Regardless of whether March has come in like a lion or a lamb, one thing is for sure: March means spring cleaning. Spring cleaning can be a major pain for some homeowners, but with these easy and fun recycling tricks, you won’t have any excess garbage to worry about for months to come!

In general, the waste hierarchy refers to the three R’s — reduce, reuse and recycle. These classify waste management strategies according to their desirability in terms of waste minimization, which is the entire point of spring cleaning. Just follow these recycling hacks and you’ll be shocked by all the garbage you are getting rid of during this time of year!

Get deep in thought
Go around room by room and look for items that you haven’t used in awhile. Put them all in a container and take a good look at them. If you can’t think of why you haven’t used them recently, it is time to throw out, recycle, or donate. Trust us, if you didn’t even remember you had these items, they won’t be missed!

Be creative
Just because something is old doesn’t mean it can’t be reused as something completely different! Don’t be afraid to be creative with your items. Some ideas include:

  • Old clothing can become cleaning rags.

  • Tired looking armchairs and sofas can be reupholstered for a fresh new look.

  • Old birthday cards and scrap paper can go right into your child’s craft bins for use later.

  • Have new tableware? Try utilizing your old bowls and dishes as cutlery organizers, cupcake stands, and jewelry dishes.

Use empty space to your advantage
Have some empty space under your cabinets in your bathroom or a little storage area in your hallway? Consider putting small recycling bins there as a way to remind your family how easily things can be recycled. Most people forget to recycle because their bins may be too far away, but with these reminders, they have no excuses!

Stay away from disposable
We know that it is impossible to thoroughly clean your home without having mounds of paper towels and rags everywhere. But these paper products end up in landfills, which is just exacerbating our waste problem. Instead, use reusable cloths, cleaning solutions that evaporate or can be vacuumed up, and if you have to use paper, be conservative with how much product you actually use!

Keep these tips in mind, and you will have an easy peasy Spring cleaning — all that garbage won’t know what to do with itself!