Waste management encompasses more than simply scheduling time to pickup garbage. It actually comprises nearly 20 different industries. Commercial trash service is a big part of waste management, as the average person throws out about four pounds of trash every day.
Isn’t Making Arrangements to Pickup Garbage Each Week Enough?
When waste management comes to pickup garbage each week, all the average person needs to do is take their bins to the curb. Many people assume that this is all they need to do. In actuality, there are multiple actions a person can take to be a responsible steward of waste minimization.
What Are the “3 Rs” of Waste Management?
Did you know that there is a waste hierarchy? This term refers to reduce, reuse, and recycle. That phrase is well-known, and yet it is not universally followed. The goal of the “3 Rs” is to minimize the amount of waste generated by each person, and thereby reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Reduce: How to Minimize the Amount of Trash You End Up With at the End of the Day.
When you shop, do you consider the best way to minimize future trash? In other words, do you look for items with less packaging, no packaging, or do you bring your own bags? It is actions such as these that stop trash accumulation from starting. Here are a few tips on how to do it.
Reducing the amount of trash just takes a little extra forethought. For example, buying items in bulk can result in less overall packaging. Buying produce from a farmer’s market, and bringing your own bags, is another way. Instead of using disposable plastic drink bottles, consider bringing your own reusable container from home. Reducing the amount of trash you and your family generate requires you to pay attention to some of the things we take for granted.
Reuse: There’s Still Life In That Object!
Everyone loves shiny new toys. Because most people are short on storage space, bring a new “toy” into your home means that some other item or items will need to go. All too often, these replaced items are thrown in the trash. If an item still works, meaning it is not stained, ripped, chipped, or malfunctioning, it could be helpful to someone else.
The best option is to try and find someone who could use that older item. Take for example older office equipment that you want to replace. Perhaps you want a newer, faster model. Maybe the old printer still works, but doesn’t have all of the cool new features you need it to have.
Instead of throwing the machine away, why not give it to someone else? It might seem nearly worthless to you, but for someone else the machine might be helpful. In the case of the printer, it could surely benefit a school, a new struggling business, or a charity organization. The term ‘reuse’ doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be you who is reusing the item.
The final piece of the waste management hierarchy is recycling. It is simple to recycle. We all should make the effort to follow the 3 Rs to minimize our own contribution to the accumulation of trash. We can do our part by cutting down on the amount of trash we create. Next, we can try to minimize the items we throw away. Alternative options include reusing the item, or remaking the item into something new. These simple steps can have a dramatic effect on the trash situation in this country.