It’s a new year, a new decade and a great opportunity to embrace a ‘green lifestyle’. But how do we start? A small change in the way you dispose of things is an easy way to go ‘green living’. Minimizing your waste is a big ‘green’ step. Instead of depending on the landfill…

Re-use.

Recycle.

Re-use.

Also indicated as ‘Avoid Landfill’.

Unfortunately, we have become a throwaway society where we use something once and throw it away. Nothing good comes out of it. We must be greener.

Start thinking like your grandparents or great-grandparents who lived through the Depression and during the rationing of World War II. Everything was scarce. Everything was appreciated and never wasted.

Here are some easy and simple ways to minimize the amount of stuff you throw away.

Always have your own reusable bags on hand. Not just at the grocery store, but also at the hardware store, drug store, and anywhere else you buy things. These reusable bags fold up into practically nothing, so you should ALWAYS have some available in the car.

Opt for receipts sent by email or text message, not printed.

Choose products or purchase options with the most environmentally friendly packaging possible. There’s nothing like getting something in that horrible hard plastic surrounded by bubble wrap in a much larger than necessary cardboard shipping box. Especially if you could get the same item at your local hardware store and take it home in your pocket (or reusable bag you always carry with you…). You get the idea.

There are many options for selling things online, so make it a habit.

Instead of throwing used furniture in the landfill, donate it or get it. Visit YouTube University and find out how to turn things into something new. I saw an adorable way an old-fashioned dresser was turned into a pet bed!

Compost your kitchen waste. It’s easy (no smell) and makes a fabulous fertilizer. Composting can be done directly in a hole in the ground or in a five-gallon bucket on the apartment balcony. All you need is to add some real dirt and turn it over frequently. (Once it ‘smells’ like dirt, composting is complete and can be used to cover existing plants.) You will be amazed at a compost pile for two reasons: 1). The drastic reduction of the garbage that goes to the landfill and 2). How much the volume decreases as it goes through the composting process.

Instead of tossing out shipping baskets or containers, use them in other ways: a peach basket works great for organizing the bathroom, kids’ toys, magazines, etc.

Speaking of magazines and other printed materials, subscribe to them online.

Shop at consignment and thrift stores when possible. A man’s trash can certainly be your treasure.

For Green Living, challenge yourself to put as little into landfill as possible!