Reduce Reuse Recycle

Power to the Planet

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! A Powerful set of tools for the good management of the Planet Earth.

Reduce Reuse and Recycle your way to a sustainable future. I'm amazed at how easy it is to fit the 3 R's into our lifestyle. Who knew such a little thing could make such a big difference?

It's not about who's to blame for the environmental dilemma we've found ourselves in, or whether it's our fault or the fault of a natural cycle playing itself out.

It is about what we can do from here with what we have to ensure that life on the planet is sustainable.

I'm pretty sure we can all agree that using up all of the planet's resources, or depleting any resource is not sustainable.

The 3 R's, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", are the simplest and least expensive strategies anyone can take toward a future that can be sustained for the long term.

Help yourself and the environment at the same time by starting a recycling/salvage business that will thrive during economic slumps like Michael R. Meuser did.

A society is emerging where it's cool to need less, pay less, and owe less. Where the new trend is using only what we need.

It's an attitude as much as anything, and its wonderfully contagious.

Take the Green Trash Challenge Here!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

If it can't be reused or recycled then use as little of it as possible.

• Reduce Consumption Use less - of everything. In a society that is run on consumerism it's important to keep your head firmly on your shoulders when deciding which products, and how much of them, you really need. Our Energy Conservation Tips alone, can reduce your energy use by half.
• Reduce Waste Using the reduce, reuse, recycle principles will naturally reduce the amount of waste that's headed from your household to the landfill. Everything that enters your household has the potential to become waste at some point
• Reduce Your Water Use There are tons of water conservation tips that save water without making any noticeable difference to you. Switch to leave-in conditioner, install Low Flow Showerheads and Low Flow Toilets. Start Harvesting Rainwater from your roof for your outdoor watering.
• Reduce Packaging Choosing scantily clad products over their way overdressed counterparts will have a real impact. Also, choose packaging materials that are recyclable, made from recycled or reuseable materials, or both. Buy in bulk and use recyclable bags for shopping to keep packaging at a minmum.
• Reduce Disposable Products Disposable products, No - Recyclable products, Yes.
• Buy Less but High Quality I don't mean Gucci, I mean everyday products, appliances, cooking utensils, furniture, clothing, etc.. Planned obsolescence is no friend of our planet and well made products are much less likely to end up in a landfill.
• Stop Keeping up With the Joneses It is not necessary to own every newly tweaked electronic device as it enters the market. Wait a while before upgrading, there's already a new model in the works. Same goes for furniture, vehicles and recreational toys.
• Use Fewer Batteries Recharge it! With the onset of the electronic age, battery use has skyrocketed. Disposable batteries litter landfills and leach cadmium and other toxic, heavy metals into our soil and eventually into our groundwater. Choose rechargable batteries over disposables and if you really want to make a difference, use a Solar Battery Charger
• Reduce Fuel Consumption Gasoline and diesel prices increase as they become more scarce and difficult to obtain. The faster we use them, the faster they'll go up. Buy a very fuel efficient vehicle and use it as infrequently as possible. Better yet, carpool with someone else, use public transport, cycle, rollerblade, skateboard or walk.
  
  Locally grown and produced food and products require no (or little) transport from place to place.

Reduce, even by millimeters, how much you use of body products, shampoos, toothpaste (a pea sized dab is plenty), paper towels, cleaning agents (vinegar does a surprising number of household jobs), any product. Switch to a leave-in conditioner and cut your hair-care water use by half, just from a simple habit change.

In particular, reduce the use of products and packaging that are not recyclable or reuseable once they've served their purpose

The use of toxic chemicals, paints and solvents can be completely eliminated or greatly reduced by selecting alternative products.

Our #1 tip for reducing your impact is; buy a stainless steel water bottle and never buy another plastic bottle of water again. Fill your bottle at home and carry it with you wherever you go.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Ever heard the saying that "one man's junk is another's treasure"? It's true, and it's a super green attitude.

Community lists like Craigs list and Kijiji are proof positive that there's someone out there that wants your old stuff, and they're willing to PAY you for it too.

Local community lists and e-bay are also valuable resources for the re-user.

Whenever you can... reuse packaging, glass containers, plastic bags, building materials, the list goes on. Buy reuseable containers for lunches, water, coffee, refrigerator & freezer storage. Avoid the use of disposable products that are non-biodegradable.

• Furniture Household, baby, patio - any kind of furniture can be reused as-is or tweaked.
• Re-purpose Creative uses can be found for items whose usefulness is past. An old bathtub, with the plug out, makes a superb Container Garden or Raised Bed Garden, a kitchen table can become a potting stand or workbench.
• Buy Used Again, community lists, Craigs list and Kijiji are great resources for buying used furniture, clothing, vehicles and interesting artifacts to add to your decor. Avoid buying energy sucking appliances and things like old appliances and refrigerators that are nearing the end of their life unless you don't mind eating the cost of disposal.
• Baby Needs Babies grow so fast and are so small, that their furniture, toys and clothing are frequently very lightly used, perfect for barter, donation or sale.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

A huge number of products can be recycled, chances are that if you're reducing, reusing and recycling, your garbage man is feeling a little... un-needed by now.

Recycling facilities exist for bottles, cans, tetra packs, glass, paper, cardboard, batteries, tires, clothing, furniture, building materials and more.

Some things can be reused as they are, and some are transformed into entirely new products. (Did you know that plastic bottles are turned into snuggly polar fleece clothing?)

• Learn how to compost. Reduce your trash by as much as 30% by composting kitchen scraps into a valuable plant ammendment. Composting is a perfect blend of the reduce, reuse, recycle practices. Check out our worm composter page for a cool way to recycle kitchen scraps and junk mail.
• Help the Environment by Recycling Here's some information on how recycling impacts the environment.
• What Can You Recycle More and more and more. Recycling has become the norm in a lot of communities and the programs are so successful that they're being initiated in communities internationally. The word's out, recycling is in.
• Home Recycling Center Keep it organized. Recycling is a snap when you set up a dedicated area for your recyclables.
• Recycle Batteries The most popular recyclable batteries at Amazon are the Sanyo Eneloop batteries.

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