Three Little Words

The three little words I'm talking about are not "I love you." They're words you see almost everywhere today, and if you remember them they will save you a lot of money. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These are the three R's of waste management.

Reduce the amount and toxity of trash you throw away. This is easy to do if you bring your own bags to the grocery store, buy products that are packaged in an environmentally green way, and dispose of toxic material properly.

Reuse as many products as you can. For example, the plastic butter container can become a container for leftovers when it is used up, boxes and bags can be used many times, and plastic bags can also be reused. I use the newspaper bag as a doggie poop bag. Many products in home building can be reused. I have seen plumbing supplies, bricks, shingles, and wood reused again and again. I saw a great example of reusing products in Santa Barbara, at the store Art From Scrap, where donated throwaway items like cassette cases, foam, old tile, pottery, thread, pieces of paper, etc were turned into beautiful art.

Recycling is the final step. If you can't find another use for a throway item, then it's time to recycle. This means making sure that if it is toxic, it is disposed of properly. Otherwise, make sure it goes to the proper recycling bin. You can also help in reducing the amount of recycling by buying products that are packed simply, and use materials that are biodegradable. This helps alot.

These few little steps can make a difference. I already see my own progress. I produce less waste each week and when I get my composting going, it will be even less. Time to learn and practice the three R's all over again.