Five Simple Ways to Reduce Waste in Your Home
Do you want to become a more sustainable person in society? Reduce the everyday waste you create? Maybe reduce your carbon footprint, too? I know I do and you should want to, too! These simple steps to reducing waste at home are perfect for those looking to take baby steps toward sustainable living! The road to sustainability can be arduous and maybe even a little daunting, but I promise these basic tips and hacks can truly make a difference to reducing household waste.
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Know the rules of recycling.
I know it can be intimidating to begin recycling (for me, it definitely was). There are so many rules, symbols, and regulations and it can seem hectic. However, the rules are actually very simple to learn and easy to stick with. Make sure you are sorting properly, paying attention to labels, and knowing what to put in your curbside bins and what to keep out. Learn more at http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp
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Start relying on reusable containers.
Something my mom taught me while growing up was to utilize reusable containers at home. My mom always stores food in jars and other reusable, washable containers. Save the jars from pasta sauces, jellies, and more to reuse later. Head over to your local Wholefoods or Sprouts and buy loose food items, such as beans or pasta to store in your saved jars. This also makes me so happy because it keeps my pantry looking like Joanna Gaines organized it.
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Cancel unnecessary mail.
I don’t know about you, but my mailbox is always full of unnecessary magazines, catalogs, coupons, and ads. It takes up space in my house and always creates extra waste. Some advice? Cancel all of it! This will save some trees while reducing waste at home. An added bonus is a clutter free junk drawer.
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Stop using disposable kitchenware.
I know. Washing dishes is the absolute worst sometimes, but it is so worth it with the amount of waste that paper plates and plastic silverware create. Reduce waste and wash some dishes! Also, many dish soaps, like Dawn, donate to animals affected by oil spills to help clean them up and rehabilitate them. Another reason to get your hands dirty!
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Ditch plastic bags.
Plastic bags take 20 to 1,000 years to decompose. They also make up 10% of the trash that litters American coastlines. There is an easy solution to these problems and that is to ditch plastic bags entirely. Reusable shopping bags are very cheap and can last a very long time. They also are so much more durable and allow your groceries to be bagged faster due to the larger size that holds shape! Get them on Amazon today!
By: Meghan Lindstrom, published 11.7.2019
Meghan interned with Keep Smyrna Beautiful during the summer of 2019. She studies Mass Communication and English at Georgia College, while staying heavily involved in Greek life on campus as a Phi Mu. Meghan tries to keep her community green and clean by staying actively sustainable in her daily life. Her favorite ways to do this are utilizing reusable straws and shopping bags, as well as reusing containers for storage. Follow her in her sustainability journey to learn new tips and tricks on how to make the place we live in flourish once again.