I’m sure we’ve all heard those three words before and they’re nothing new. However, I did want to share some little tips that I’ve been trying to follow lately.
Reduce
I’ve started reducing what I get. For example: I know people who get a large handful of napkins when they go out to eat and then use maybe half that. If I must use napkins, I only take what I know I’m going to use, so that nothing goes to waste.
I also try to reduce how much waste I generate in general. I’m more aware of what I shop for, trying not to buy individually wrapped items if possible. I keep scraps of paper around to write on rather than buying new notepads (which is a weakness of mine). I’ve also reduced the number of catalogs that arrive in my mailbox. https://www.catalogchoice.org/ is a great website that will take you off mailing lists.
Reuse
Well cloth bags would fall into this category, but I’ve started reusing other items as well. I’m a sucker for those bottled iced teas that come in glass containers (even though I try to stay away from them) and I’ve started saving those containers to reuse. You’re not supposed to reuse plastic bottles but there aren’t any problems with glass bottles, other than them being a bit heavier than I’m used to!
I also like to reuse envelopes (that my paystub arrives in) and boxes for mailing, whenever possible. At work I’ve started running off homework and other copies on paper that has already been printed on one side. Parents don’t seem to mind, kids don’t care either way and it saves me from having to ask the office for more paper!
Recycle
This might be a no-brainer but unfortunately it doesn’t occur to some people. I live in a small apartment but I’ve made space in my laundry room for buckets to hold my recycling. I’m still new to recycling so I’m not great about it but every bit helps… those 4 plastic juice containers that are waiting to go to the recycling plant are 4 containers that have been saved from doing nothing in a landfill.
Something else that I’ve been recycling lately is books. Well, it’s recycling in a way… I used to take them to used bookstores but sometimes I’d be lucky to make enough money to make it worth the gas to get there. These days I’ve started mailing books to my friends, and some of them are sending me their books as well. I find it works well – while I’m spending a bit of money to ship the books, I’m getting ‘new to me’ books in return, and I don’t have a bookshelf of books I won’t read anymore!
If you know of any tips that you’d like to share, feel free to add them in the comments!
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6 comments:
Are you really not supposed to reuse plastic bottles? I'm always washing and refilling water bottles. Why can't you reuse them? And here I was, thinking I was being kind to the environment. ;)
I think I'm a bit spoiled on the recycling front, because the city of Carrollton gives us recycling dumpsters along with our trash dumpsters, and we don't even have to sort. We just throw everything in it and they pick it up every other week!
Well... it's a bit up in the air. Supposedly there's a risk that the plastic bottles can leech chemicals into your water, but some studies have shown otherwise. The bigger risk is that there will be nicks and cracks that are invisible to your eye and can harbor bacteria.
Either way, I stay away from plastic bottles - I mean, look at what happened with Nalgene! Instead I carry around a bottle meant to be reused. I love my Sigg bottle but right now they're temporarily closed. Some of their bottles can still be found in Whole Foods-type stores.
Lucky about the recycling - it's a bit harder to recycle here. That's nice that you don't even have to sort anything!
Is it as big of a deal if you wash your plastic bottles by hand?
What happened to Nalgene? I love my Nalgene bottle - I've had it for YEARS!
Lisa... not sure if hand washing makes a difference.
B. Young - Nalgene was found to have BPA (bisphenol A), which is controversial. Some studies say that BPA is toxic, has estrogen-like chemicals which can lead to all sorts of ailments. The plastics industry says there's no problem but...
Anyway, a few months ago they stopped selling their old bottles. They are coming out with new BPA-free versions though.
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