple ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and natural blends means fewer bottles, fewer chemicals, and less waste overall.

Buying glass instead of plastic whenever possible has made a difference too. Glass lasts. Glass can be reused. Glass does not break down into microplastics that end up everywhere.

Buying in bulk and buying refills with eco friendly packaging helps even more. When packaging can be composted or reused, that is trash that never has to make the landfill trip in the first place.

Recycle if you can. I know recycling options are limited locally. That is frustrating. But metal, cardboard, and anything accepted should still be recycled. Every little bit that stays out of the waste stream helps.

There are other ideas too.

Composting food scraps and yard waste keeps a huge amount of weight out of the trash can. Sharing bulk purchases with neighbors reduces packaging. Reusing jars and containers instead of tossing them. Swapping items instead of buying new.

None of this requires perfection. It just requires awareness.

We are growing whether we like it or not. Growth brings opportunity and pressure at the same time. Trash is one of those pressures we can no longer pretend is someone else’s problem.

I do not have all the answers. I just know I want solutions that make sense, protect our community, and do not land in my backyard.

If we all start paying attention to how much we throw away and why, we give ourselves more options. Less trash means less strain. Less strain means fewer bad choices down the road.

Stewardship. Of our land. Of our neighbors. Of the place we call home is all of our responsibilities. What are ways that you steward your blessings? Your home and land? What do you make at home and how do you save on waste? We would love to hear any ideas you may have in how other areas have tackled this issue. 

And if we can make a bad situation a little lighter by changing what we bring into our homes (and enjoying a healthier life supporting small in the meantime), that seems like a pretty good place to start.