simple ways to reduce waste!
Many of us are conditioned to be 'good' consumers, buying and discarding as fast as our wallets allow. As ingrained as they are in our culture, these habits result in a lot of unnecessary waste! Being mindful about how you use and dispose of products at home or in the office makes the Earth and your bank account happy. So, step one is consume only what you need (reduce), step two is buy used whenever possible (reuse), and step three is recycle what you need to discard (recycle). 
Here is a compilation of great tips for reducing waste in your home and office:
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Avoid disposable items whenever possible.
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Choose durable products that can be used again and again.
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Use the blank sides of scrap paper for notes and lists before recycling the paper.
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Print letters and reports on both sides of the paper and set the default switch on your photocopier to double-sided.
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Use e-mail instead of paper memos and reduce the number of messages you print out.
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Post or circulate materials rather than copying one for each person. Share training manuals and internal documents.
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Eliminate printer and fax cover sheets.
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Buy copier paper with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content
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Save plastic produce bags and paper or plastic grocery bags for reuse
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Carry a cloth or string bag to use when you shop.
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Buy in bulk whenever possible; take your own bag or container when possible.
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Pack lunches in reusable containers to reduce waste and save money.
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Choose products with minimal packaging or packaging that can be reused or recycled easily.
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Carry a reusable cup or mug for beverages to avoid disposable cups.
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Borrow books from the library or buy them used rather than purchasing them new.
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Repair broken or damaged items rather than replacing them.
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Donate items you can no longer use to a nonprofit group or thrift store.
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Purchase quality used items such as furniture, clothing, sports equipment, toys and books at second-hand stores, garage sales and through classified ads.
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Compost leaves and grass clippings in a home compost pile and kitchen scraps in a worm bin. Use the compost to improve your garden or feed houseplants.
Those of you who work in offices will have to enlist the help of your colleagues to green your office, but it is well worth the effort! Below are 10 tips from the Canadian government for reducing office waste - even implementing a few of these ideas can make a difference:
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Know Your Waste - Understanding what your wastes are and how much waste your company is generating will help you to develop the most cost effective, waste reduction program.
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Keep up-to-date with existing provincial and municipal legislation concerning solid waste management. You must ensure that all banned materials are being diverted from your garbage.
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Educate everyone in the organization about your waste management system. Employees need to know what is expected of them. Include information on solid waste management and policies, and provide hands-on training in orientation sessions with new staff. Reinforce the message regularly.
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High Staff turnover? It is particularly important to provide extensive amounts of education and training to employees. The key is to make separation easier, by simplifying separation procedures as much as possible.
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If you have customers and suppliers that access your waste containers, you may need to educate them on recycling and composting to reduce contamination (this may simply be posting information for these groups near the bins).
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Consider arranging tours for your staff to composting or recycling plants. This may trigger employees to be more interested in your programs.
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Use proceeds from refundable materials, like beverage containers, to go to staff for a staff function or a staff sports team, or to buy supplies for the lunchroom. The money may be donated to a charity of the staff's choice. Charities and organizations are often willing to collect refundables on a regular schedule from businesses.
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Reward individual employees (or departments) for "contaminant-free" recyclables/organics. Offer incentives such as small gift certificates to good performers.
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Create contests to maintain interest in the program.
If recycling seems like a hassle, consider these reasons why recycling is important (from the EPA):
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Recycling protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness
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Recycling reduces the need for landfilling and incineration
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Recycling prevents pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin materials
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Recycling saves energy
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Recycling decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change
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Recycling conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals
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Recycling helps sustain the environment for future generations
If we fail to take steps toward reducing waste, and continue to embrace "perpetual growth", we and our children are left to grapple with consequences like environmental destruction, poverty, and hunger, even amongst immensely wealthy communities. So, why not do your part to curb these trends?
I'm sure that many of you already do most of these things... But I hope that this inspires newbies!
Let me know how you avoid waste, and if you have any tips to add to the lists above!
