Reduce & Reuse Tips and Other Reasons to Recycle

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Reduce & Reuse Tips and Other Reasons to Recycle Recycling, alone, will not ease the reducing landfill space. It is generally reported that even a recycling rate of 35% will only maintain a "status quo" with waste generated due to population growth. The EPA defines it as reducing at the source the amount of material we produce as a society that eventually gets discarded as garbage. Reducing is the first step in waste management and the most important. Rather than looking for ways to recycle all our waste, it's much more efficient - and a lot cheaper - to reduce our waste at the source. If you don't make garbage, you don't have to figure out how to deal with it! We'll always produce some waste that will require disposal. But the amount can decrease significantly if we remember the 3Rs -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. First, reduce the amount of waste you generate; for example, bring your own shopping bags to the store and buy minimally packaged articles. Then, reuse what you can; perhaps you could buy milk in glass bottles and return them to the store. Finally, recycle whatever materials that are accepted by your hauler. Here are some general, common sense-type tips. If you have any tips of your own, please let us know. By simply considering certain things before making purchases, will greatly reduce the number of items which will need to be disposed. -- Avoid purchasing disposable goods such as paper towels and disposable razors -- Buy in bulk when possible and use your own container -- Buy products made with minimal or recyclable packaging -- Buy products packaged in materials which are recyclable, such as eggs in cardboard cartons, versus polystyrene cartons; ketchup in glass bottles, not squeezable containers -- Avoid plastic packaging which cannot be recycled -- Use concentrated products such as powdered detergent rather than liquids in plastic bottles -- Buy products made with recycled materials -- Bring your own bags to the store -- Carry a reusable mug -- Use the library -- Make double-sided copies -- Use one-sided paper for scratch paper and note pads -- Use rechargeable batteries -- Use long-life fluorescent light bulbs -- Voice your product packaging preferences to store managers and business owners -- Rethink, "Do I really need this item?" -- Consider a new product's expected durability and ease of repair in addition to its purchase price when you are shopping -- Leave the grass clippings on the lawn