Want to learn how to be more green for the planet? Well, one of the first places to start is to reduce waste. Sure, it’s something you hear over and over. But, if you’re like a lot of people, you wonder—how? Meaning, how exactly do you reduce waste to help sustainability efforts? You’re in luck! In this article, we’ll share some of the most straightforward tips and tricks to ensure you reduce your environmental impact.
Get a Handle on the Clothing in Your Home
One of the first places to begin to reduce waste is to look in your closet. The reality is that we don’t do nearly enough to recycle clothing in shoes. Sure, we’re pretty good at doing it with our plastics and paper. But, it’s essential to get a handle on recycling clothing. According to the EPA, textiles represent 5.83% of what’s in landfills. Further, rubber and leather represent 3.13% of material in landfills. As you know, clothing, shoes, and sneakers make up textiles and rubber and leather products.
So, what could you do to help reduce waste and not contribute to the 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills? Well, a few of our top ideas include doing a fundraising clothing drive. When you do it, you support the upcycling movement. Moreover, you could raise the funds you need for a cause by collecting gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories. Also, you could simply donate clothing and support organizations such as Arms of Hope, The National Children’s Cancer Society, and AMVETS National Service Foundation.
Embrace Upcycling to Reduce Waste
If you want to reduce waste at home, the office, and your community, there’s more you could do. For instance, another tip is to embrace upcycling. When you upcycle, you support the creation of greater value than the original item. An example is taking plastics and then recycling them into sneakers. But, it’s not just the huge manufacturers who could support upcycling efforts. You can do it too!
For instance, you could look into upcycling ideas and vintage trends. Vintage is getting embraced by Millennials and Gen Z, but even if you’re not of those generations, you could start to mix-and-match vintage clothing from cool stores and extend the life of apparel already made. You could also convert old furniture instead of throwing pieces away. Many people have a piece of furniture at home that they love but is a bit worn. Perhaps you could convert an old dresser or desk into a unique piece of ‘new’ furniture.
Look to Improve The Environment of Your Lawn & Garden
Many people have houses with lawns or backyards. Well, you could reduce waste by paying closer attention to how you take care of your lawn and garden area. For starters, you might consider learning how to compost at home. You see, yard waste, along with food scraps, make up more than 30% of what gets thrown away, according to the EPA. And if you compost at home, it helps to keep materials that release methane and greenhouse gases from landfills.
Moreover, you could do something called grasscycling. In short, when you mow the lawn, you leave the clippings from the grass you cut on the lawn instead of bagging them in plastic bags, which produces waste. In turn, the clippings return to the earth and become nutrients for the soil. You also get more benefits from grasscycling. It saves you money because it reduces your water and chemical fertilizer usage. And it also saves you time because you don’t need to bag grass clippings.
Support Your Kids to Go Green and Reduce Waste
If you have kids in school, the chances are they’re keenly aware of climate change issues and sustainability. In fact, the young now lead efforts to reduce waste and focus the global agenda toward sustainability. So, there’s plenty you could do as a parent to support your children and all the planet’s young people. For example, you could look at the school supplies purchases you make.
When your kids come to you asking for supplies and materials, be thoughtful about your purchases. For example, look for recycled supplies for schools. It could range from the sneakers you purchase for your kids to the pencils and binders you buy for them. Unfortunately, some manufacturers overdid things with packaging. So, you want to ensure that you always seek to reduce packaging waste from the products you purchase and reuse them when possible.
Reconsider What You Do With Your Electronics
As you know, we live in the digital age. And that means that most of us have many electronics in our homes. For instance, we have cell phones, smart televisions, tablets, smart devices (e.g., Alexa), and smart televisions. Unfortunately, many of these electronics get produced with planned obsolescence in mind to get you to purchase a new one every couple of years. If and when you decide to buy a new electronic device, think of reducing waste by purchasing from manufacturers with recycling programs or donate your devices.
For example, consider recycling your Apple or Android phones and tablets. You could also check out this list of companies where you could recycle phones and computers. Also, delay your purchases of new electronics in the first place. Think of it; if the public no longer purchases the latest device and sales decline, manufacturers will get the monetary hint that planned obsolescence doesn’t work any longer. But, when you have no choice but to purchase electronics, consider donating the old devices. For example, schools could use your old computer devices, and shelters could use mobile phones for domestic abuse survivors.
We hope you enjoyed these easy ideas to reduce waste. Remember, we all have to become part of the circular economy. For more information about where you could donate clothing and accessories, take a look at our donate page along with our easy-to-use Find a Location map.
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