6 Ways To Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle Household Waste

There are lots of unpleasant things happening in the world environmentally. Animals are becoming extinct, places are not receiving enough rain, and the level of global pollution is becoming more threatening to the planet. And the last thing you should do is contribute to these crises.

Instead, you should help the planet by practicing the three Rs at home: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce refers to the act of reducing the levels of waste creation. Reuse refers to sustainability and using items repeatedly, in the same way, if possible. Lastly, recycle refers to refraining from throwing something away but instead putting it to new use. 

To help you start, here are some ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle household waste. 

1. Reduce Usage Of Disposable Items

Once you get into a rhythm of ordering takeout and using plastic utensils that come with the meal, you may find yourself in a loop of using disposable cutlery. Whether you order in or cook at home, use reusable cutlery instead. When you order, tell the cashier or server not to give you cutlery or napkins. Doing these things could help reduce the build-up of alarming quantities of waste in your household.

2. Reduce The Amount Of Food Waste You Generate

You may often fill your plate with copious amounts of food and end up not finishing everything. You may resort to storing the leftovers in the fridge to eat later but never end up doing so. The leftovers then end up leaving your fridge and goes straight into your garbage can.

Food waste is a very common thing to have in a household but you can avoid it. You could start by making a list of things that you need to buy and sticking to it when you go to the grocery store. People tend to buy unnecessary things that they don’t need impulsively when they go to the grocery store. With a list and a strict budget, you can put a stop to that behavior.

Another thing you can do is to build a compost pile where you can dump some of your food waste and use them later as fertilizer for your potted plants or garden. 

3. Reuse Plastic Bags

Recycling isn’t everything. Most of the time, you can reduce the amount of waste you generate by simply reusing things you already have. 

If you haven’t resorted to reusable bags, try not to dispose of your plastic bags as you can reuse them. Designate a cupboard in your kitchen for used plastic bags for them to be ready when you need them.

Normally, you could reuse plastic bags at least twice. Aside from using them for groceries, you can also them as trash bags for your dustbins. 

4. Reuse Old Sheets, Towels, And Clothes

Sometimes your old sheets, clothes, and towels may be too old to fix or donate. Instead of throwing them away, you could cut them up and use them as washrags. In addition to reducing your waste, you also saved a few dollars from not buying new wash rags for your home.

5. Recycle Your Plastic Water Bottles And Cups

Recycling items is not only a good way to care for the environment but can also be an inexpensive way of revamping your home. For starters, have designated recycling bins in your household, so that you don’t mistakenly throw recyclable items together with unrecyclable ones.

Some of the items that you should always throw in your recycling bin are plastic water bottles and cups. They have many uses and you can easily recycle them. For one, you can cut them in half and use them as plastic pots to grow seedlings. Also, you can use them as storage for pencils, crayons, jewelry, and many other things. 

6. Recycle Your Newspapers

Keep your newspapers instead of disposing of them. During your next barbecue, you can use them as an excellent fire starter. Aside from that, you can use them together with painter’s tape to prevent paint from dripping on your floor when you’re repainting floors and ceilings.  If you have spare time, you can even make traditional paper mâché bowls.

Practice The Three Rs

People say reuse, reduce, and recycle because doing these things will ideally make the world better. Make an effort to learn about recyclable and reusable materials and the multitude of ways on how you can recycle, reuse, and recover them. If every household makes some sort of contribution to reducing and redefining household waste, it could be a big move for the world.