image courtesy of baubauhaus.com
Year after year tons of products are discarded and relocated to incinerators and landfills to live out the rest of their product lives. This harsh fact is both depressing and environmentally mortifying. The incinerating of excess waste emits mass amounts of greenhouse gasses which in turn contributes to air pollution and human-caused climate change. And, adding recyclables to the landfills depletes our natural resources, takes up valuable space and simply uglies the world.
It is no secret that reducing, reusing, and recycling is the answer to a cleaner and more environmentally balanced future. Recycling refers to the process of turning the old and unusable into something new and usable; it is the rebirthing of a product. Recycling extends the lifespan of the product and keeps it out of the landfills, the process also cuts down on the use of virgin materials and saves energy usage.
Statistics show that close to 65 percent of the thrash we contribute to the landfills are in fact recyclable. Items such as cardboard and other paper products, glass, aluminum, electronics, clothing and food are all recyclable. Cutting down on the waste we produce is perhaps one of the easiest and most rewarding ways of going green. The simple act of recycling most of our trash will restore the value of the ecosystem. If we continue to trash excessively, soon we will literally be living in our own filth. The landfills will overflow, the ground water and air quality will degrade even more and our health as well as the health of our wildlife and plant life will suffer drastically. Reducing the volume of trash you produce may sound like an overwhelming and daunting task, nevertheless, once to know the how’s, where’s and whys of it all, doing so will become like second nature. Below is a quick guide on how to do so:
Reducing the Volume of your Trash
Go Paperless: Our overuse of paper has contributed to deforestation, extinction, loss of habitat
and poor air quality. In our everyday lives we use paper in our kitchens, bathrooms and offices.
We can cut down on the volume of paper by using reusable napkins and washcloths and by
opting for recycled paper toilet paper and printing minimally.
Recycle eWaste: Electronics such as cameras, computers, TV’s, Refrigerators, microwaves,
lamps and batteries should be recycled. Most electronics can be sold, donated or salvaged to be
used again, research online for a recycle center near you.
Buy Sustainable: In an effort to cut down on waste, many companies have opted to make
products out of post-consumer materials. Products such as paper, containers, toothbrushes,
clothing and shoes are produced with recycled materials. Supporting the use of such product is
an easy way to untrash.
Start Compost: Food scraps can have a second life, composting creates natural mulch, and
natural mulch encourages the growth of vegetation. Starting a compost reduces waste and
increases the quality of plant life.
Reuse: When you reuse you obviously throw away less; using reusable shopping bags, water
bottles, snack bags and storage containers are easy ways to cut down on waste.
Author -This post was written by Roechelle Adair of Hug a Tree with Me, visit her for more tips and insights on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
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