5 Ways to Reduce Your Household Waste

We all know trash can pile up in the house. But did you know that the average American person produces about 5.9 pounds of trash daily? According to the EPA, about 1.51 pounds gets recycled which results in more than four pounds of waste per person every day. That’s a lot of trash!

You could be doing things right now that are unnecessarily adding to your garbage pile without you even knowing it. We’re going to take a look at 5 ways to reduce your household waste.

1. Reduce Food Waste

Much of the trash that is thrown away is food. Statistics show that 1.3 billion tons of food are thrown away every year. That equals about ⅓ of the world’s total food supply. If you can reduce food waste, you can not only help the environment but also your wallet.

Keep track of how many leftovers you have in your fridge. This is a good indication of whether you are buying more food than you consume. You may want to shop more often and buy things when you need them rather than buying them ahead of time and having them go to waste.

2. Eliminate Single-Use Items

While you may grab a paper plate or a plastic piece of silverware because it’s convenient, these items can start to add up. If you can eliminate single-use items like paper plates, straws, plastic cutlery, and plastic bags, you can also reduce your waste.

Investing in reusable water bottles, cloth shopping bags, and reusable produce bags can help the environment and your wallet at the same time.

3. Unsubscribe from Junk Mail

All of those advertisements and other pieces of junk mail start to add up. In fact, statistics show that more than 100 million pieces of junk mail are sent to homes across the country every year. If you can get off of these mailing lists, you can reduce your junk mail and the amount of trash you throw away every year. 

4. Look for Items with Minimal Packaging

When you buy an item, look for those with minimal packaging. This will lead to less waste. Every little bit adds up, so whatever you can do to make an impact, will help. If more people buy items with less packaging it will also send a message to manufacturers. This will hopefully lead to companies making items with less packaging.

5. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!

According to the EPA, 70% of our garbage is recyclable, but only 30% gets recycled. If you can make a conscious effort to recycle more, it will lead to less waste. While it may take a few more minutes to separate items instead of just throwing them all in the garbage, it will make an impact. You’ll see less trash and the environment will thank you.

Residential Waste Pick-Up

Sweitzer Waste offers residential waste pick-up that is efficient and convenient. Free 96-gallon wheeled garbage toters are provided to all customers. All curbside pick-up customers also receive free 96-gallon wheeled recycling cans. Call us today at 860-669-5506 to learn more about how Sweitzer Waste can help with your residential waste pick-up.