Our Trash

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Trash is not a fun subject but it is a serious issue. Most people don't think about trash because some men come and take it all away, but if you have to live with your garbage for a month, you will realize how much garbage we humans produce that we are actually endangering our environment and ultimately ourselves.

The earth is not getting any bigger. So where do you suppose all the trash go? Some people already are living on reclaimed garbage dump or next to garbage locations, and are drowned by flies and stinking odor. You might not have this problem but it will sooner or later be in your backyard, front yard and side yard.

You have to seriously evaluate this. A household of 4 people should not average more than 1/2 regular size grocery bag of garbage per day. If you have more than this, you probably are wasting and doing something wrong.

وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿٣١

...And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).

[Qur'an A‘raf 7:31]

كُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثْمَرَ وَءَاتُوا۟ حَقَّهُۥ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِۦ ۖ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿١٤١

...And waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).

[Qur'an An‘aam 6:141]

When I look at the trash out there, disposables, plastic and paper products comprise much of the trash.

Use cloth napkins or kitchen towels instead of paper towels and tissue paper. Where were the days when you see men with a handkerchief in their pockets? You don't see that anymore. Use washables (like cups, plates) instead of disposables, even when you entertain a lot of guests. It will take more time to clean but it is worth it. You are helping saving the environment. Too much trash is a bigger problem than too much gray water.

Another type of trash is leftover food. This is sad when we remember those people who are starving to death. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Next time you throw away leftovers, make sure you fast the next day so you will be more conscious about not cooking too much or storing too much food items that they went bad and end up in the garbage dumps.

Prepare food in sensible quantities that your family can finish at a single sitting -- leftovers will quickly become a liability. Cook less than normal. Remember it doesn't take much to fill up a third of the stomach. We should accustom ourselves to not eat to our fill or beyond our fill because this is not Sunnah and not healthy. Eating less than a full stomach, not only is it a form of worship because we are following the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, we also will find our body more healthy, feel lighter and so easier to do more worship, like waking up at night to pray tahajjud. A believer don't eat based on desires and gluttony.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath.

[Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah]

The believer eats with one stomach while the kafir eats with seven stomachs.

[Bukhari and Muslim]

Below are more tips to help you reduce your trash.

1) Think about whether you really need that item before you buy it. Can you make do with something you already have? The more you buy, the more trash you will create, so if you can make the items you already own do double duty, you will create less trash in the long run.

2) Do not buy overpackaged products

Don't buy things packaged in individual serving sizes. Buy one larger bottle instead of four or eight smaller ones.

Buy one larger container instead of many smaller ones. Since you are paying for less packaging and shipping, you may also pay less by buying in bulk.

Ask your butcher to wrap your meat in peach paper only, then attach the price on top to keep the paper folded. Peach paper is a strong, water and oil proof meat wrapping paper normally used to split stages of meat inside a styrofoam tray. It is available in rolls or in sheet.

Buy fresh, unpacked, fruits and vegetables.

Buy grains, pasta and dried fruit in bulk.

Look at whether the package is recyclable in your area before you buy

3) Use your own bags when you go grocery shopping. Both paper and plastic bags do the environment little good.

Bring a canvas bag with you to the store.

Ask that store clerks not bag items that have their own handles (milk, bottled laundry detergent) or already have bags (produce) or packages (cereal). Often, the package an item comes in is just as convenient as putting that package in another bag.

Ask for no bags if you only bought items that you can easily carry or if the items are going straight from cart to car to kitchen.

Pack your purchases yourself. You can pack them your own way and save time and bags.

If you cannot avoid getting a plastic bag from the store re use it as a trash bag for the bathroom, bedroom or kid's room.

4) Go Paperless! Paper constitutes about 30% of average American's garbage.

Don't print things if you can see them on screen.

Receive and process bank statements, pay stubs, bills, and many other documents entirely electronically.

Avoid collecting brochures and flyers. Were you going to read them, anyway?

