10 Great Ways to Reduce Your Home Waste Disposal

An immense amount of household trash is disposed of every day. Even though this may not seem like a big deal to most households, garbage poses a big threat to the environment. It puts our health at risk, and it has already rendered many animals homeless by destroying their habitats, even with just invisible toxic emissions.

The good news, however, is that you can help prevent all the above effects of waste disposal by finding out: how do I know what size dumpster I need? By making some minor lifestyle changes and being creative, you can reduce your home’s waste disposal. Doing this will not only cut down on some of your expenses, but you will also be contributing to making the world a cleaner place.

Here are 10 ways you can cut down on trash at home.

1. Be Careful What You Put in The Garbage

You will be surprised at what you can find in a dumpster. Most people throw away anything they consider useless. Little do people know that what is not useful to you can be of immense use to another person. The number one step to reducing your home’s waste disposal is to be mindful of what you throw in the trash can. Be it containers, food remains, bags, or papers, first analyze if there is a way you can reuse something instead of throwing it away.

2. Avoid Both Paper and Plastic

After food remains, these two come in second place as the most common things you can find in a dumpster. Many people throw away paper and plastic bags instead of reusing them. Plastic ends up in landfills, where it can take centuries to decompose. It also ends up in lakes, rivers, and oceans, which is a hazard for marine life.

You can reduce the amount of plastic you throw away by using reusable bags whenever you go shopping. And regarding paper, opt to go electronic with paperless bills. They are easier to access and store, unlike their counterparts, which pile up and turn into trash.

3. Forget About Bottled Water

We understand that the idea of refilling water from the tap all the time does not sound very convenient. But for the sake of the environment, avoid bottled water. Bottled water is packed in plastic. And the problem with plastic bottles is that they often cannot be reused in most homes, so they end up in the trash. To be on the safe side, get yourself quality reusable water bottles that you can carry to work or when going for a walk.

4. Say No to Paper Towels

One of the dangers of modernization is that it puts our environment at risk. When paper towels were introduced into the market, they were received with a lot of enthusiasm. Unlike cloth napkins or cleaning rags, paper towels offer fast cleaning solutions.

Paper towels are, however, not reusable. At the end of the day, you may use more than 10 paper towels, which increases the amount of waste your home throws in the trash. Cloth towels are equally effective and are reusable, therefore reducing the amount of trash.

5. Be Choosy About Packaging

It seems that many companies give little thought to how much of their product packaging gets thrown into the trash. However, as a smart consumer with the goal of reducing your home waste management, you should be very careful about packaging. Whenever you go grocery shopping, carry reusable bags. Try to avoid using plastic bags since they will end up in the trash.

6. Practice FIFO

Fully known as the First In, First Out method, FIFO is an excellent way of reducing trash disposal in your home. This method has been frequently used in restaurants to cut down on costs as well as reduce disposal. You, too, can use it at home.

With FIFO, when you buy groceries, you should put old ones in the front and fresh ones in the back during storage. Most of us stuff the new groceries at the front. By using FIFO, you will always have fresh food at home, and you should never have to throw away expired groceries.

7. Stick to Reusable Plates and Cutlery

If you really want to reduce trash disposal in your home, then you should go back to the old-fashioned reusable cutlery and plates. We know that not everyone loves washing the dishes. But it is still better than filling your trashcan with plastic cutlery and plates. Per day, most people eat at least three meals. If you use plastic plates and cutlery, you could end up throwing away more than three plates and sets of cutlery per day. In a week, there could be more than 20. Using reusable straws instead of disposable ones will also reduce waste disposal.

8. Instead of Disposing, Sell Things You Don’t Need

Occasionally, we do declutter our homes because it frees up space and contributes to enhancing their aesthetics. In the process of de-cluttering, what do you do with the junk that you no longer use? If you have been throwing it away or calling a junk removal service, then you might think about trying a different approach.

One of the ways you can reduce waste disposal is by joining buy-and-sell groups. Through these groups, you can find buyers for products that you no longer use. And if you don’t find buyers, you can always donate old stuff instead of disposing of it.

9. Come Up With a Meal Plan

Food remains make up the biggest percentage of garbage disposed of in households. This should come as a surprise because most of the waste often comes from the kitchen. Throwing away food is wasteful and is something that can be easily avoided.

Creating a meal plan before you go grocery shopping, and sticking to that meal plan, will make your grocery shopping more efficient, so you don’t have random food items going to waste. No matter how big your family is, you can reduce your kitchen waste disposal through proper meal planning.

10. Repair, Don’t Replace

Landfills are packed with electronics, clothes, furniture, and other things that could have been easily repaired instead of being discarded. Buying quality products and repairing them instead of discarding them when they no longer work can significantly lower your waste disposal.

Even though the idea of living a zero-waste life can seem overwhelming, one can significantly reduce the amount of waste they dispose of in their homes using the above tips. Your home is a good place to start because you are in total control. Once you have reduced your home’s waste disposal, you can move on to other projects to help the environment. No matter how little they are, your efforts can go a long way in making our world a cleaner place.