You could get around with a normal file share service (assuming you already are using one) via tinyurl or similar redirect. I don’t know how much the free services track you or if they have other security implications, but I have couple of domains laying around and it would be pretty trivial to just create HTTP redirect from “class-a.up.mydomain.foo” to my nextcloud upload link.

it will waste less space in the recycling bin

In here pretty much every bottle and can for beverages has a deposit included in them. 0,10€ for small (<1l I think) plastic bottles, 0,15€ for cans. They’re included in the shelf price and when you bring them back to the recycling you’ll get your deposit back. Then the recycling machine crushes all to pallets and they’re hauled to a factory which then makes new stuff out of the plastic and aluminium.

No need to throw them away. In here the return rate is >90% and even if you don’t care about the few coins it’s common to leave the empty bottles on top of or next to a recycling bin where others can pick them up and return.

Or, if you’re using only one or few distributions you can preseed the image and have the installer do the stuff for you.

That’s something along the lines I do as well, but your methods are far more in depth than mine. I just glance around documentations, how active the development is and get a rough idea if the thing is just a single person hobby-project or something which has a bit more momentum.

And it of course also depends on if I’m looking for solutions just for myself or is it for others and spesifically if it’s work related. But full audits? No. There’s no way my lifetime would be enough to audit everything I use and even with infinite time I don’t have the skills to do that (which of course wouldn’t be an issue if I had infinite time, but I don’t see that happening).