5 Ideas to Reduce Waste

I hate throwing trash away. For one, I feel like I'm just wasting money when I am throwing away so much stuff. I also think we can do better for our planet, so I like to figure out what I can do to throw less stuff into landfills.

1. Recycle! When purchasing things, try to figure out (quickly) how much of it you're going to be able to throw into the recycle bin.
2. Have a bigger recycle bin than a garbage bin. Doing this has helped me be more conscious about what I'm throwing away that could be recycled.
3. Reuse and repurpose. This may sound a little nutty, but I like to reuse things like aluminum foil if it doesn't get messy while I'm cooking. If I'm just covering a casserole, and no food transfers (or very little), I fold that foil up and reuse it. I also like to repurpose old jars and things to store food and homemade cleaning supplies when possible. (If I have nothing to put into it, it gets tossed or recycled to reduce clutter.)
4. Do without. Learn to live with less! This is a hard one for most Americans, but I think it's helpful. If you consume less, you have less to throw away. 
5. Switch to reusable when it's convenient/practical for your family. You can switch to unpaper towels, cloth diapers, cloth wipes, cloth napkins, stop using paper plates/cups/silverware, use reusable snack bags, and even use cloth toilet "paper." 

These are five things you can do to waste a little less, and even doing some of them in small amounts can make a difference.