Image ©Emily Hagopian
Looking for ways to reduce waste at home? A good place to start is by remembering the “4Rs” framework: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot (Compost). These four “Rs” are in that order for a reason! It is most important first to think about how we can reduce waste before it is created, then consider how to reuse what we already have, before what we can recycle and rot (compost).
Click through the tabs below to explore ways to integrate zero waste principles at home!
When shopping, look for ways to avoid unnecessary packaging:
Bring your own containers!
Help reduce the amount of paper wasted in Marin each year and get rid of the headache of unwanted junk mail. Go paperless by removing your name from mailing lists, opting out of catalogs, and more.
Get off those lists!
Reuse refers to using an item we already have in order to prevent the need to buy or use something new. Single-use items such as paper coffee cups, plastic utensils, and single-use plastic water bottles contribute to the proliferation of waste. Even worse, these items require natural resources, manufacturing, and transport to the consumer and then are usually disposed of in minutes or hours.
Consider these tips for incorporating reusables into your daily life:
Don’t forget your bag!
Repair your clothes!
The average American bought 68 new items of clothing in 2018; with online shopping, fast fashion and its promotion of microtrends, and social media “hauls” of clothing, our consumption of clothing has skyrocketed. On top of this, the average clothing item is worn less than 7 times before being discarded. Adopt a “reuse” mindset when it comes to clothing to reduce environmental impact and waste!
Check out our tips below to ensure you are recycling and composting correctly!
Make recycling a family affair!
When food scraps, yard waste, and soiled paper go to landfill, they produce methane gas – a powerful heat-trapping gas that contributes to climate change. By composting, we avoid these emissions and also help to create healthy soils.
When we use paper, aluminum foil, or glass bottles, we are also using natural resources. Recycling ensures we can use what we have already extracted from the Earth.
If we do not separate our waste, our landfills will fill up much more quickly and we will have to dig new ones.
Check out our section on Legislation to read more about State waste laws.
PROTECTING OUR RESOURCES TOGETHER