Use reusable gift bags. You can even make your own out of fabric

5) Stop your junk mail. A few phone calls can work wonders. It will save you time, clutter, and quite possibly money, too.

6) Purchase used products from garage sales, classified ads, or anywhere else they are available. You'll save money and reduce the demand for new products. Buying used is a direct form of recycling.

7) Choose to reuse.

Use fabric napkins instead of paper napkins or paper towels. Find two or three per member of your family (hint: thrift stores and garage sales are a great source). If they don't all match and they're not too dirty, family members can use them for more than one meal.

Pack a waste-free lunch. Use a lunchbox, not a paper bag.

Use reusable food containers instead of plastic bags or prepackaged drinks, both in your lunch box and at home. If you do use plastic zipper bags for food storage, you can wash and reuse them several times. Don't reuse bags that contained meat.

Avoid using paper plates, paper or plastic tablecloths, and plastic, disposable flatware.

Use a washcloth instead of a disposable face wipe.

Use fabric, not paper, towels, in the kitchen and bathroom.

Clean with terry towels instead of paper towels or wipes.

Some cloth diapers have evolved. Use cloth diapers, at least when you are at home. Wash the diapers instead of throwing them away.

8) Use less.
Buy only as much of something as you know you can use before it spoils. This may mean a one-week supply of perishable foods.

Cut dryer sheets, paper towels, tissues, and other things into smaller pieces if you do not need the whole thing.

Empty the trash without replacing the liner, unless the liner is heavily soiled. Separating out especially messy trash, such as vegetable scraps for compost, will keep liners usable for longer. Reuse grocery bags for trash can liners wherever possible.

Use only as much soap and detergent as you really need. Open your washer during the cycle. If the water feels slippery, and (in a top-loader) looks sudsy, try cutting back just a bit on the amount of detergent you use, regardless of what the cup says. See how little shampoo and dish soap you really need, too. Many products are very concentrated and, past a certain point, more soap does not mean cleaner.

Cook at home. Raw ingredients often come with less packaging than prepared, boxed foods.

9) Compost and mulch your garden with what you grow there. It will cut down your yard and vegetable waste tremendously (often around 15% of the waste that households produce and it will improve your soil and your garden without the use of chemical fertilizer. If you can use mostly materials you were producing anyway, such as grass clippings and fallen leaves, you will also save many trips to the nursery or hardware store to buy mulch and soil.

10) Borrow, lend, rent, and share. If you and your neighbor both do your own gardening, do you each need your own lawnmower? Could you rent a tiller (or pickup truck) for the one week in spring when you really need it?

11) Maintain and repair instead of replacing. Don't throw out your vacuum cleaner if it isn't picking up. Check the bag and the belt and make sure the hoses are free of clogs.

12) Buy for durability. Whenever possible, choose a product that you will use for a long time and be able to maintain and repair should it be necessary. It may cost a bit more up front, but it will save waste and money in the long run.
Durability goes for style and fashion, too. It's not always possible to tell before buying something how soon it will be hopelessly out of date, but it is usually possible to buy simple, classic styles that you like and can wear or display in your home for a long time.

13) One useful strategy is to try to reduce the weight, volume, and odor of the trash that you generate. Choose cans over bottles, and reusable containers over both.

14) Separate recyclable items so it is easy for those who collect them, or you can take them to recycle centers yourself.

15) Do not burn things -- the fumes can be toxic.

16) Use waste container with a tight-fitting lid, and secure it so it doesn't topple over and invite flies and rodents.

17) Most importantly of all, don't be a litter bug. Leaving no trash is much easier if you don't let it hit the ground in the first place!

Don't worry if you are alone in this. We are not expected to save the world alone, but we can do something to save our own souls, by showing our gratitude to Allah for the environment He created for us. And that is by doing the best you can, taking every means you can, to protect it and not waste it.

May Allah give us tawfiq (success). Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam