THE HOME IS THE FASTEST AND BEST PLACE TO CONSERVE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE, SEE IF YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR TRASH TO LESS THAN 10%

RECYCLABLES AND WASTE – Recycling is mostly used in order to save the environment and decrease the growth of landfills but at the same time you can benefit through conservation, savings, and crafts. Try to eliminate waste and trash to almost nothing. The average American throws away 4.3 lbs. of garbage or trash each day and all together America throws away 208 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. In order to help the environment use the 3R's, which stand for REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.

SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT (RECYCLE)

• Recycle items that are listed on your recycle bin.  Recycle your plastics (types #1 & #2). All glass, all paper bags, newspapers, and cardboard.
• Don’t accept a plastic bag when you only have one or two items.  Carry them in your hands, put them in your backpack, or other bag that may be on you.
• Use unbleached coffee filters, the chemicals in this bleached paper product is toxic, which can seep into our waterways.
• Instead of throwing away your plastic shopping bags, save them and return them to the shopping centers such as Wal-Mart, Albertsons, etc.
• When you are at a restaurant and the waiter asks you if you would like another drink, if you know you will probably not drink it, don’t ask for another glass.  All together, that’s another glass that needs to be cleaned.

SAVING THROUGH REDUCE

• Reuse things you may think about throwing out.  Do this buy
• Instead of throwing away food scraps and lawn trimming, make a compost pile, toss all of your carbohydrates, fruit, vegetables, and other scraps. Then in a few months you can use this pile of scraps, decomposed for gardens and flowerbed fertilization.
• Did you know you could reuse fabric softener sheets?  Reuse them to keep drawers and luggage fresh. You can also clean lint and pet hair off furniture. Another use is to get rid of static cling off skirts and pants by rubbing these clothes against these articles of clothing.
• Reuse your holiday/birthday cards by cutting off the front page and using it as a post card.
• In order to keep potatoes and onions fresh, store them in old pantyhose or nylon.
• Reuse wrapping paper, carefully unwrap your presents and store it to rewrap someone else’s presents.
• Store jars and plastic containers to store things and contain leftover food.
• Use all types of containers for crafts and holding things around the house.

SAVING MONEY

• Say “NO” to things you don’t need. You don’t need napkins, straws, plastic utensils, condiments, bags, cups, etc. These cost a lot of money and when you throw them away they just collect not decompose.
• Use Tupperware and other plastic containers to store food, resist using plastic wrap and tin foil. This will save money and the environment.
• Use rags to clean the house, (use old shirts, sweats, and other fabrics around the house instead of throwing them away.
• Cut up squares in your jeans and sew them together into a large quilt to keep you warm.
• Resist using paper towels, use kitchen wash clothes and towels to dry hands and clean surfaces.  If you must use paper towels, reuse those you use to dry your hands.  Dry the paper towels and reuse it again.
• Don’t throw away plastic bags you get while shopping. Don’t buy garbage bags either.  Instead of garbage bags, use plastic shopping bags for your garbage cans.  These are not the best for the environment but their better than garbage bags.
• Reuse plastic bottles, use them as drinking containers. Fill them in the kitchen sink and place them in the refrigerator for future use.  You can also use them as funnels, by cutting off the bottoms. Use the bottom as a scoop or grow a small plant in it. 
• Reuse your soap dispensers.  After they are empty, refill it with soap from a bulk soap container.  Reuse them forever; never buy a dispenser again.
• Save money by buying recycled paper.  These pages are a little darker white but can be used for almost anything.

SAVING THROUGH CRAFT (REUSE)- You can save money and trash by taking items that you would regularly throw away and turn them into crafts and art work. Take film conisters, jars, and other items that normally show up in the trash can and make something out of it.

SEPERATING COMPOSITING FROM YOUR WASTE: Throw food scraps in to the compost instead of using the garbage disposal.  Also be worried about throwing anything down the garbage disposal.  They stopped calling it garbage disposal because that is what people kept throwing in it.  Never throw in fruit/vegetable peels, or anything you can’t squish with your hand.

• Think of starting a compost pile. Use this organic material to hold more water around each plant.
• Weed your gardens and lawn.  Extra weeds and plants steal water, nutrition, and light from those who need it and those you attend these resources to receive. Place these plants in the compost to use as a fertilizer for future plants.

