Reducing Litter and Trash

I just Gotta Tell Ya

• The average person throws away 4.4 pounds of trash everyday
• The Environmental Protection Agency reports the United States produces approximately 220 million tons of garbage each year
• According to WM Recycle America, LLC, Americans alone throw away enough aluminum to duplicate the full commercial air fleet of the US.

What Can You Do?

• Buy Less Stuff and Reduce the amount of trash you throwaway
• Reuse containers and products;
• Repair what is broken or give it to someonewho can repair it.
• Recycle as much as possible and buy products with recycled content.

Reduce:

1. Buy fewer new products.
2. Buy only amounts of paint and household cleaners and garden products that you actually need.
3. Buy Dual purpose products such as baking soda and vinegar, to decrease the amount of cleaning agents you use
4. Share items with friends, co-workers, and neighbors (e.g. specialty tools) or rent them.
5. Buy food in bulk (or large packages).
6. Buy durable, repairable products or find substitutes for existing products like using an Internet Fax Service instead of a physical Fax
7. Reduce purchases of non-recyclable items (polystyrene, etc.).
8. Buy items with minimum packaging.
9. Bring your own shopping bags.
10. Bring your own mug.
11. Share and Donate magazines
12. Use your library instead of buying books and magazines.
13. Request “no bag” for small purchases.
14. Request no receipt or stubs when making a purchase
15. Use cloth napkins, kitchen towels and sponges instead of paper.
16. Write the manufacturers of overly packaged products.
17. Reduce junk mail by writing The Direct Marketing Association at 6 East43rd St., PO Box 3861, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163, and ask to be eliminated from any new mailing lists. To get off existing mailinglists, write or call the companies directly. Many companies have toll-freenumbers and postage-paid envelopes. You can also refuse unwanted mail bywriting “Refused, Return to Sender” across the unopened envelopeand drop it in the mailbox without any additional postage. Or, registeronline at www.junkbusters.com.

Reuse:

1. Reuse all plastic and paper bags.
2. Donate ribbon pieces, egg cartons, etc. to preschools for art &craft projects.
3. Compost food scraps and paper
4. Use comics/newspapers/wallpaper, fabric for wrapping paper.
5. Line your garden beds with seven layers of old newspapers, then applymulch.
6. Create mini-greenhouses for your plants from used milk jugs or soda bottles.
7. Plant seeds in used beverage containers and watch them grow.
8. Wear hand-me-down clothes- buy second hand, have clothing swaps
9. Use tattered T-shirts and other clothing for car polishing and cleaning rags.
10. Reuse favorite old clothing and make a quilt or other craft projects.
11. Return wire coat hangers to the dry cleaners.
12. Donate usable furniture and clothing to thrift shops or have a yardsale.
13. Make double-sided copies when using copier machines.
14. Reuse Yard wastes into compost and mulch

Recycle:

1. Recycle paper, newspapers, plastic containers, metal, aluminum beveragecans, glass, motor oil, batteries, and anti-freeze.
2. Recycle your used appliances and vehicles at your local scrap dealer’syard.
3. Recycle tires at local collection events, if available, or ask yourcounty recycling coordinator where you can recycle them.
4. Recycle ink and toner cartridges at the store where you purchased them,or send back to the manufacturer. Some counties have local collection eventsfor these items.
5. Use back side of paper for photocopying and faxing
6. Ask your bank, phone, gas and power companies to use recycled paper for their bills, notices, and statements.
7. Go Paperless
8. Ask your employer to use recycled paper and participate in your localcurbside program or take your recyclables to drop-off locations. To learnabout your nearest locations for recycling, go to www.1800cleanup.org andtype in your zip code.

Buy Recycled:

1. Look for products that contain recycled content and purchase them to close the loop on recycling. If you’re not buying recycled, you are not recycling.
2. Shop at businesses offering recyclable or biodegradable productsor packaging.
3. At the grocery store, check for environmental symbols onthe labels of cereal, cookie and cracker boxes and laundry detergent andcleaners for containers using recycled content.
4. Purchase recycled paper stationery and office paper.
5. Recycle Automotive supplies including batteries, recycled motor oil, and even automobile carpet.
6. Buy building materials like plastic lumber for picnic tables, fences, anddecks made from milk jugs; insulation made from newspapers; and even ceiling tiles made by Armstrong World Industries of Marietta from old newspapersand phone books! Carlisle Tire and Wheel Company makes playground surfacingand mats from tires!
7. Find cardboard boxes for shipping and storage on Craigslist and Givingway.com