Four Ways That Your Family Can Cut Down On Its Household Waste
Posted on: 8 March 2016
In today's environmentally conscious age, it's vitally important for everyone household to take steps to reduce its waste. Beyond benefiting the environment, doing so can have other immediate benefits -- you'll have fewer garbage bins to drag to the curb each week and, if you live in an area that requires you to pay for trash disposal beyond a certain limit, you'll actually save money. To reduce your overall household waste, it's effective to get the entire family involved. Here are four different ways to achieve this goal.
Donate What You Can
It's easy to get into the habit of throwing things out without evaluating whether they might have value for someone else. Before you put something in your garbage bin, assess whether it could benefit an individual or group in your community. For example, old clothing can be donated to a charity for the homeless, old bedding can often be given to an animal shelter, and craft activities or board games can be accepted by a youth organization. Each step you take in this regard can greatly reduce what you carry to the curb.
Be Smart About Grocery Shopping
At the supermarket, it can be easy to buy more than you need -- especially if you're tempted by the value of buying in large quantities. The reality is that this value is erased if you can't finish the food before it spoils and you have to throw some out. It's a good practice to accurately assess your family's grocery needs and adjust your shopping accordingly. If you find that you're left with perishable items at the end of the week that you have to throw out, you're likely buying too much.
Buy Items That Have A Longer Life
When you're shopping for items for your home, look for those that will last as long as possible. Buying these items means that they won't be added to your trash for a long time. For example, buy rechargeable batteries that you can continue to reuse or LED lights that last longer than their incandescent counterparts. In some cases, buying a product that costs a little more means that it's of a higher quality and less likely to break prematurely.
Use Reusable Products
Some of the items that you use and discard daily can be swapped for similar products that can be reused. For example, instead of using paper tissues, buy some handkerchiefs for blowing your nose. Plastic and glass containers for your lunch and leftovers are preferable to plastic bags and you can even buy coffee filters that are reusable.
For more tips, contact a company like Mountain Waste & Recycling.
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