Things You Can Do to Shrink Your Waste
Reduce Your Waste Making Potential
Become a more conscious consumer!
The main way to reduce your waste is to limit your purchases to those things you actually need or to the very special items that you may want. It is unrealistic to think that a person will be able to eliminate all buying, but if you truly wish to start reducing your waste to make a positive environmental impact, making more conscious purchases is a great way to start!
The next time you are in a store looking at an item to buy, ask yourself these questions:
Your answers to these questions can tell you if the product is worth buying, or will quickly end up in the waste basket and on its way out to the landfill or incinerator. Many of us buy things without thinking, but asking yourself these and other questions, will help you take a step closer to becoming an environmentally conscious consumer.
There is another benefit to cutting back on purchasing…You save money!
Your answers to these questions can tell you if the product is worth buying, or will quickly end up in the waste basket and on its way out to the landfill or incinerator. Many of us buy things without thinking, but asking yourself these and other questions, will help you take a step closer to becoming an environmentally conscious consumer.
There is another benefit to cutting back on purchasing…You save money!
The main way to reduce your waste is to limit your purchases to those things you actually need or to the very special items that you may want. It is unrealistic to think that a person will be able to eliminate all buying, but if you truly wish to start reducing your waste to make a positive environmental impact, making more conscious purchases is a great way to start!
The next time you are in a store looking at an item to buy, ask yourself these questions:
- Is the product more than a single use item?
- How much do you actually need the product?
- Is the product really worth the money you will pay for it?
- How much packaging will be tossed when you open the product?
- Is the product made from recycled material?
Your answers to these questions can tell you if the product is worth buying, or will quickly end up in the waste basket and on its way out to the landfill or incinerator. Many of us buy things without thinking, but asking yourself these and other questions, will help you take a step closer to becoming an environmentally conscious consumer.
There is another benefit to cutting back on purchasing…You save money!
Your answers to these questions can tell you if the product is worth buying, or will quickly end up in the waste basket and on its way out to the landfill or incinerator. Many of us buy things without thinking, but asking yourself these and other questions, will help you take a step closer to becoming an environmentally conscious consumer.
There is another benefit to cutting back on purchasing…You save money!
Reuse or Repurpose – Old Items Finding Fresh Functions
Don’t throw it away yet!
Reusing items can actually prove better for the environment than recycling. Recycling is great, but still creates some emissions, and uses energy, and fuel. Reusing items saves on all of this, so if you have old items that no longer work for you, don’t just toss them without thought. There may be others that can use them. Good shoes that fit funny…donate them. An old computer that still works…pass on to a family member. Used underwear could be a hard sell, but who knows…The important thing is to think before you throw.
Repurposing items is along the same lines as reusing them. If the item doesn’t work anymore in its original form, change it. An old shirt with a few holes could make for great cleaning rags. An empty glass bottle could make a wonderful vase, especially if you decorate it. Be creative! The possibilities are endless, and who knows…your ideas may just motivate others to try repurposing as well.
Reusing items can actually prove better for the environment than recycling. Recycling is great, but still creates some emissions, and uses energy, and fuel. Reusing items saves on all of this, so if you have old items that no longer work for you, don’t just toss them without thought. There may be others that can use them. Good shoes that fit funny…donate them. An old computer that still works…pass on to a family member. Used underwear could be a hard sell, but who knows…The important thing is to think before you throw.
Repurposing items is along the same lines as reusing them. If the item doesn’t work anymore in its original form, change it. An old shirt with a few holes could make for great cleaning rags. An empty glass bottle could make a wonderful vase, especially if you decorate it. Be creative! The possibilities are endless, and who knows…your ideas may just motivate others to try repurposing as well.
Recycle – It Makes a Difference
Recycle – It Makes a Difference
You have probably heard about it, so now’s your chance to take part!
Let’s start with some stats:
Recycling is essentially the process of taking old products, and transforming them into new usable ones or material that can be used to make new ones. There are a number of products that can be recycled, including certain metals, papers, and plastics. Once you gather them, they can be left for pick-up outside your home if you have curbside service, or you can take a trip to the nearest recycling center. Recycling is a good thing, and while it may take a little extra effort on your part to gather, prepare, and separate your recyclable waste, the environment will thank you.
You have probably heard about it, so now’s your chance to take part!
Let’s start with some stats:
- If every household in the United States recycled a single plastic bottle out of every ten, landfills would be saved from 200 million pounds of plastic per year (City of Fort Myers).
- The scrap value from the 36 billion aluminum cans sent to landfills last year equaled more than $600 million (City of Fort Myers).
- If we recycle one aluminum can, we save enough energy to power “…a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a television for 2 hours” (City of Fort Myers).
Recycling is essentially the process of taking old products, and transforming them into new usable ones or material that can be used to make new ones. There are a number of products that can be recycled, including certain metals, papers, and plastics. Once you gather them, they can be left for pick-up outside your home if you have curbside service, or you can take a trip to the nearest recycling center. Recycling is a good thing, and while it may take a little extra effort on your part to gather, prepare, and separate your recyclable waste, the environment will thank you.
Composting Compostable Waste
So what is composting, and why do it?
Composting is the process where one mixes organic waste materials together, allowing them to decompose into a material that can be added as an improvement agent to soils. On a small scale, the end product can be highly beneficial for your garden, helping suppress plant diseases and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. On a larger scale, the end product can and has been used to facilitate reforestation and wetland restoration, and has also helped increase agricultural crop yield (EPA, 2011). Yeah, composting! With so many benefits who can complain.
One More Benefit...
It reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfills and incinerators.
Ready to start composting? You need to know some of the things that can and can’t be composted.
Compostable
Non-Compostable or Not Recommended
These lists are by no means complete, but they can get you started!
Now you know some of the initial steps to begin the journey of managing your own household waste effectively and conscientiously.
Remember, the fight to manage waste begins in the home!
Composting is the process where one mixes organic waste materials together, allowing them to decompose into a material that can be added as an improvement agent to soils. On a small scale, the end product can be highly beneficial for your garden, helping suppress plant diseases and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. On a larger scale, the end product can and has been used to facilitate reforestation and wetland restoration, and has also helped increase agricultural crop yield (EPA, 2011). Yeah, composting! With so many benefits who can complain.
One More Benefit...
It reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfills and incinerators.
- According to the Environmental Protection Agency, materials such as food waste and yard clippings, that can be composted, make up 24% of the United States’ nonhazardous household waste, or municipal solid waste (MSW) (EPA, 2011).
Ready to start composting? You need to know some of the things that can and can’t be composted.
Compostable
- Cotton Rags
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Wood Chips
- Hair & Fur
- Shredded Newspaper
Non-Compostable or Not Recommended
- Charcoal/Coal – Could release chemicals that are harmful to plants
- Diseased/Insect Ridden Plants – Diseases might survive and transfer to other plants
- Meat/Fish Bones – Not recommended, because it can attract rodents, smell bad, and the oils its cooked in may not breakdown well
These lists are by no means complete, but they can get you started!
Now you know some of the initial steps to begin the journey of managing your own household waste effectively and conscientiously.
Remember, the fight to manage waste begins in the home!