22 comments
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We are lucky to live in Denver, CO, excellent residential recycling program. I compost as much as I can, and my goal is- only one large trash bag per week for the fam (4 peeps 2 dogs, one cat). I usually meet this goal, but sometimes it inevitably becomes 2 bags. I also use Shaklee cleaning products, super green, safe, saving 1oo's of bottles of waste every year. http://sunnyside.myshaklee.com/us/en/whynow_green.html
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I remember not even 15 yrs ago when there weren,t even recycle bins, hard to believe! My hubby & I fill a bin of paper & a bin of plastic/metal EVERY WK easily, sometimes more. Keep it up you lovely kind lifers! My latest efforts are at the restaraunt I work at, when I marry the condiments I rinse & recycle all the jars. This is A LOT of glass/plastic! If u know waitresses/ bussers get them onboard!!!
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I do a lot of what's listed in the article. Sadly, the State of Florida does not have a mandatory recycling program. With that said, at work, we don't know if our recycled bin is being emptied properly. There's no watchdog to check this out.
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I am amazed at how when something is prevalent in my life, it is also important for others. I had done research for a school paper," RECYCLE" in doing so came across a very interesting and thought provoking video. "The story of stuff" by Anne Leonard. It brings an awareness to all or our of our habits as consumers. What do you think?
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My husband and I will be using cloth diapers & cloth wipes with our baby who is due in November... and everyone thinks we're completely nuts! We have to do laundry regardless, so it just makes sense.
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I always buy my clothes at Goodwill. This started out of necessity as I could not afford brand new clothes. Trying to shop at a department stores is not fun for me. There is too many identical items which makes them lose appeal. I like going to Goodwill and finding the gem in the rack!
Love,
Sarah
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I shudder each time I see something among the shopping list that produces more trash than it does useable material, but I'm often lost as to the options that will help me correct my behavior. We hire a recycler for our building, but they don't process much of our waste because of the low ROI for them.
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Great ideas!!!
One simple but important thing we do is to think about the end of every item at its beginning. How long will we use it? Can it then be sold or reused? If not, what then?
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This is the first year we've had a compost "bin" outside. It's actually just a planter box where we throw all of our kitchen scraps. My husband turns it every few days. We have a vegetable garden and have always failed at growing cilantro. This year, we used only the dirt from the compost bin in the planter box where we planted the cilantro. Our cilantro is growing like crazy!
--Emily Sweet http://www.onesweetvegan.com/
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One thing I wanted to add that I forgot to mention is here in the UK we have a lot of Charity Shops that sell donated items which pretty much cover everything from clothes to the kitchen sink. Great places to 'reuse' and at the same time contribute to a good cause.
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I've started investing in Kilner Jars to avoid plastics. I also keep the glass jars, washing and using again for storage.
I make good use of Freecycle giving unwanted items a second life as well as requesting anything I might need on there also.
I actually hoard and reuse a lot in my artwork as I can't bear to see anything go to waste.
What plastics I do happen to have (alpro yogurt pots for example) I use as again in my art as paint pots for mixing or just to hold the water for cleaning brushes.
Containers from my soya soft cheese I reuse for storing things like buttons and other small items.
If a glass chips or has a minor crack (our curb side collection wont take them) I use them to bring on seeds (avocado for example) or to collect the exese juicer from my dripping juicer.
I've since stopped using single use plastic bottles (I used to drink a lot of bottler water, no I use a water filter) I kept the bottles and got attachments from our local garden centre to make them into makeshift watering cans.
I've taken the pledge to make or buy only handmade/second hand presents as well.
My list could go on and on as I really do go to great lengths to reduce my impact with everything and I am sure there is much more I could still do. It's a constant area of improvement but worth it and very satisfying. -
My husband and I have always used cloth napkins. People always comment on them, but they do not follow this way of living. Whenever we have parties, we use our regular plates and glasses. It is amazing that at the end of a party our recycling bin is full, but our garbage can is not. For gifts recently, we have begun buying custom, vintage napkins from the company snygg (http://www.etsy.com/people/snygg?ref=ls_profile), which can be found through etsy. Inga is great to work with and we have purchased many napkins that are eco friendly because the are made from vintage fabric and because they will save many trees in their lifetime. And... they are all super-cute!