REUSE NEWSPAPERS

• Protect car seats from muddy or wet clothing.
• Put them in loose shoes to tighten.
• Put them inside to dry wet shoes and keep from molding.
• Put them in leather shoes when they are sitting around to preserve shape.
• Use newspapers as a mat for crafts or polishing shoes.
• Wrap them around the bottom of candles so they fit better in holders.
• Cover windows, floors and any thing you want to keep clean when remodeling.
• Tape to windows when painting frames and around windows.
• Use them to clean windows.  Newspaper paper is the best material to keep streaks away.
• Stuff them in different items to keep their shapes while sitting or being stored.
• Crumple newspapers and place them in suitcases, backpacks and other places to take away odors
• Lay newspapers under the garden and place topsoil on top to keep weeds from growing up through the soil. Use a few layers under the soil to block weeds.
• Wrap newspapers around green tomatoes, other fruits, and other vegetables to ripen.
• Cover plants to keep frost from killing them.
• Put under cars to prevent stains from collecting on concrete and under snow, mud, and sand filled wheels.
• Shred newspapers and use the strips for packaging. 
• Wrap presents with newspapers, especially the classic use of the Sunday Comics.
• Wrap ornaments when storing them after Christmas.
• Most conventional use: start fires with old newspapers and junk mail.

REUSING PLASTIC BAGS (Carry a shopping bag with you, no need to use plastic bags)

• Return a collection of these bags to the supermarket for them to recycle them.
• Zip lock bags are now the dominant bags and they are sometimes costly.  Rewash plastic zip lock bags and reuse them.  Nothing is wrong with washing bags used for sandwiches, cookies, etc.
• Use them as garbage can liners, don’t waste money on garbage bags, use plastic shopping bags.
• Use them as a drainage system.  Place them in the bottom of potted and hanging plants to collect water.
• Use them to continually carry things from point A to point B.
• Use them as a packing material; this is a great alternative to bubble wrap and packing wrap.
• Use them to hold grass clippings and small yard trimmings until you make your compost.
• Pack clothing, shoes, and other material in these bags in order to keep them dry when traveling.
• Pick up dog waste when walking you dog and don’t waste the small bags that are given out.

COMPOSTING SAVES AND GROWS

REUSE HOUSEHOLD WASTE (NON-COMPOST) FOR THE GARDEN

• Old tires can be used for growing plants outside.  They aren’t too decorative but can be with creativity.
• Aluminum trays from pies and cakes make a drip saucer for potted plants inside the house.
• Use these items for planting seeds and growing plants inside before starting your garden: Egg cartons, bottom of plastic bottles, toilet paper holders, and plastic ice cream containers.
• Lawn clippings can be dried and used to cover gardens to help stop weeds.  If they are not dried, they can start weeds as well.
• Tin cans can be used creatively as: water reservoirs for plants, plant holders for within the house, and reflectors for plants in the garden.
• Plastic milk containers can hold snail bait. They keep them away from pets.
• Old stockings can be used to tie up plants in the garden.
• Old stockings can be used to hold snail bait and are other things in the garden.

RECYCLE FOOD SCRAPS AND YARD TRIMMINGS FOR THE COMPOST

• Food scraps to be placed in composts include: all fruit, vegetable, grain, carbohydrates, sweets, and meats.  Pretty much anything you put in your mouth can be put into your compost.  Be careful about putting meat and sweets in your compost because of scavengers (rodents) like to ransack composts if they smell good.
• You can also put in all lawn and yard trimmings into your compost.  Cut them down if they are larger than a 6”. 
• Put manure into your compost also, it acts as a good base on top of everything you put into the compost, with this material on top of your compost, the compost should break down faster. 
• Collect all material that goes down your drains in your kitchen and put it into your compost.  Place it in a tupperware container until you can bring it out to the compost. This will help reduce the load at the local sewage plant.
• If you don’t have a compost pile, you can also donate your food scraps to a local pig farm and yard trimmings to local zoos. Contact them to find out more.
• You can also consider getting a few hens for your yard.  These animals eat food scraps and give you eggs in return.