July 01, 2026

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25 EASY WAYS TO WASTE LESS

Take a look inside your dustbin. There's the bunch of coriander that turned slimy in the fridge drawer, the online delivery box wrapped in layers of plastic, the half-used notebook nobody wants to throw away and the takeaway cutlery that no one used. Most of us know that waste is a growing problem. We see overflowing bins, hear about mountains of garbage in our cities and worry about plastic pollution. Yet reducing waste often feels overwhelming. The good news? Waste reduction doesn't require perfection. In fact, the low-waste life is largely about paying attention. It's about noticing what enters your home, using what you buy more thoughtfully and preventing useful things from becoming rubbish too soon.

RESCUE ON THE ELK RIVER

Even in Alabama, late March is early in the year for fishing, but this was 31-year-old Caleb Bennett's third outing of the season. It was midmorning on Good Friday, 29 March 2024, when he loaded his 10-foot kayak into his pickup and drove, fittingly enough, to where Easter Ferry Road crosses the Elk River, about 25 minutes from his home in Athens, Alabama. His was the only vehicle parked at the outof-the-way boat launch, a simple clearing surrounded by empty woods. From the concrete boat ramp jutting out of the steep riverbank downstream from the parking area, it was a clear view 100 feet upstream to the bridge over the river.Bennett had the day off work from his job as a warehouse manager and distribution dispatcher for an industrial supply company. His plan was to cruise upstream past the bridge until he found a creek mouth, fish it for bass, catfish or crappie for a couple of hours, then hurry home to catch his four-year-old daughter's T-ball game that afternoon.The water temperature was just over 10 degrees, and the day was sunny, around 15 degrees. That was a nice change after the rainy weather the week before, which had swollen the river and amplified its current, visible against the opposite bank some 160 feet away. On the shore, Bennett loaded the kayak with three rods and reels, bait, a tackle box and a fish finder. At the stern, he attached a small trolling motor.Something was missing, though-- he'd forgotten his outriggers at home. Normally he'd fasten them, pontoonlike, on either side of the little kayak to improve its stability. He looked out at the muddy river. Its surface was smooth, but sticks and leaves rushed past in the current. He'd have to be extra careful.A burly man standing six foot three and weighing over 108 kgs, Bennett eased himself into the boat, started the motor and pushed off, angling upriver toward the far bank, which was less obstructed by overhanging branches and debris. He'd gotten most of the way across when a confusion of currents-- probably caused by the supports of the bridge--began spinning him around.Uh-oh, he thought. This is probably not a good idea.Working the tiller, he pulled the kayak out of its spin and nosed it upriver. But almost immediately, it fell into another spin.OK, this is definitely not a good idea. Let's head back.He pointed the kayak back toward the boat launch, but a crosscurrent broadsided him, and the little craft flipped. One second he'd been sitting upright; the next he was submerged in the shockingly cold, steadily moving water.For 40-year-old John Reinhardt to have ended up at that same spot on the Elk