How To Reduce Your Garbage Output

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The average American throws away four pounds of garbage a day. But with a little effort, you can whittle your waste way down.
Added March 26, 2008

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Step 1.
Avoid packaging

Vote with your wallet: purchase goods with little or no packaging. Avoid buying food with unnecessary wrapping—especially Styrofoam or plastic—such as pre-packaged fruits and vegetables.
Whenever possible, buy in bulk—you’ll save money and the planet.
Step 2.
Start a compost

Instead of throwing out coffee grounds, eggshells, tea bags, and produce scraps, save them in a bucket near your garbage can and periodically add them to a backyard compost.
Some cities offer curbside pickup for compost-friendly food and yard scraps.
Step 3.
Save on bags

Ask the cashier not to double-bag. Better yet, bring your own reusable totes.
Step 4.
Recycle

Recycle as much glass, paper, and plastic as you can.
Step 5.
Limit take out

Limit take-out food, which is very packaging-intensive.

If you do order take-out, find a way to re-use the packaging.

That’s it – 5 easy ways to reduce your garbage output.
Wal-Mart expects to save 3.4 billion dollars and 700,000 tons of <span class="caps">CO2</span> by encouraging suppliers to cut unnecessary packaging.