Recycling and Waste Control

The key to waste control is reducing intake and avoiding waste. Here are a few tips:

• Buy bulk and unpackaged goods.
• Buy food fresh and cook from scratch.
• Take reusable shopping bags to the store; keep spares in your car.
• Buy in large quantities instead of single servings.
• Buy items in recyclable, refillable containers.
• Stop junk mail and unnecessary magazine and paper subscriptions. Read publications at the library or share a subscription with a friend.
• Think carefully before you buy-do you really need it? Can you borrow or share or rent it?
• Buy reusable items like razors and rechargeable batteries.
• Buy for quality, durability and reusability.
• Donate things you no longer use to charities.
• Use products that are made of recycled materials.
• Compost food scraps and yard waste to create topsoil.
• Recycle aluminum, tin, paper and plastics.
• Repair items instead of throwing them out.
• Buy things second-hand.
• Take toxic products to your local hazardous-waste disposal site. This includes drain cleaners, nail-polish remover, mothballs, carpet cleaner, garden chemicals and paints. Avoid buying these products in the first place; use safe, natural alternatives whenever possible-for your own safety and that of the environment.

Data from the 1994 US National Coastal Cleanup Results from the Center for Marine Conservation showed that approximately 1.5 million pounds of plastic debris were collected during an annual cleanup of US waterways. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, discarded plastic beverage rings from six-packs cause between 10,000 and 100,000 waterfowl deaths per year.