9 Easy Ways You Can Reduce Household Waste

Reducing household waste can seem like an inconvenience or something that requires specialised skills to do effectively. The truth is, there are many individual actions we can take that minimise the amount of refuse we accumulate and throw away—many of which do not require a lot of prior planning or knowledge.

This post is part of the Climate Change Collective, a group of environmentally-minded bloggers who share valuable climate action news. Started by Michelle from Boomer Eco Crusader and Jamie from Jamie Ad Stories, each month a different member contributes a lead/focus post that the rest of the collective responds to on their own sites, further discussing the information and issues raised.

The collective is currently open to any other bloggers who want to join; if you’re interested, get in touch.

Collective Climate Action

The most recent lead/focus post for the collective was written by Caroline from Enviroline Blog; where she shares some practical suggestions about how to mitigate the impact climate change has on food security. With effective ideas like supporting sustainable agriculture, reducing food waste, buying Fairtrade items, and even going vegetarian or vegan, Caroline introduces some all-important actions we can make use of.

The lack of food is likely to increase the prices which have already increased lately. Hunger and increased prices cause conflict which leads to even more issues. So, we need to make some changes to try and reduce these impacts of food insecurity. | The Impact Climate Change Has On Food Security and How To Help – Enviroline Blog

One aspect of Caroline’s post in particular—reducing food waste—got me thinking about small everyday lifestyle changes we can make to reduce, reuse, and recycle not only food but other items. Most of us are able to do something that focuses on sustainability, and it’s within our own households that we can take steps towards positive climate action.

When we become committed to minimising what we throw away, we’re making a conscious decision to help protect the environment. Landfill space—where the majority of our trash ends up—produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases. As garbage decomposes, it releases methane and carbon dioxide, along with several other emissions that contribute to the intensification of climate change and its effects. While reducing what ends up in landfill sites represents a worldwide issue that may seem too big for any individual to tackle; doing what we can is important and should never be underestimated. Reducing our household waste is essential, as is educating others on efficient and effective eco-friendly choices—all of which makes a difference.

Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions globally, after oil and gas systems and agriculture. Although methane only accounts for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions and lasts about a dozen years in the air, it traps 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide does. Scientists estimate that at least 25% of today’s warming is driven by methane from human actions. | Satellite Data Finds Landfills Are Methane ‘Super-Emitters’ – NPR

In addition to greenhouse gases, landfills produce highly toxic liquid runoff (leachate) when snowmelt or rain passes through and collects the toxins released by decaying garbage. This can cause groundwater pollution that contaminates soil, streams, rivers, and water supplies.

It’s abundantly clear that we must make every effort to cut back on how much we throw away.

9 Ways You Can Reduce Your Household Waste

One overriding principle to adopt is the ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle‘ mantra; a sustainability mindset and lifestyle that promotes responsible consumption and waste management by focusing on:

• Buying fewer resources and products, especially those that are single-use items or ones that have a lot of plastic or packaging.
• Extending the lifespan of products and materials by finding new purposes or sharing them with others.
• Collecting paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and aluminium cans from everyday waste to be taken to a local recycling centre where they get processed and used to create new products.

There are a number of everyday actions we can implement that will facilitate this climate-conscious lifestyle, including:

Menu Planning

About 30% of all food produced worldwide never gets eaten and ends up rotting away in landfills. From farming to manufacturing and distribution to consumption, produce loss and waste occur at every single stage; culminating in restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and households throwing away vast amounts of food. In the United States, this accounts for the largest category of material found in refuse sites; therefore, carefully planning our meals will help reduce the amount of food we buy that ends up being unused and then thrown in the trash.

Even after careful organisation, there will be times when we end up with leftovers. Aside from making sure they are eaten and not discarded; we should get into the habit of factoring them into our meal planning, devising a menu that includes dishes you will use in a number of different ways. Not only is this beneficial for the environment, it also helps our finances by reducing expenditure on food that ends up in the bin. We can actively incorporate leftovers being made into soups, pies, casseroles, pasta bakes, or fillings for something like quesadillas or baked potatoes, for example.

Another effective way to reduce household food waste is to prepare a homemade stock or broth out of any vegetable scraps we may have. This can be frozen and used in soups, casseroles, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rice, and meat- or vegetable-based sauces.

Creating Compost

For any food scraps we are not making use of, instead of throwing them in the garbage, we can deposit them in a kitchen countertop compost bin. With many varieties available to buy; they are straightforward to operate, require little effort, and come in a range of prices and designs to fit most budgets and kitchen decor. The compost can then nurture soil and plants in our garden or household plants—or be gifted to friends and family members who can make use of it.

Reusable Food Storage

Ditch the plastic wrap, foil, and sandwich/freezer bags and opt for items that can be washed and reused. While plastic containers are a good alternative to single-use items, we should make certain the brand we have is both long-lasting and fully recyclable. Oven-safe glass versions (that come with a lid) are an even more convenient option because they can be utilized as bakeware as well as food storage. Both plastic and glass containers stack well and can be freezer-safe and reheatable—be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when going from cold to hot and vice versa, because some containers may crack, weaken or shatter.

