Today’s society believes in over consumption. This conviction comes with the greater problem of increased garbage. Every year we recycle more. The solution to doing recycling intelligently include reducing, reusing, and recycling to help cut down on the amount of waste that people throw away. The three R’s conserve landfill space, protect natural resources, and save on money.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the term Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) to describe the process of reusing materials more productively over the course of their life cycle. The EPA states that by looking at the entire life cycle of a product one can find new ways to conserve natural resources, and help keep the planet healthy. Below are five ways to reuse and recycle without leaving the comforts of your home:
1.
Convert Old Sheets, Towels, and Clothing into Wash Rags-Old textiles such as sheets, towels, and cotton shirts can
easily be turned into wash rags with a good pair of scissors. Throw the
old items into your next load of laundry to make sure they’re clean before they
take on a new life. Simply cut them up into rectangles with scissors. Store
them with your cleaning supplies, and they’ll be ready for your next
housecleaning.
2.
Designate a Kitchen Drawer for Plastic Bags-Oftentimes people will use plastic shopping bags once and throw
them away. Instead, designate a drawer in your kitchen where you store plastic
bags so that they can be reused. That small bag that carried your milk and
bread home from the grocery store can be used as a liner for the bathroom
wastebasket or as a tool for cooking. Looking for a way to get your chicken or
fish completely covered in that bread crumb and spice coating you just
prepared? Shake them together inside the plastic bag until every inch has
been covered.
3.
Repurpose Glass, Plastic, and Cardboard Containers-One of the best uses for empty plastic soda bottles is as a
planter for flowers and herbs. Take an empty 2-liter pop bottle and cut
off the top two thirds, leaving the bottle’s bottom third. Wash it
thoroughly. You have a reusable flower pot. In addition, empty glass and
plastic jars make excellent kitchen storage and can be used as mixing
containers for marinade or salad dressing. If you’re a shoe shopper, keep in
mind that empty shoe boxes make great storage bins for sundries like jewelry,
toiletries, and household items.
4.
Reuse your Home Delivered Newspaper-If
you’re one of the few people who still has a print newspaper delivered to your
home, be aware that there are several ways to reuse that newspaper once you
have read it. You can use it as packing paper for fragile china, wrapping
paper for gifts, or as a cleaning aid. Simply dip crumpled newspaper in water
mixed with a splash of white vinegar and clean those windows in an instant
without harmful chemicals.
5.
Supply Artists with Creative Materials-There’s
usually someone around who’s interested in being creative. If you know a
budding artist, you can provide supplies with recycled materials from your
home. School children often need items like rubber bands or paper towel tubes
for art projects while more developed artists might use anything from old
appliances to hub caps.
“There is no such thing as
‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”
(Annie Leonard)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“25
Staggering Ways to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Save Our Environment Today” by
Conserve Energy Future
·
“Top 5 Ways to Reuse and Recycle at Home” by Cristie Snyder
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