Waste is a huge part of our lives. The average person generates over four pounds of trash every day. Yet, as soon as the garbage leaves our hands, our homes, and our sight, we tend to forget all about it. In fact, waste management can encompass up to 20 different industries and involves many steps, especially when attempted responsibly.
The fact is that waste, and waste removal in general, has become more relevant as pollution becomes a bigger issue, threatening our natural environment and the human condition itself. Take a look at these tips to find out how you can handle your waste more efficiently and responsibly:
Reduce Your Trashcans
It may seem counter-intuitive in some ways, but by eliminating wastepaper baskets from around your home, you are much more likely to reconsider things that you originally relegated to the trash. Trying to reuse and reduce is the first step towards generating less waste in general.
Know Your Waste Management
Not all waste management is the same. If you have a lot of yard waste from frequent landscaping or gardening tasks, it might be a good idea to find a service that can responsibly deal with it. If you don’t have a municipal recycling service, you should get information about where you can take your recyclable products yourself. Over 87% of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs, and it might be time to get to know yours.
Consume Mindfully
The ultimate key to reducing waste is becoming a mindful and conscientious consumer. This includes taking steps like assessing your current waste and adjusting your spending habits to start in-taking less, buy more in bulk, and buy mostly — if not all — recyclable products. It might be a good time to look into starting a composting heap in your backyard, or at least finding out where you can bring food scraps.
There are many other steps you can take, including helping to lobby for corporate responsibility and more municipal removal services to take care of waste. Managing waste properly and accepting a certain amount of personal responsibility represents the first steps in creating a better and cleaner world.
