Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Did you know that 195 million tons of garbage gets tossed out each year by Americans? With the 3 R's we can and need to reduce that number.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. What does that really?

Reduce. Reduce the amount of garbage you produce in the first place. You can do this by watching what you buy from the store. Don't buy things that can only be used once and then tossed. Also don't buy "over packaged" products, items that have multiple layers of trash. Buy foods in large quantities or in bulk, try and eliminate buying single serve items.

Reuse. Find a way that either you or someone else can use an item that you no longer want. Instead of tossing books, toys or games in the trash, get creative and find a way to reuse them. Have a garage sale or donate items to a charity or thrift store. Another way to reuse things is to fix items that are broken. Don't be so quick to toss items in the trash. Evaluate them and see if repairs can be made.

Recycle. Recycling is when you put thrown out items through a process to be used over again. Many things can be recycled. Paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum are a few.

Recycling is so easy and can greatly reduce your amount of garbage. At our house we keep a trash can specifically for recycling next to our regular trash can. The kids know to put all paper, yogurt containers, canned goods etc into this container. Each night my son is responsible for emptying the recycled trash into the curb side recycle bin outside.