Are you heading out on a road trip this summer? If so, it is important that you and your family are conscious of the amount of waste you produce during your trip. It is possible to reduce, reuse, and recycle as a means of waste management during your trip, and here are some recycling tips that will help you keep the garbage at bay!

Choose a cooler

Plastic water bottles are quite convenient for long trips, but if they are not recycled properly they just end up in landfills for years to come. Instead of buying the 32-pack of bottles at your grocery store, invest in quality glass and metal reusable bottles and keep them chilled in a cooler. You can even buy water bottles with portable filters so you know your water quality won’t suffer when you refill!

Pre-pack snacks

There is a ton of paper used in fast food, from the cardboard containers holding french fries to the large paper bags they come in. Prevent the paper waste from stacking up in your car by pre-packing snacks in plastic containers that can be reused as you stock up on your trip.

Always ask

Rest stops and campgrounds almost always have recycling bins, all you need to do is ask if you cannot find them! You can even go the extra step by separating your paper, plastics, bottles, and cans to make things easier.

Keep the pool floaties around

No road trip is complete without a visit to the pool, and chances are you have some pool toys and games coming on vacation with you. Surprisingly enough, pool floaties — especially pool noodles! — and rafts are made of plastic that may not be recyclable. If this is the case, see if you can find some other uses for them instead of tossing them in the garbage. Some ideas for reusing those pesky pool noodles include:

  • Use them as boot stands to keep the shape of your boots.
  • Cut the noodles into small pieces and create a small foam pit for the kids to play in.
  • Protect worn-out trampoline wires by cutting the noodles to fit and cover the frayed wires.

Do you have any other interesting recycling tips you can use during the summer? Tell us in the comments!