10 Ways to Reduce Your Garbage Output

10 Ways to Reduce Your Garbage Output

Many of us are charged per bag or pound of garbage we make. Lots of us are also simply concerned about generating too much trash and want to stop doing so. There are some people in this country who generate no trash! But how do we get there? Here are ten ways we can at least start to reduce how much garbage we put out each week.

10. Buy in Bulk When Appropriate

This often means less packaging (as well as cost!). Just assess your own purchases and see which items are better in bulk when you shop.

9. Re-Fill

If you can buy refillable items, such as ink pens and soap dispensers, all the better! Our soap refills come in recyclable pouches that are really easy to use.

8. Don’t Toss Paper

There’s almost always a good use for it! Lay it out to use under painting projects, then use it again as filler for papier mache. Use the back of your paper. If you have tiny pieces left from projects, keep it in a little box or baggie to use as confetti or for collage projects.

7. Choose Recyclable Materials

This one is usually easy enough; just look for the coded for recycling symbol. That said, you also want to check with your recycling plant to make sure they recycle it, too.

6. Don’t Toss Things That are Still Useable

This is a given. Clothing, electronics, baby toys—whatever you’ve got can be sold, traded, donated, or given away.

5. Don’t Use Styrofoam

This is usually our hardest item, since it can’t be recycled. If you go out to eat, bring a container with you for leftovers. It might seem weird at first, but you’ll get the hang of it; it’s just like using reusable bags. See if you can find a coffee or drink source that will let you use refillable cups, too.

4. Use Eco-Friendly Diapers

If you can use washable diapers, go for it! If not, try going for chlorine-free ones. It won’t reduce your output, but it will create a lighter impact. You can also dump out fecal matter into the toilet rather than putting it into the trash.

3. Go Paperless

If you can, get e-statements and bills rather than paper ones to cut down on the amount you have to toss.

2. Re-Use

We rarely toss toilet paper tubes in our home because they come in handy for so many projects and other uses, from bird feeders to these cool poinsettia crafts.

1. Don’t Throw Food Away

We throw away about a third of what we buy, which is just unbelievable! When I was a kid, I used to tell everyone that a starving child would be happy to eat the rest of that food (of course, this led me to eat past when I was full, which was a bad, lasting habit…), and I still maintain that. You can compost food, save it for later, make a plate for an elderly neighbor, invite friends over to eat… There are so many solutions to this one that there are just very few excuses for throwing food away.