Waste Reduction

Courtesy ducttapemarketing.com

Waste reduction is an important first step toward a sustainable lifestyle, and it's probably one of the easiest plans to implement because there are so many ways to do it. So why don't more people do it? They may not know where to start. In Fort Worth, we have it pretty easy. Most residences are provided a separate recycle bin with their regular garbage bin from the City. But that program is not available everywhere and, obviously, you can't recycle everything in those bins. My wife and I often recycle more than we throw away. It's easy to us and we take it seriously. But we still fill our trash bin every week, though it is the smallest one the city offers and is much smaller than our recycle bin. But how can we reduce anymore, since we don't feel like we can recycle anymore? I have cracked down on a few wasteful practices around my house, of which my wife and I were equally guilty. She uses a lot of paper plates to avoid dirtying dishes. I use paper towels like they're going out of style. Not anymore. But what else?

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control posted a flyer to their website informing citizens of additional ways to reduce their waste. Suggestions include composting rather than throwing out wasted food, recycling grass clippings (grasscycling), reusing items or donating them, and avoiding purchasing items that are disposable, poor quality, or overpackaged (don't spend cash for trash), among other suggestions.  The City of Fort Worth website provides a link to earth911.com to find additional recycling centers for those items that aren't allowed in their provided bins. Anyone can reduce, reuse, and recycle. There's even an iPad app for kids! Sometimes all it takes is a little push in the right direction.