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It's
in
LaPorte County, Indiana |
 Know What To Buy
The
first step to managing waste is to accumulate less stuff
in the first place. Your shopping can keep your community
cleaner, your family healthier, and your budget going farther.
It all starts with reducing waste. Before shopping give reuse
and repair some thought. Consider quantity, packaging, and
how you take food home. We've put together suggestions to
help unleash your creativity — and keep our communities great
places to live.
NO-WASTE HOLIDAY IDEAS
GIFT WRAPPING TIPS: Great Ideas for gift wrapping alternatives
- Scarves, handkerchiefs,
bandannas.
- Old posters and maps.
- Pages from a child's
coloring book taped together.
- Newspapers (foreign newspapers
are great!).
- Last year's holiday paper (press with warm
iron if wrinkled).
- Home-sewn cloth bags.
- Sunday comic pages.
- A present in a present
(for example, cookies in a reusable tin or
cookie jar, kitchen gifts in towels or all-purpose
cloths).
- Reusable decorative bags.
- A "Hollywood
Box": individually wrap or decorate
the top and bottom of a box with a separate lid. Encourage
the recipient to reuse the box.
- Purchase wrapping paper made
from recycled paper.
PARTY WASTE REDUCTION TIPS
- Plan meals wisely
and practice portion control.
- Use reusable dishes, cups,
silverware, and napkins; if you don't have enough,
ask to borrow reusable tableware
from friends or family.
- Cut up last year's holiday
cards and use as place cards.
- Place easily identifiable
recycling containers at your celebration so guests
can recycle their pop
cans, bottles,
etc.
- Encourage the host or hostess to reuse and
recycle bows, wrapping paper, etc.
GREEN GIFTS
- Sometimes, the most treasured gifts
we can give are our time, love, and energy. Visit the www.reduce.org for some
holiday gift ideas that create less waste and
more memories.
AFTER THE HOLIDAYS
- Save packing material, wrapping paper,
and tissue paper for reuse.
- Save bows, ribbon, tags, festive
bags and boxes for next year.
- Recycle your tree! Some communities
make discarded holiday trees into mulch for
use in community
parks. Contact your
county or waste hauler for more information.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
It's a great time of year to develop
a new waste reduction habit. Here are
some
ideas:
- Bring a reusable mug to the coffee
shop, whether you're staying in
or taking it
to go.
- Read the newspaper online.
- Switch to less toxic
cleaning products.
- Recycle more! In addition to your
cans, bottles, and newspapers,
don't forget
to recycle mixed
paper and cardboard
curbside.
- Carry reusable shopping
bags. Bring plastic shopping bags back
to the
store for recycling.
BRING HOME GOODS, NOT MORE PACKAGING
Packaging is waste waiting to happen. Reduce it the dollar-stretching
way — by using self-serve bins and buying in concentrate.
You'll lighten your load and ultimately throw away less.
- Scoop your pasta, fruit, grains and nuts from self-serve
bins. Use your own containers when possible. Buy only
what you need to avoid throwing out stale or spoiled items.
- Purchase dish soap and laundry detergents in concentrate
forms.
BUY (AND BRING!) THE RIGHT CONTAINERS
Instead of buying disposable items, go with containers that
are reusable and refillable. You'll throw out less and
save money otherwise spent on packaging.
- Take a reusable
coffee mug to work or school. That's a year's worth
of paper and polystyrene cups saved from the
trash. For your thoughtfulness, many coffee houses
provide a 5 to 10-cent discount per cup.
- Buy milk, water or other
beverages in refillable containers.
- When grocery shopping,
bring along reusable cloth bags. Many stores offer
credit for not using their paper and
plastic bags, and cloth is sturdier to boot. Only
accept bags from
the store when you need them.
CHOOSE LESS HARMFUL INGREDIENTS
Many products can harm you or your family, and not always
immediately. Usage and disposal both carry long-term risks
of putting harmful ingredients in our soil, water and air.
Examine labels closely, and always choose products containing
the least harmful ingredients.
- Read labels on cleaners
and automotive products for signal words — Caution, Warning,
Danger, Poison — which indicate
the level of hazard. Use the least hazardous product to
do the job. "Caution" is least hazardous; "danger" is
most hazardous. Extremely toxic products must also include
the word "poison."
- Reduce the number of cleaning
products in your home by using one general-purpose
cleaner.
- Reduce or eliminate pesticides in your yard.
BUY PRODUCTS MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS
Hundreds of quality products are made from recycled materials.
From paper and clothing to toothbrushes, doormats and trash
bags — and even pet bowls — recycled content products can
do the job. Buying these products puts valuable resources
to use instead of wasting them, conserves energy, and reduces
pollution.
- Look for products labeled "post-consumer", "pre-consumer" or "recycled-content."
- Use
the Minnesota Recycled Products Directory and Recycled
Products Guide to identify products and where to buy
them.
REUSE, REPAIR AND RENT
Before shopping for new, think about used. You may find that
a gently-used product will do just as nicely — and cost
less. Consider renting, too, especially for infrequently
used items such as power tools, camping gear or sporting
equipment. When something breaks, look at repair. All of
these options save resources and cut down on waste.
- Shop
at consignment and antique stores, where you'll find
one-of-a-kind items. Who says reuse can't be fashionable?
- Help for repairing broken items is as close as your local
hardware store or online on the Internet. A little
do-it-yourself
can be the first step to reuse.
- By properly maintaining
items such as lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners and appliances,
you'll avoid replacement
and repair
costs.
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