The average American throws away about four and a half pounds of trash each day.
Plastic packaging alone makes up 64 million tons by weight or 33% of all our garbage.
Newspapers add another 14% and paper products in general, up to 40% of our landfill.
Each person also discards about 2 to 3 pounds of food waste in a given week.
That is over 900 million pounds of food waste on a weekly basis or over 46 billion pounds of food waste every year.
The family that reduces what gets thrown in their trash, helps reduce what goes in our landfills and protects the environment.
Waste reduction is as important as recycling in saving natural resources, energy, disposal space and costs, and in reducing pollution.
At Home * Food waste can be composted by digging a hole in your yard where you toss non-meat food scraps.
If you have leaf and grass clippings to dispose of as well, a simple enclosed pile can be made for composting.
Even the city dweller can compost in a trash bin where you put in equal amounts of food scraps and a manure rich soil amendment.
When full, put aside for a few months for plenty of free potting soil for a patio garden of vegetables and flowers.
* Reduce use of paper towels and napkins by having dish towels, cloth napkins and easily accessed rag bag for spills and general cleaning use.
Old torn up towels work well for this.
* Reuse plastic containers to save left over food, to freeze foods or pack lunches.
* Have a bag for plastic grocery bags that can be reused, or when full, taken to be recycled.
* Repair/restore used items before replacing them with new ones.
If you must replace something, consider it's durability and energy efficiency or consider buying second hand.
* Take newspapers and cardboard to recycle bins locally.
* Reduce items that rely on batteries or buy rechargeable ones.
* Too much junk mail? Contact the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 W.
42nd St.
, PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861.
Have them remove your name from commercial lists, non-profit lists, or both.
* Reuse paper bags, wrapping paper, or newsprint for book covers.
* Cancel subscriptions to magazines or newspapers you don't actually read, especially if you can read them at the local library.
Give old issues to friends, coworkers, nursing homes, laundromats or an appropriate business office.
* Don't throw away usable clothing or household items.
Hold an annual yard sale, hold a swap meet with friends for baby clothes and such or donate the items to charitable organizations.
At the Store * Always carry multiple canvas or other reusable tote bags in your car so you have them whenever you shop.
Encourage friends and family to use totes instead of paper or plastic.
* Buy durable (long-lasting, multiple-use) items instead of disposable or cheaply made.
* Avoid excess packaging when choosing product brands.
For frequently used items, buy in bulk.
Otherwise, buy just the amount you need.
Larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging, but smaller sizes may reduce leftover waste.
Or consider dividing the extra product with a friend.
* Reduce toxic waste by purchasing paints, pesticides and other hazardous materials only in the quantities needed, sharing leftovers and disposing of responsibly.
Or seek alternatives.
* Buy concentrated products to reduce packaging, such as concentrated laundry detergent.
At the Office * Set up recycle bins for aluminum cans, paper and plastic waste.
busy-person * Bring a waste-free lunch by packing it in reusable containers.
* Use both sides of a sheet of paper before recycling it.
* Use scrap paper for telephone messages or sketching out rough drafts.
* Use a water filter rather than buying water in plastic bottles or having water delivered.
* Purchase products in bulk sizes to reduce packaging waste.
* Purchase products made from recycled materials, ie.
Paper and packaging materials.
* Use washable mugs instead of styro foam cups for coffee.
* Use re-usable coffee filters instead of paper filters.
* Recycle toner cartridges and other Ewaste.
Plastic packaging alone makes up 64 million tons by weight or 33% of all our garbage.
Newspapers add another 14% and paper products in general, up to 40% of our landfill.
Each person also discards about 2 to 3 pounds of food waste in a given week.
That is over 900 million pounds of food waste on a weekly basis or over 46 billion pounds of food waste every year.
The family that reduces what gets thrown in their trash, helps reduce what goes in our landfills and protects the environment.
Waste reduction is as important as recycling in saving natural resources, energy, disposal space and costs, and in reducing pollution.
At Home * Food waste can be composted by digging a hole in your yard where you toss non-meat food scraps.
If you have leaf and grass clippings to dispose of as well, a simple enclosed pile can be made for composting.
Even the city dweller can compost in a trash bin where you put in equal amounts of food scraps and a manure rich soil amendment.
When full, put aside for a few months for plenty of free potting soil for a patio garden of vegetables and flowers.
* Reduce use of paper towels and napkins by having dish towels, cloth napkins and easily accessed rag bag for spills and general cleaning use.
Old torn up towels work well for this.
* Reuse plastic containers to save left over food, to freeze foods or pack lunches.
* Have a bag for plastic grocery bags that can be reused, or when full, taken to be recycled.
* Repair/restore used items before replacing them with new ones.
If you must replace something, consider it's durability and energy efficiency or consider buying second hand.
* Take newspapers and cardboard to recycle bins locally.
* Reduce items that rely on batteries or buy rechargeable ones.
* Too much junk mail? Contact the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 W.
42nd St.
, PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861.
Have them remove your name from commercial lists, non-profit lists, or both.
* Reuse paper bags, wrapping paper, or newsprint for book covers.
* Cancel subscriptions to magazines or newspapers you don't actually read, especially if you can read them at the local library.
Give old issues to friends, coworkers, nursing homes, laundromats or an appropriate business office.
* Don't throw away usable clothing or household items.
Hold an annual yard sale, hold a swap meet with friends for baby clothes and such or donate the items to charitable organizations.
At the Store * Always carry multiple canvas or other reusable tote bags in your car so you have them whenever you shop.
Encourage friends and family to use totes instead of paper or plastic.
* Buy durable (long-lasting, multiple-use) items instead of disposable or cheaply made.
* Avoid excess packaging when choosing product brands.
For frequently used items, buy in bulk.
Otherwise, buy just the amount you need.
Larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging, but smaller sizes may reduce leftover waste.
Or consider dividing the extra product with a friend.
* Reduce toxic waste by purchasing paints, pesticides and other hazardous materials only in the quantities needed, sharing leftovers and disposing of responsibly.
Or seek alternatives.
* Buy concentrated products to reduce packaging, such as concentrated laundry detergent.
At the Office * Set up recycle bins for aluminum cans, paper and plastic waste.
busy-person * Bring a waste-free lunch by packing it in reusable containers.
* Use both sides of a sheet of paper before recycling it.
* Use scrap paper for telephone messages or sketching out rough drafts.
* Use a water filter rather than buying water in plastic bottles or having water delivered.
* Purchase products in bulk sizes to reduce packaging waste.
* Purchase products made from recycled materials, ie.
Paper and packaging materials.
* Use washable mugs instead of styro foam cups for coffee.
* Use re-usable coffee filters instead of paper filters.
* Recycle toner cartridges and other Ewaste.