It’s no secret that humans create a lot of unnecessary waste. Or that we’re careless with what happens to that waste. But we only have this one Earth and we really do need to start taking better care of it. Here are some basic things that could be incorporated into every life fairly simply.
Reduce
Do you take a lunch to work every day or send one with the kids to school? Don’t put that sandwich, chips and veggies in plastic bags that will be thrown away at the end of lunch. Heck, don’t even put the meal in that brown paper sack. Spend the extra money for a lunch pail, travel mug or thermos and containers that you can use over and over every day. Just this one small act, in a household of four can remove 60 plastic baggies, 20 paper sacks and 20 drink bottles a week from the landfill. Not only that, but it reduces the amount of money you spend on packed lunches in the long run.
Reuse
Do you have empty butter, cottage cheese or Coolwhip containers? They are amazing for giving leftovers of a huge family meal away. You don’t even have to worry about getting your good Tupperware back that way. Have empty plastic pop bottles? Cut the bottoms out and use them as a plant starter. You could put seeds for the spices you use most often in them and then you wouldn’t have to buy those spices anymore! There are a million ways to reuse things so they don’t need to go to the landfill.
Recycle
No, it’s not inconvenient. It’s doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. It’s not a hard thing to do. Cans, plastics, paper and cardboard, if everyone recycled these four things alone can you imagine how much of a reduction that would make in the landfills? That would cut out over half of the trash we create!
Compost
There’s no reason for produce extras, yard trimmings and autumn’s leave to go to the landfill. Yes, they biodegrade and will eventually turn back into dirt, but in the meantime their bulky, take up space and are trapped in a plastic trash back. All the dirt in the world won’t make a difference if it’s bagged up and not available to the earth. A compost barrel isn’t difficult to make or maintain and can help you produce topsoil for your own yard.
They’re simple concepts that have been around for decades, but it really is that simple. Combine these four steps with picking up at least three pieces of litter a day that you’d normally pass by and this world would be a much cleaner, much healthier place to live.
