Did you know that a single household has approximately 2.50 kilograms of waste per day? It is more than 820 kilograms of waste per year to a single household only! With these junks piling up each year, waste management could greatly help, not only to our environment but also with our health. If you are thinking how you can help our environment, here are simple answers – implement waste management: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
REDUCE
The most important thing you can do is to reduce your generated waste. Your goal is to lessen the garbage that you are throwing. Do this by changing a few things in your way of life. Here are some of the hassle free ways to be able to reduce waste. These simple steps can also help you to save money.
- Avoid using disposable items when possible, such as plastic cups on your coffee break. Instead, use mug or tumbler that can be washed.
- Redefine your shopping styles. Why don't you try to bring your own eco bag or paper bag so that you can reduce the use of plastic bags for your purchased items?
- Just buy things you really need, just enough to prevent the disposal of leftovers.
- Buy durable and long lasting products so that you won't need to replace it as often. Like florescent compact bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs require heat for it to light and this heat waste nearly 90% of electricity. The florescent bulb, on the other hand, makes less heat.
- Stay healthy and slim with basic exercise like walking or using the bike to go office or going to the business meeting. This saves you more on gas and helps reduce air pollution.
- Turn off lights when not in use.
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Also it is recommended better to use the pail and pail dipper when taking a bath instead of the shower.
REUSE
Reuse things that you can still use. From computers to paper, many other things can be used again.
- In the office or at home, set your printer to “print on both sides” of the paper to maximize the paper usage. You can also use scratch papers on printing draft reports or use paper with print on just one side of the page as a scratch. In this way you can save paper and ink.
- Instead of using a “single-use” battery, why not accumulate money to buy a rechargeable battery instead?
- Trade or give away old clothes, books, cds and dvds in stores ot junkshop receiving
- If you’ve got broken appliances why not get an electrician to fix it rather replacing them immediately or discarding them totally?
- For materials that cannot be used anymore, be creative and seek for other alternatives to maximize its usage or better yet just give it to others who can actually make something out of it. The charities welcome donations of old tools and appliances but be certain that it is still working before giving it then out.
- You can trade or give away old clothes, books, CDs and DVDs in stores or junkshops.
- You can also earn by gathering your old clothing and equipments and conduct a garage sale or ukay-ukay. Remember the pharse “one man’s trach is another man’s treasure”.
RECYCLE
In recycling process, you must bring the materials to areas where they may create new product from your trash. You would be surprised when you find out that many things can be recycled today. The recycled plastics are used to make common use around the house such as carpet. However, you can recycle at home or at work by:
- Buy products made from recycled materials such as paper and cardboard. Do not buy products that are not packed with environment-friendly materials such as plastics or Styrofoam. Find the recycling symbol. This symbol can mean one or two is made out of recycled material or the item can be recycled again.
- Segregate the trash and put labels like: Paper, Cardboard, plastic and cans / bottles.
- Use your imagination by creating new projects using old materials such as balikbayan / package boxes and make photo frames or pen holders out of it.
Remember that in reducing, reusing and recycling you can save money also. So, before you dispose anything, ask yourself first if the item can still be of any use or check if you can still reduce or reuse its package.
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