When you first consider the idea of reducing the amount of items that you throw away on a weekly basis, you might wonder how that could be done without having piles of garbage mounting in your garage or backyard. That doesn’t have to happen, but a change of thinking and being conscious of what we use daily is a necessity.

We have created so many products that make our life easier, but unfortunately, many of those things are not eco-friendly and are destroying the planet faster than gold price increases.

Our homes usually have regularly stocked items like  paper towels, disposable water bottles, batteries, Styrofoam cups, etc. However, these disposable products end up in landfills and stay there for years. The pile just getting bigger and bigger because that stuff does not decompose.

The solution to that is not to stop throwing it away, but to actually stop using it and switch to reusable products instead. Buying reusable items at the grocery store saves you money and drastically reduces the amount of trash your home provides on a regular basis.

Here are a few items you may use often that can be switched to reusable items.

• Silverware
  Ok, there’s a slight downside to having to clean up and wash dishes, but did you know that using an automatic dishwasher actually uses less water than doing the dishes by hand in the sink? Plus, it’s plastic forks and spoons are really bad for the environment and are totally unnecessary.
  
• Cut back on paper towel
  Instead of throwing your old cloth towels into the trash when they start to look raggedy, why  not just add them to the cleaning pile instead? Simply wash them to reuse them over and over again while saving money and reducing trash at the same time.
• One water bottle
  Simply buy one reusable/refillable water bottle and drastically cut back on your grocery bill by not drinking out of plastic water bottles anymore.

For many of us, the fact that we live far from landfills is a blessing, but it also often means that it’s easy for us to forget the massive problem that exists with the heaping piles of waste that plague our environment. When you and your family decide to make it a priority to recycle, you are making a commitment that does a great service to our Earth and all life that inhabits it.

There are so many products that we all use on a daily basis that are not environmentally friendly in the slightest. When you see a pop can lying in a ditch, that can is there forever until someone decides to pick it up and recycle it into something reusable. Otherwise it will end up in the humongous piles of waste in landfills and sit there indefinitely because it is not biodegradable.

Recycling is one of the the most important parts of our attempt to clean up the mess we’ve made. It will work if we all work together and participate.

How to start recycling as a family:

The amount of recycling products available to buy is growing and could really make a big impact if we all helped out by recycling all materials that can be.

Your family can start simply by having separate bins for your recyclable items and either putting them out at the right time weekly when your city’s sanitation department is scheduled for pick up in your area and/or bring items to your local recycling service.

Typically, cardboard is to be bundled together and the same with newspaper. Also, bottles and cans are to be separated and put together. Breaking down all the cardboard boxes you use (even product packaging) will also help a great deal. Typically those are the general rules, but consult your local sanitation dept. for literature on specifics for your area.

To make it an easier job on everyone and get the family involved, why not give each members a job to do and you can all meet in the living room on that night once the chores are finished and share a snack together. maybe make it movie night that starts after the recycling is done?

Really, there’s no reason that we all can’t help to recycle and reuse in order to help improve the environment and attempt to clean up the mess we made.