by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: May 07, 2009

Most households create far more waste than necessary. It is imperative that everyone begins to cut back on the amount of waste that is going into our landfills. In order to do this, you can start with the everyday trash that is put into our own trash cans.

Here are some tips to help reduce household waste:

Recycling

This is a mainstream solution today. Buy products that contain packaging that can be recycled. Aluminum, glass and things such as newspapers can be recycled. Most trash companies give you options so that you don't have to go to a great deal of extra work. Keep these items separate and have them recycled.

There are other bonuses associated with recycling. You can get a little cash back by taking aluminum cans to a recycling center that will give you cash back for those items. This works great for ink cartridges as well. Buying printers that have recyclable cartridges will allow you turn in those cartridges to places such as Staples. You will ten receive a discount on your next purchase.

Unnecessary Packaging

Fruits and vegetables can be bought with absolutely no packaging. They don't need it and neither do you. Avoid buying these items if they are packaged. Buy loose produce to avoid having to throw away excess garbage. Tomatoes, potatoes, apples or nearly any other type of produce can be bought in the loose form.

Share

You don't have to throw away everything. Share old books, magazines, clothing and furnishing. Give these items to someone else to use so that it doesn't end up in the landfill. These types of items can be passed many times before they are ready to head for the dump. There are many people who would appreciate the use of something that you no longer have a use for. If you don't know someone who could use it, take it to the Goodwill where it will definitely get used. For old books and such, many libraries take donations of old books to help keep their shelves stocked.

Find Other Uses

Many items that we throw away can be reused for other purposes. Old milk cartons can be used for several different things, for instance. You can use them to make bird feeders, clean paint brushes or to grow plants from seeds. Old clothing can be used to make quilts or possibly rags to clean your home. There are a variety of ways to use old containers so that they don't end up in landfills.

Batteries

Use rechargeable batteries. Batteries are overflowing in the landfills. This is completely unnecessary. Buying rechargeable batteries can save you a lot of money as well. Many products today come with rechargeable batteries, such as cameras, but other items such as toys don't. If you spend the extra bit of money to get a recharger and rechargeable batteries, you save in the long run and so does the environment.

Drop the Spring Water

Spring water used to be promoted as a healthy alternative to supposedly bad water. It is now known that the plastic bottles that contain the water are unhealthy. It is also well-known that these bottles take up a tremendous amount of space in the garbage load. If you feel the need for cleaner water, install a filtering system on your tap. If you simply can't give up the bottled water, have the water delivered in large bottles. The plastic bottles produced for water consumption lay in the landfill forever. These do not break down, ever.

We must learn how to cut down on our household waste in order to save the environment. Everyone seems to be going green and this is a great way to start. Free yourself from more trips to the garbage can than necessary. Save the environment for the future.

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