To replace disposable plastic wrap, there is now a really good range of natural, eco-friendly washable beeswax wraps, as well as washable and reusable food storage bags.

Eco-Friendly Grocery Bags

Reuseable grocery bags perform a crucial role in reducing household waste because they minimise the consumption of single-use plastic bags; which take hundreds of years to decompose and often end up in landfills, oceans and other ecosystems, harming wildlife. Preferably made from eco-friendly, durable materials, they offer a more sustainable option to contain and carry our shopping.

Paperless Billing

Where it’s appropriate to do so, we should opt out of receiving our bills through the mail and go online instead (many companies offer this service). Less paper being used significantly decreases what ends up in the garbage and also sends a clear message to organisations, companies and offices that minimising paper is something they should prioritise as part of a broader sustainability policy.

Making Notebooks

For paper that has only been printed on one side; we can give it another lease on life by making it into a scrap notebook for shopping lists, to-do reminders or quick messages. To ensure it remains 100% recyclable after use, it should be bound together with clips, string/ribbon, tape or staples that can be easily removed. If binding with glue, either apply very little or cut the glued section off before recycling as this can cause issues.

Alternatively, keep it simple by cutting the paper into smaller sheets (all the same size) and using a paperclip to hold them together.  

Repurposed Cleaning Cloths

Switching to reusable, laundry-friendly cleaning cloths could not be easier or cheaper—all we have to do is cut up some old clothes! The best items for this are t-shirts, but anything made from soft fabric will work if it does not have buttons, zippers or studs that can scratch or cause damage. By laying the clothing on a cutting board or similar protected flat surface, we can use scissors to carefully cut the material into squares; making dusters or alternatives to paper towels that can clean, polish, dust or wipe down most household items and surfaces.

These repurposed cloths can also be used when making our own natural, non-toxic cleaning wipes.

Rechargeable Batteries

All batteries contain toxic chemicals that are difficult to recycle and harmful to the environment. Due to components, like lead and cadmium, which can leach into soil and water when improperly discarded, they can cause pollution and harm to sensitive ecosystems. This is why limiting the number of hazardous batteries in landfills is important.

Replacing the disposable, single-use versions with more eco-friendly rechargeable batteries will continue to power our everyday items while also making sure we do not unnecessarily add to household waste.

To find out how to recycle or dispose of batteries properly, click here.

Washable Hygiene Items

Many hygiene products are disposable and end up being thrown away after just one use. Replacing some of them with washable alternatives means we can significantly decrease how much of it ends up in our garbage. Depending on what is manageable, we can switch to things like cloth diapers, period underwear, menstrual cups, or loo rolls, period pads, and make-up removers made from 100% cotton or other fabrics.

Reusable hygiene items are not only an eco-friendly choice that promotes sustainability for the health of our planet; they also end up becoming a more cost-effective option for many households—something that other environmentally conscious products can end up achieving.

Overcoming Barriers to Reducing Household Waste

There can be certain challenges to overcome when aiming to scale back what we throw away; it’s useful to remember that we should focus on what we can do rather than what we will struggle to do.

An appropriate first step in making positive eco-friendly changes is taking a look at the areas of our daily lives where we can start to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Identifying and assessing consumption habits and waste production will point us in the right direction, possibly highlighting what sustainable alternatives we can start using.

• Convenience and Habits: Established habits and routines can be difficult to change. The prevalence of disposable products and the convenience they offer sometimes interferes with the desire to reduce waste. People may also be resistant to adjusting their behaviours, with some individuals being initially unwilling to adopt new attitudes related to waste reduction.

• Time Constraints: Leading busy lives and finding ways to adapt and fit into new waste reduction routines like recycling and composting may initially be too demanding.

• Limited Access: In some areas, access to recycling and composting facilities may be limited or inconvenient, making it challenging for people to properly dispose of waste in an environmentally responsible way.

• Cost Considerations: Eco-friendly and sustainable products can sometimes be more expensive than their disposable counterparts, which can deter individuals and families from making more sustainable choices.

If we encounter challenges that limit our ability to access or implement a more sustainable lifestyle, it’s essential we do not feel too negative about this—sometimes a personal situation or circumstance means we may be unable to do everything we would like. Even if we start small with one change, we will undoubtedly find other ways to evolve and adapt our choices.

In Summary

In the pursuit of a greener future, finding sustainable methods to curtail household waste is paramount. We should feel empowered to make choices that work towards a positive environmental impact and discover ways to bring them into our daily routines.

Every action we perform that cares for our planet is important; no change is too small, and no beginning is too late. If we remain well-informed and adopt mindful consumption and disposal practices; there is every possibility that we will scale down our ecological footprint and help promote a fight for a healthier planet.

Which of these waste reduction strategies could you incorporate into your daily routine? Have you taken steps to reduce waste in your home? If so, what has been successful, and what was most challenging?

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Further Info:

Zero-Waste Starter Guide – Net Zero Company by Tru Earth

How To Go Plastic Free With Your Toilet Paper – A Sustainably Simple Life