Recycling efforts are in place to deal with existing waste, but to solve the problem with future waste, what needs to be done is to hit the core of the problem: waste reduction. In the household setting, there are a lot of ways you can contribute to waste reduction—from as simple as sorting waste to as habit-forming as changing shopping activities. In the long run, waste reduction is not only beneficial to the environment, it also favors your pockets.

“How can I reduce waste?”
Reducing waste should be a lifetime habit, and a good way to start is finding out how much waste your household produces. This can help you measure your progress and perhaps bring closer to home the reality of massive waste production. You might be surprised by your findings, but they should give you the motivation to reduce waste.

The next thing you should do is get to the actual waste reduction. And here’s a few of what you can do.

1. Repair instead of throwing stuff away. If you go and look into your trash bin, could you identify how much of your waste could actually be fixed and still be useful? The sad thing is that many people have this habit of getting rid of things even if they are repairable. The next time you have a damaged item, think first if it deserves to be in the trash bin or in the hands of a repairman.

2. Buy only what is necessary. This way you can avoid keeping things that in the end will only graduate into waste. When shopping, you can also purchase products, such as detergent and soap, in bulk sizes, so you need to dispose of just a few containers or packaging. If you don’t want to bring home any plastic or packaging at all, bring your own containers to supermarkets and grocery stores.

3. Use a reusable shopping bag. Plastic bags constitute a large percentage of household waste and take a lot of years to decompose. Although you can take advantage of the for-life shopping bags offered by many retailers, you can look through your own things and find if there is something you can use as a shopping bag. Now that’s recycling.

4. Avoid using disposable items. You can use washable cups instead of their plastic counterparts and rags in place of paper towels. You can also use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Look around your house. Do you keep disposable items that you can replace with better alternatives?

5. Limit your purchase of packaged foods. By doing so, you can reduce your waste by a great percentage as packaging and wrappers make up a bulk of household waste. Buy fresh products instead. Not only can you manage household waste effectively, you can also eat healthy.