If people continued to live carefree, the environment would be filled with trash; we will continue damaging the ozone layer and worsen the global warming phenomenon that we are currently facing.  The key to maintaining your planet green is reducing, reusing and recycling.

Reduce

The first step to ensuring minimal waste is the reduction of the products that contribute to the waste. Unfortunately, most of the recycling lobby groups overlook this important step. If we use less of the plastics, here will be less waste to deal with. Here are important ‘reduce’ strategies that you can adopt. 

•   Go zero waste: Make it your ultimate goal to cut down on waste completely. Do not waste water, energy or accumulate the waste of non-biodegradable items.

•  Only keep whatever you use

•   Determine the impact of your purchase decisions to the environment

•   Buy used produced at local thrift stores, eBay, Craigslist and elsewhere

•    Buy lunch that you can finish. Avoid large helpings only to throw them into the bin

•   Go paperless in getting your statements, newsletters and newspapers

Reuse

The marketers are keen to have us buy the new items due to the added benefits. However, did you know that you could survive on many fronts with the existing items if you reused them a few times?

•    Hold and shop garage sales to get good old stuff

•    Replace disposables (such as batteries, cartridges, and coffee filters) with reusable items

•    Donate your used products such as household items, electronics, food, art materials and more

•    Share facilities with your neighbors (carpooling also saves on gas emissions)

•    Fix items that can be repaired instead of throwing them away

•    Most plastic items can be reused as storage and package materials

•    Repurpose several items after the end of their useful life (furniture, metallic items and so forth)

Recycle

Give your used items a new life by having them recycled and used again. Here is how to go about it.

• Buy recycled: Support the recycling movement by buying into it

• Use the grass clippings in your lawn as compost manure rather than applying fertilizers

• Avoid throwing away the cans and plastic bags out there when on a trip. Pack them and bring them back home if you do not come across a recycle bin

• When sending off your loved ones, consider eco-friendly burials that use recycled material for coffins

•   Use recycled or recyclable materials when packing your lunch. Lunch packaging materials are big contributors to waste.

Your choices help to preserve the environment, and the world will be a better place when you live an ecofriendly lifestyle.  Remember to pick it up and put it in the can.  Yes You Can!