If you are looking for ways to work towards a zero to low-waste lifestyle, look no further than the 4 R’s hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot (Compost). Reduce, which means to lessen waste by using fewer items and resources, is at the top of the pyramid and the one we should all be practicing the most. Check out these tips to practice reducing at home to conserve our natural resources and decrease your environmental footprint!
If you are looking for ways to work towards a zero to low-waste lifestyle, look no further than the 4 R’s hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot (Compost). Reduce, which means to lessen waste by using fewer items and resources, is at the top of the pyramid and the one we should all be practicing the most. Check out these tips to practice reducing at home to conserve our natural resources and decrease your environmental footprint!
Discover What You’re Throwing Away!
A good first step to understanding how much waste you generate is to conduct a waste audit right before your home’s collection day. A waste audit of the three bins gives you a means to discover what you are throwing away so that you can lessen that material. For this exercise, you will want to take account of factors like: what rooms you keep the waste bins in, the bin contents, what items take up the most space, and how many landfill bags you fill each week. Record your detailed findings and add any surprising discoveries or bin similarities!
Once you have a chance to reflect on the contents of your three bins, it will be easier to see how reducing can be applied in your home. You can even examine your energy and water bills to understand how to utilize the natural elements to lower your energy usage.
Things to consider post waste audit: Composting is an important part of reducing one’s household waste, but if your compost bin is overflowing with spoiled food, this could be due to overbuying or improper food storage techniques. Have a plan when you go to the grocery store, and keep your leftovers organized in reusable containers. It is important to eat food that will spoil first, but always remember an overripe banana can make delicious banana bread or a yummy smoothie! Another way to get creative with the contents of the green bin is if you have a lawn, to leave grass clippings on it to return nutrients to the soil. Another way is to mix wood ashes from fires into home compost piles to provide nutrients to the garden.
If your landfill bin is filled with a lot of soft plastic wrappers, try buying snacks in bulk and storing them in reusable containers. While it eliminates individual wrappers, it also saves a trip to the grocery store.
Get Creative With Your Belongings
Use what you have! Reusable containers do not need to be purchased. Consider utilizing takeout containers, pasta sauce jars, empty plastic bottles, tin coffee cans, and so on. You can even reuse items like shoe boxes to keep your shoes in great condition or create storage for household trinkets.
If you must obtain things by mail, try opting to go paperless for bills or requesting recyclable packaging from companies. Packaging materials and newspapers can be saved and reused for gifting, moving purposes, making textbook covers, and so much more. Tap into your creative side!
Used textiles such as cotton shirts can be turned into tote bags, wash rags, or braided into rugs or toys for your dog, quilts, or napkins. However, before you cut up an item to repurpose it, think of whether it can be fixed or of those who might benefit or need it. Clothes, toys, food, plants, appliances, and books that are no longer desired can be donated to friends and family, local shelters, or displayed at a yard sale to find their next loving home.
We hope these tips help you and your household reduce the waste that you generate. By taking care of the things you already own, less waste will be generated, and more items can be diverted from the landfill – leaving us with a brighter, greener future.
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