4 Green Waste Management Solutions To Consider For Your Home
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Everyone has heard that phrase for decades but how can you actually implement green waste management solutions in your own home? Here are a few tips.
Reusable grocery bags
Switching from single-use plastic grocery bags to reusable ones is a great place to start with green waste management solutions. You can find these bags made from a variety of materials like cloth, jute, and even recycled plastic. Not only will this help reduce the amount of waste you generate, it'll also save you money in the long run. In fact, many grocery stores are charging customers for plastic bags or simply no longer carrying them in the store.
Community yard waste composting
Each year homeowners across the United States accumulate leaves, grass clippings, and branches from their yards. Instead of throwing it out with the household trash in a plastic trash bag, use your community's compost pile. Many communities offer a large, publicly accessible compost pile for yard waste.
Additionally, if you are in need of compost or mulch for your garden, you can take what you need from the same community compost pile.
Food waste
A lot of the waste we generate at home is from the food we eat. Once we finish our meals, we often just throw away the leftovers without giving it a second thought. In fact, food waste is actually the single largest component of solid waste in the U.S. However, there are ways to reduce your food waste and keep it out of the landfill.
One way to reduce your food waste is to compost it. Composting is a process of breaking down organic material, such as food scraps, into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. This amendment can then be used to improve the quality of your garden soil.
Avoid single-use plastics
You can make a big impact by refusing to use single-use plastic items like straws, grocery bags, and water bottles. Bring your own reusable straws, bags, and water bottles with you when you go out. Furthermore, discarded straws, grocery bags, and water bottles are some of the most common items found in beach cleanups.
You can also avoid using other single-use plastics like plastic, zip-style bags and plastic wrap. Choose to use reusable containers or wax paper instead. Not only will this help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills, but it will also help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans.
Plastic straws have specifically been singled out lately due to their threat to marine wildlife. Sea turtles often mistake straws for food, and when they ingest them, it can cause serious health problems or even death.
These are just a few green waste management solutions to consider for your home. By implementing even just a few of these solutions, you can make a big difference in the amount of waste you generate. Not to mention, you'll also be helping to protect the environment.