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We always reuse paper that has only been printed on one side and that is what we use for my daughter to draw on...my son even brings this sort of paper home from school for her to use.
We also have a reverse osmosis unit and have water bottles that we refill with the water from our unit.
Thanks for this post...recycling is SO important.
Gretchen
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I love recycling! I think it is a fun way to use and discard of items by taking things to the Goodwill or consignment stores. This way of shopping also is easier on the budget and it is a good thing to reuse items that still have good life to them instead of tossing them in the trash. I have been trying to be more aware of my shopping habits and avoid the compulsive buys as much as possible.
Composting has been a fun project over the years. I enjoy dumping my bucket into my composting pile and covering it in leaves, manure and grass clippings. I am interested in trying a worm bend as I saw it on a recent documentary in an apartment setting. The worms did a great job of eating a lot of stuff, though the only problem in the documentary was it hatched some flies. Ugh! I would not like that, so I think I will find a way to keep it outside year round.
We have recycle bins that we pay about $6 a month for with our trash company and I have encouraged a neighbor to use mine as well since she could not affort the extra money to use it each month. I think it is a great way to get a neighbor involved seeing how much trash can be recycled.
Great list Alicia to encourage people to recycle at home and at the office.
Kind regards,
Rhonda
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After my husband & I watched No Impact Man we stopped buying most paper products like paper towels, napkins, paper plates, etc (we still buy tiolet paper though!) It was weird that we always bought these products and felt like we need them. We don't miss any of these products at all and we save money and create way less trash. I was worried I'd end up doing a lot more laundry but I just throw the cloth napkins in with the towels so it works out. We also used to buy a lot of bottled water but we haven't bought water in over a year. Just another thing we thought we needed but can live perfectly fine without!
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My husband and I always recycle, and try only to put what is truely not recyclable in the garbage. If we didn't live in an apartment building with a teeny, tiny balcony, we'd compost too. One of the main reasons I can't wait for a house of my own!
I also work for an amazing company. They've always had recycle and garbage, but about two months ago, the green team added compost. It was amazing, after a month of doing all three, at the corporate office, the composting program has eliminated 840 pounds of garbage; that adds up to just over 5 tons, or 10,080 pounds, in a year! I can only imagine what it has done across the company.
Last month we also did away with paper-paychecks/stubs and are now 100% paperless across the company. It's so nice to work at a place that care's so much about the environment.
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Good stuff! It's amazing how much more "aware" europeans are about recycling. I have to take my trash to the bins (on a BIKE) and separate glass, plastic, paper and "other" myself! It's crazy, but it's so nice to see people doing it. And @Allie, you're right on girl. I'm WAY happier without all my "stuff" over here :)
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I recycle everything possible. I happen to live where curbside recycling isn't available, so when I go into town, I bring the recycling to one of the county schools that has a public recycling bin. I recycle some of my glass jars as storage containers for grains and seeds. I'm also a stickler for my resusable bags. I found these amazing 'baggu bags' online. They hold a ton and are made of ripstop nylon. I will not leave the house without them! You can find them here:
http://baggubag.com/#Shop
I also found them for a little bit cheaper here:
http://www.paperhop.com/search.php?search_query=baggu&x=0&y=0
I got the 5 pack in GEMS.
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My husband & I are actually not very good consumers but live simple, minimalist lives. One of my recent goals has been to even further reduce our waste. I have been working on & am continuing a series called "Zero Waste" on my blog; though I know it will never actually be zero, it is amazing how much less wasteful we can be with a little conscious effort. Whether making our own dish washing detergent, almond milk or simply taking reusable bags & containers to the store, the little things add up & make big difference.
http://aroadmorebalanced.wordpress.com/category/zero-waste/
http://aroadmorebalanced.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/reduce-recycle-rot/ (intro to my "zero waste" series)
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