There are a lot of items in our homes that are unnecessary and in most cases, regarded as trash. Instead of having them pile up and then imagine of how hectic it is to clean it up, there are easier ways you can implement to reduce the present trash as well as items that are later turned into trash. Besides, having trash at home reduces the quality of life.
For this reason, it is fundamental to engage in appropriate ways of reducing trash to ensure proper sanitation as well as orderliness at home. If you are having problems managing trash at your home, this article gives you a guide on more than 30 impressive ways to reduce trash in your home.
1. Start recycling plans for items in the house. Items such as plastic bottles and cans can be recycled for other uses such as storages. You can sing up with recycling agencies or trash collectors since most of them are recyclable. You’ll also be helping to better the environment.
2. Possess a fiber or cotton bag for groceries. It is a common feat that groceries acquired from the supermarkets as well as the stores will be packaged in plastic bags that are only used once, after which, they are regarded as trash. To avoid such an instance, it is of essence to acquire a reusable cotton or synthetic fiber bag that you carry with you when heading out for some groceries.
3. Obtain only what is needed for food. It is a shocking fact that there is a lot of food waste and it’s even worse in the U.S. If there is proper accounting for the food purchased, it is easy to avoid food wastage.
4. Proper outdoor composting. There is a lot of trash generated by most households in form of food. Through the use of outdoor compost such that the excess of food (food wastes) are thrown there, it can reduce the amount of trash at your home. The resultant compost manure can then be used to provide nutrients for crops in your home garden.
5. Repair rather than discard broken appliances and electronics. The space occupied by broken appliances in our homes can be astonishing. The fact that they are unused means they are trash waiting for disposal. Instead of having them disposed, they can be repaired and put back into proper use. Moreover, the disposal of such instruments leads to an increase in landfill waste.
6. Reduce mail by canceling subscription of unnecessary mail. Most of the times, we tend to have lots of paper in the name of mails, some of which are not necessary. It simply adds to the paper waste that will be trashed. You can have the bank statements and utility bills sent to you online instead of paper mail.
7. Use permanent plates and cutlery. There is a tendency of people to acquire paper plates to avoid the washing of utensils. It is worth noting that the pollution caused by the paper plates is alarming. People should thus use plates that can be cleaned after use for reuse.
8. Have in your possession a reusable water bottle. Plastic water bottles form a large part of the trash both at home, outside and in our offices. It is necessary to minimize this and the best way to do it is by acquiring a reusable water bottle. Reusable water bottles are portable and easy to refill.
9. Go paperless in the kitchen. It may seem like a small initiative but it will considerably aid in reducing the overall paper trash in your home.
10. Take your own reusable bags when doing shopping. There are a lot of plastic bags that come with shopping, be it at a boutique or the local shop. It is therefore rewarding to have a reusable bag when heading out for shopping.
11. Use homemade cosmetics. By making cosmetics at home, it reduces the trash that would have resulted namely the plastic bottles and packaging if the cosmetics were purchased. Plus, it reduces the budget costs. Cosmetics such as shampoos and cleaning items can easily be made at home with environmentally friendly products.
12. Visit the fresh farm market for groceries. Produce obtained from farmers market is fresh and is free of any packaging. With your shopping bag, you are able to obtain the best produce with minimal packaging and thus, promoting the reduction of trash at home.
13. Ditch processed and packaged foods. It may not be an easy feat but it is a worthy one. Preparing your own food gets rid of the excesses of plastic, paper and board packages that end up trashing your homes.
14. Use cloth diapers. There is an extra coin that is saved from using cloth diapers rather than the disposal diapers. In addition, cloth diapers are reusable.
15. Buy e-books instead of paper books. The evolution of the internet has made life very easy. It is now very easy and fast to download an e-book as well as read online. This is very efficient in trash reduction since there is no chance of paper waste.
16. Use old clothes as cleaning rags. With this strategy, old clothes are put into used as opposed to disposing them as trash. Furthermore, it saves on the purchase of paper towels as well reducing the number of trees cut down to manufacture paper. Also, rags obtained from clothes last much longer than brushes or paper towels.
17. Ensure you own a handkerchief. There are many uses for a handkerchief. It can be used to dry tears, blowing your nose or even wrapping up a snack. For this reason, it saves on paper napkins which are only used once after which, regarded as trash. Handkerchiefs only need cleaning for reuse.
18. Always use reusable cloth napkins. Cloth napkins are easy to come by and are equally easy to make. They have a myriad of uses and can be washed and put to use again.
19. Obtain and use a non-disposable shaving razor. The use of plastic disposable razors contributes to lots of trash in our homes. The use of a permanent non disposable one will significantly reduce trash in your home.
20. Use rechargeable batteries. The use of rechargeable batteries means reduced disposal of non-rechargeable batteries and it is also economical.
21. Buy detergents and soap in concentrated forms. Detergents in concentrated forms last longer which means you’ll reduce trash in your home if you purchase them as opposed to the conventional ones.
22. Give away old clothes to charities. There are a lot of clothes that are not worn and just occupy space in the house. Because it is impossible to turn old clothes into rags, you can give some to charities to reduce trash in your home.
23. Ladies should have a menstrual cup in their possession. The use of tampons may lead to an increase in trash at home. In a bid to avoid this, the ladies can own a menstrual cup that will go a long way in helping them. It is advantageous as it can be washed and used again and again. Moreover, it is a onetime purchase thus cheaper than monthly purchase of tampons.
24. Refill printer ink cartridges. It prevents purchase of new ones and saves on cost.
25. Buy items in bulk. Purchase of goods in small quantities leads to a higher chance of waste generation. Numerous items in small quantities translate to more disposals of wrappings. Again, once goods are bought in bulk, you can use containers or mason jars to store the items in smaller quantities.
26. Clear things not needed at home. There are a lot of items that we have at homes that only add to the trash but are of no value. Such items should be donated or auctioned.
27. Stop buying CDs and DVDs. There is always need for entertainment. Regardless, the buying of movies and music in CDs and DVDs eventually adds trash in our homes after their usage. Instead, you can opt for downloading or streaming the music/movie online.
28. Borrow instead of buying. There are many items we only need or use for a short time at home. Instead of purchasing these items, we should borrow them, use them for the intended purpose, and then return them. Buying such items will only warrant trashing as they are rarely needed.
29. Have storage containers or mason jars. There are a lot of uses for storage containers or mason jars. For instance, they can be used for storage in fridges thereby discarding the use of plastic containers that often end up as trash.
30. Buy used items whenever possible, particularly for children stuff. There are lots of things we purchase for children that turn out to be trash. Examples include toys, books and clothes. If you buy used and in small quantities, you will certainly reduce trash in your home.
31. Only shop a few times in a year. This initiative will help you reduce compulsive buying – a move that leads to a lot of trashing with things such as clothes you never get to wear or items you’ll rarely use.
