First Steps - Precycling

01.21.10

Recycling is the thing most people think of as a first step to becoming more green at home. But how do we reduce the amount of stuff we are putting in both the trash and the recycling? I asked my friend Sue, to share with me how she cuts down. This is what she wrote:

“When you say you’re going to throw something away, where’s away?”
-Julia Butterfly Hill

For so many of us, it’s second nature, a thoughtless act. Throwing a piece of trash in the trashcan makes us a considerate citizen, neighbor, person. We’ve done our part, cleaned up our house, yard, street, community. But is that where our responsibility ends? Just because we keep our space clean, does that mean we should consume without thinking of what happens to all that stuff we throw away? And where, like Ms. Hill asks, is away?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, or a total of 29 pounds per week and 1,600 pounds a year. Considering that eighty-four percent of a typical household’s waste — including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles — can be recycled (The Good Human), we should all be mindful of just what we’re tossing out.

While we know that recycling is important, the process begins even earlier, with precycling. The Environmental Defense Fund states that “to precycle is to make buying choices that support responsible products and packaging, make recycling easier and reduce the amount of garbage you throw away”, which is the ultimate goal.

Precycling is a way to coordinate your actions with your beliefs. It’s really not that difficult. Deliberate, thoughtful decisions can influence your purchases and eventually, change your lifestyle. Here are some ways to get started:

• Reusable shopping bags – keep them in the car so they’re handy for all your shopping trips.
• Use rags and cloth napkins instead of paper towels and napkins.
• Purchase items with less packaging. Buy larger containers and put portions into smaller reusable containers (such as yogurt, cheese, snacks, laundry detergent, hand soap, etc.).
• Use water pitchers and reusable containers instead of juice boxes/pouches, water bottles, sport drink bottles.
• Use reusable plates, bowls, cups and utensils instead of paper and plastic.
• Pack lunches with reusable containers.
• Compost if you can. Use the garbage disposal for plant waste if you can’t compost.
• Cook more, order out less. Not only does that make less waste, it’s cheaper and healthier.
• Recycle!! paper - junk mail, newspaper, boxes (cereal, toothpaste, pasta, etc), paper/tp rolls, magazines, phonebooks and plastic, aluminum, glass jars and bottles