November Permie Corner

Previous Permie Corner articles and resources can be found here

By Lorraine Sharaf

Between the feasting of Thanksgiving, the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, and December’s flood of gifts and decorations, November offers the perfect moment to pause—and introduce the Sixth Permaculture Principle: Produce No Waste.

🪱 Icon: The Earthworm — Nature’s Recycler

In nature, nothing goes to waste. Every leaf, shell, and seedpod becomes food or shelter for something else. The Produce No Waste principle reminds us to design gardens that keep materials cycling—like earthworms turning scraps into fertile soil.

Originally, this principle’s icon was the Ouroboros—a snake eating its own tail—symbolizing infinity and renewal. As permaculture co-founder David Holmgren said, “Waste is just a resource in the wrong place.”

The Culture of Waste

Modern systems often act like one-way streets: we extract resources, use them briefly, and throw them away. Unlike nature’s circular patterns, our economy thrives on continual consumption. We’ve all heard, “It’s cheaper to replace it than repair it.” Convenience and abundance have made waste seem normal—but it doesn’t have to be. Not all Americans live this way, and a growing movement of individuals, communities, and cities are working to change it through repair, reuse, composting, and circular design.

Around the world, many other cultures, including many rural and indigenous people in America, maintain a closer relationship with materials and possessions. In many places, repairing, repurposing, or sharing goods is a common practice rooted in tradition, necessity, or respect for resources. These models remind us that “waste” is a human invention, and that we can interrupt the throwaway cycle by learning from both nature and each other.

Global Perspectives

Different cultures hold vastly different relationships with possessions and waste:

• Japan: Concepts like mottainai (regret over waste) and kintsugi (repairing broken pottery with gold) honor the beauty and longevity of objects.
• Many African and Asian cultures: Strong repair economies, hand-me-down traditions, and resource conservation stem from both necessity and cultural values.
• Scandinavian countries: Global leaders in circular-economy policies and repair culture, designing systems that reduce waste before it’s created.
• Cuba: Decades of scarcity have fostered remarkable creativity in reuse, repair, and innovation.

These examples remind us that “waste” is not inevitable—it’s a cultural choice. The real question becomes: Can we learn from nature and from each other to design human systems that are regenerative rather than extractive?

Real-World Example

In Brazil, farmers are spreading basalt dust from construction quarries over their fields. This “waste” rock powder releases nutrients as it breaks down, feeding crops while capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere. What construction companies once discarded now regenerates farmland—a perfect example of closing the loop between industries and turning waste into life.

Observing the Flow

Return to the first principle: Observe and Interact. Watch how sun, water, soil, and living things interact with each other and with you. Notice where resources enter and where they’re lost. A shady spot with airflow might be perfect for compost, and fallen leaves can mulch your garden beds instead of leaving your property.

When we design our gardens as living cycles, “waste” disappears. Every output becomes an input for something else—turning problems into solutions, waste into food, and bringing the first six principles full circle with less trash, lower costs, richer soil, and a deeper connection to how nature really works.

✨ When we slow down and work with nature’s patterns, we begin to see that waste doesn’t exist—only untapped potential.

Practical Ways to Apply “Produce No Waste” in Your Garden

🪱 1. Close the Loop with Compost

Turn kitchen scraps and garden trimmings into rich soil instead of sending them to the landfill.

• Set up a compost bin or pile near your garden for easy access. If possible, place it slightly uphill so nutrient-rich rainwater runoff seeps toward your plants.
• Layer “greens” (fruit peels, coffee grounds, grass clippings) with “browns” (dry leaves, shredded paper, straw).
• In small spaces, try indoor vermicomposting—worms make great roommates! https://urbanwormcompany.com/vermicomposting-ultimate-guide-beginner-expert/

🌿 2. Reuse Materials On-Site

Before throwing anything out, ask: Can this serve another purpose?

• Use fallen branches or pruned limbs as borders for raised beds.
• Stack stones or broken concrete into retaining walls or insect habitats.
• Turn old pallets into vertical planters or compost bins.
• Use an old window for a cold frame: https://savvygardening.com/build-a-diy-cold-frame-using-an-old-window
• Repurpose plastic nursery pots to start seeds or share them with neighbors and garden clubs.
• Create a small “salvage corner” in your shed for future projects—mine holds bricks, fireplace tiles, wood offcuts, broken pottery, and even single earrings that may one day decorate a garden steppingstone.

💧 3. Capture and Reuse Water

Every drop counts—especially during hot, unpredictable summers.

• Install rain barrels at gutter downspouts to collect roof runoff.
• Channel overflow into swales (shallow ditches) that slow and spread water through your garden.
• Use mulch and drip irrigation to reduce evaporation.
• Grow moisture-loving plants like elderberry or bee balm in naturally damp areas.

🍂 4. Feed the Soil, Not the Trash Can

Keep organic matter cycling back into the earth.

• Use chopped leaves, straw, or grass clippings as mulch, and leave leaves under trees for insects and soil life.

• Bring excess leaves to township drop-off points. See our Leaf Recycling Guide.

• Let some plants die back in place—their roots feed soil microbes as they decompose.
• Collect coffee grounds from cafés or spent grain from breweries to enrich your compost.

🪴 5. Design for Durability

Choose long-lasting materials and perennial plants to reduce replacement and waste.

• Build with stone, cedar, or recycled metal instead of plastics.
• Grow perennials like asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, and rosemary that regrow each year.
• Invest in quality tools you can repair instead of replacing.
• Maintain a simple tool-care station—learn how to sharpen and oil your tools here.

Last year, I swapped out the deteriorating wooden frames on my raised beds for bluestone slabs—durable, beautiful, and easy to repurpose later. With a little care, they’ll last for decades.

In Daily Life

In permaculture, the goal isn’t just to recycle. It’s to design systems that prevent waste from being created in the first place. Purchase items that are well-made and care for them and the possessions that you already have; learn to up style clothes, jewelry, and furniture.

• Choose reusables over disposables—cloth bags, refillable bottles, cloth towels, and glass containers.
• Repair, share, and repurpose—explore iFixit, Repair Café, The Restart Project, or the Buy Nothing Project. https://www.ifixit.com/, https://buynothingproject.org/
• Buy less, choose better—invest in durable goods, buy secondhand first, and favor quality over quantity. https://upcyclemystuff.com/upcycling-clothes-the-ultimate-guide-for-beginners/; https://furnitureflippa.com/how-to-refinish-furniture/

👉 Try this week: Before tossing something, pause and ask, “Could this serve another purpose?” You may be surprised by how many small ways you can keep materials in use—and out of the landfill.

🪴 November Permaculture Tips (Southeastern PA)

Plant bare-root fruit trees, shrubs, and berry bushes while soil is workable but before a hard freeze.

• Inspect trees and shrubs for damaged limbs and prune lightly as needed.
• Leave seed heads and grasses standing for birds to feed and shelter in over winter.
• Review and maintain your tools—sharpen, oil, and store them dry to extend their life. https://www.mastergardenersd.org/garden-tool-care/

🐦 For the Birds

• Keep seed heads and grasses standing because birds rely on them for winter food and shelter.
• Provide water that stays unfrozen with a heated birdbath or shallow dish. Leave brush piles, log piles, or dense shrubs as safe havens for roosting and predator cover.
• Learn more: Audubon PA – Bird-Friendly Habitat Tips