The Most Important Rule Is To Reduce The

Recycle glass and plastic.Recycle paper.Don't buy what you don't need.RECYCLE:If your community recycles metal, be sure to wash out and recycle cans. For example, drink from ceramic cups/mugs instead of paper/single-use cups.Do not throw away glass that cannot be recycled in the glass recycling bin.When you buy appliances, look for the Energy Star seal from the Environmental Protection Agency. Some red and yellow dyes contain cadmium, which can contaminate groundwater.Buy products in refillable, recycled, reusable containers - each is better than the other. Avoid overly packaged convenience food since much of the material ends up in landfills.Do not forget recyclable items like motor oil, tires and cars. You can also donate them to organizations that send books to developing countries. Your recycling company will specify what plastic containers can be recycled - often only beverage containers. However, be sure to remove the glossy advertisements from the newspaper.Buy containers that can be reused - better to buy plastic than to use aluminum foil.The most important rule is to reduce the amount of garbage you create. Do a research on any such organization and contact them for more information. Buy cooking oil in glass (the plastic used in bottles for cooking oil can produce pollutants when manufactured). Maintain them. Sell or donate used items to charities rather than throwing them away. Cheap appliances fail sooner, creating more junk.Stop junk mail (catalogue, brochures, and other advertising appeals) you do not want. Window glass contains a contaminating chemical while the drinking glass has a different melting point than a bottle.Encourage your office to recycle white office paper. This lessens strip mining air pollution, and use of energy to manufacturing new cans.Make cleaning rags out of your old clothes and save on paper towels/napkins.Recycle your unwanted books by giving them to a library, school, church, thrift store.Buy in bulk as much as you can.Compost garbage (if your community allows it) along with leaves, and grass clippings. Buy good quality appliances and other items..Recycle old magazines, if possible, or pass them on to a friend, nursing home, school or library.Recycle foam 'peanuts' at your mailing facility or when you next send a package.Don't use throwaway items when you can use permanent ones. If possible, buy concentrated products (soaps, detergents and beverages)Reuse material in your home - jars, shopping bags, plastic bags.Use your own bags when grocery shopping (if possible) and try not to bag items that do not need to be bagged.Pay attention to packaging. Every year people dump enough used motor oil down sewers to equal 10 Exxon Alaskan.