When it comes to waste reduction, every little bit counts! Here are some steps you can take to reduce waste at home as a beginner.
What comes to mind when you say “reduce waste?” Trash, garbage, or maybe even an overflowing recycle bin. But the truth is that we can all make a difference in the amount of waste we produce by learning to be more conscious about our use of resources.
We may not be able to control how much trash comes from municipalities and businesses. Still, we have control over our habits. Here are ways to reduce waste in your little ways.
Don’t throw your food waste
Did you know that food waste is the number one type of trash in landfills? When we throw our food into the regular trash, it’s headed to a landfill where it just sits there and breaks down without any oxygen. This means that methane gas is produced and released into the atmosphere. It also makes it so toxic for anything living near these landfills.
Purchase in-season produce
One easy way to reduce waste is by simply buying produce in season. This keeps your grocery bill low, but it also means you’re getting fresher food!
Bring your bag to the store
Plastic bags are an excellent example of this. Plastic bags take years to decompose, don’t break down with exposure to sunlight, and can be mistaken for food by many animals. The single-use plastic bag is a very inefficient use of resources. It’s not something we should be using if we want to reduce waste in our homes and communities.
However, you can make a difference by bringing your reusable grocery bag when shopping at the store or market!
Use a reusable water bottle
Did you know that you can reduce the number of plastic water bottles by 1,500 plastic bottles if you bring your own water jug for an entire year? That’s 1,500 more miniature plastic bottles clogging up landfills, just for one person. And because your reusable water bottle will never have to be recycled, it will last a lot longer than those single-use bottles.
There are many reasons why using a reusable water bottle is excellent for the environment and your health. Firstly, it might save you from spending P30,000 on bottled water over one year.
Compost your food scraps
One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is by composting. Composting utilizes a natural process, breaking down organic materials into nutrient-rich soil. This can help create a self-sustaining cycle, reducing our reliance on fertilizers and pesticides and producing less landfill waste.
But how do you compost? It’s easier than you might think! Collect your food scraps in a container, like a coffee can or plastic container with a lid, and store them in your refrigerator for about 1-2 weeks until it fills up. Take this full container out to your backyard and bury it an inch or two below the soil’s surface to let nature take care of the rest!
Buy in bulk and make smart choices
One of the easiest ways to reduce your waste is shopping in bulk. Shipping less means you’ll produce less packaging, which will lead to less waste in the end. Make sure the products you buy are things you actually use and won’t go bad quickly. Buying something like a giant cereal box might not seem like a great idea when you have a small family, but buying just one box rather than five can make a huge difference.
You should also try to purchase items with less packaging if possible. For example, many stores sell items in paper packaging instead of plastic or Styrofoam. It may be more expensive, but it will save money and resources!
Donate what you can’t use
Some items are just not worth keeping. When cleaning your closet or organizing your toys, don’t hold onto anything broken or too old to serve its purpose. Instead, donate what you can’t use to a local charity. You’re not only reducing your waste, but you’re also helping someone else in need by providing them with clothes, toys, and more.
Learn to recycle at home
Even though you may be recycling at work or school, it’s easy to forget about recycling at home. Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can quickly curb your waste at home.
First, think about what we can do with the food scraps that never get eaten. A compost heap is a great way to reduce the amount of food wasted and cut down on your garbage. Try worm farming if you don’t have enough space for a compost bin! Worms will eat your food scraps and turn them into fertilizer that you can use in your garden.
Second, start collecting your plastic bottles and turning them in for recycling. This creates less trash and saves energy because it takes less time to recycle than to produce new bottles from scratch. And instead of using disposable water bottles, invest in a reusable bottle or Mason jar for storing water at home or when you’re on the go.
Third, save paper by printing only when necessary. The average person prints out around 11 pounds of paper every year – chances are you print more than that! Ensure that when you do need to print something out, it’s only the necessary pages (not the whole document).
Fourth, always wash out containers before tossing them in the recycling bin – this prevents contaminants from getting inside the container and contaminating others.
Repair items before buying a new one
When was the last time you repaired something before throwing it away? If it’s been a while, you’re not alone. Repairing items is often easier than we think, and many times the materials needed are already at home. To reduce waste, try to fix things with small problems instead of buying new ones.
For example, if your laptop needs a new screen but the keyboard is still in good condition, replace just the screen and save the keyboard for another use. You can also use this same principle for clothes by repairing tears or stains before turning them out entirely.
It might sound like a lot of work at first. Still, once you get in the habit of repairing your belongings instead of replacing them, you’ll be able to save money while reducing waste in your household!
Grow your food at home
To reduce waste in your household is by growing some of your food at home. This will take some time and effort, but the process is easier than you might think. You can grow herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees in pots or a garden bed.
When buying locally grown produce, you’ll also be helping out your local farmers and economy. And the best part? You know what went into producing your food! By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid buying produce from grocery stores that may have been shipped far away or grown with pesticides.
Conclusion
Most people know that waste is a problem for the environment. But few people know how to reduce waste or what’s going on in the world of recycling.
The issue of waste has become so big that it’s being called the next frontier in sustainability and climate change. This article will give you tips on how to reduce your household waste and some general information about recycling, landfills, and other environmental impacts of trash.
