A few years ago I came across an article in Family Circle magazine that so astonished me I kept it. It was in the March 13, 2001 issue, an article written by Marie Sherlock entitled "No More Trash". Ms. Sherlock reported that the Cohens of Columbus Ohio had reduced their household garbage to 7 pounds per week. The average per family at that time was 70 pounds per week.
However, the discussion I want to make today is not about how much trash we produce, but how often we toss things that might have life in them and to seriously look at what we throw away.
It is such a delicate area really, this balance between saving what might be reused and reaching the level of a hoarder. I've been saving cardboard boxes and packaging for the purpose of using to make lasagna garden beds. You can read a synopsis of the method here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2057315_do-lasagna-gardening.html