Easy Tips to Help You Reduce, Recycle, Reuse
The problem of managing mountains of waste may seem overwhelming, but experts note there are easy ways for consumers to make a difference every day.
"Old habits might die hard, like forgetting to recycle a soda can or newspaper, but the good news is, there are many simple ways to cut down on waste, from buying concentrated household products to buying in bulk," says environmental expert Kim Carlson.
Carlson offers the following tips to help consumers reduce, recycle and reuse waste:
* Keep it loose. Buy screwdrivers, nails and other hardware items in loose bins. At the grocery store, choose produce that is not in prepackaged containers.
* Bring your own bag. Reuse bags and containers. Keep a supply of bags on hand for future shopping trips, or take your own canvas tote bag to the grocery store.
* Consider concentrated detergent. Concentrated products often require less packaging, resulting in less energy to transport to the store and less plastic to recycle. All small & mighty is a new concentrated laundry detergent (one 32-ounce bottle cleans as many loads as the regular 100-ounce bottle). In addition to less packaging, the formula contains 74 percent less water than regular detergent.
* Choose to reuse. Reach for reusable products such as cloth napkins, sponges or dishcloths instead of paper towels.
* Recharge and renew. Use rechargeable batteries and recycle old batteries to help reduce garbage and keep toxic metals out of the environment.
* Buy smart. Look for long-lasting, energy-saving appliances with the Energy Star label and electronic equipment with good warranties.
* Get crafty. Reuse scrap paper and envelopes. Save and reuse ribbons, tissue paper, gift boxes and even wrapping paper. Save cardboard boxes, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects.
* Think thrifty. Donate clothing to charity organizations or sell the items in consignment shops, fairs, bazaars or tag sales. Also, share hand-me-down clothes with family members and neighbors.
Why Reduce is the most efficient waste management
Imagine that if at the grocery store the person bagging your purchases left empty, unused spaces in each bag causing you to carry 10 instead of 5 bags out to your car then into your home. You would be investing some extra time, energy and space when it was unnecessary. Now transfer that thought to the waste and recycling industry. Instead of filling a trash bag or bin with large empty spaces, we can all do some simple acts to help keep transportation costs down while reducing fossil fuel consumption and saving ourselves some time and money.
The flattening of boxes greatly increases space efficiency in a bin. This does not just apply to cardboard boxes, but also includes any paperboard (cereal or pet food) ones as well. Crushing cans before recycling is much more easily done if it is possible to remove both the top and bottom lids first. Foil products are easily flattened by hand.
Periodically crush your garbage bag down to its true size – you will find that it does not need to be placed on the curb as often. Fewer trips to the dump means less fossil fuel consumed and reduced curbside idling – idling is known to be terribly inefficient and more polluting than vehicles on the move. Garbage collection fees are more easily maintained by the company due to reduced costs per bag, and some companies even offer a discount for those who produce less waste. Also worth noting is that the household will go through fewer plastic garbage bags.
Some kitchen waste disposal units tend to put unnecessary pressure on overtaxed sewage plants. A much better option is to practice composting or vermiculture methods instead. Composting organic waste reduces household trash by approximately 30%. Go one step further by reusing various plastic bags to isolate smelly meat, bones and pet waste. By controlling odors in the garbage, the bag will not have to be put out on the curb as often.
So, imagine that if your waste and recycling was now half the size that it typically was before. That means in theory the waste pickup service would decrease costs by 50%, the landfill would be receiving half of what it used to, fewer trips to the recycling depot, less pollution…
Well you get the picture. It is easy to make a difference and we can all start at home. Right where we are.
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