Did you know that the average American produces 4.9 pounds of waste every day? That results in 292.4 million tons of trash going into American landfills every year. That is a ton of trash!
Unfortunately, that trash does not just disappear. It sits in landfills for thousands of years and pollutes the land, water, and air. It also ends up in the ocean where it affects marine life.
With a little bit of effort, several things can be done to better manage waste. Keep reading to learn how you can manage your waste the correct way and limit your impact on the environment.
Measure Your Waste
The first step to waste management is a better understanding of how much waste you are producing. This can be as simple as keeping track of the type of waste you are generating and how often you take out the trash.
Do you happen to generate a lot of food waste? Are you using plastic bottles daily? Learning your waste habits will help you cut back in the future.
Reduce Waste
Once you have identified how much waste you are creating and your waste habits, you can start reducing your waste. For example, if you are buying a plastic water bottle every day, you can switch to using a reusable water bottle instead.
If you find yourself throwing away plastic grocery bags, you can start using reusable bags instead. Whatever your habits are, you can adjust them to produce less waste.
Recycle
After cutting back on your waste, you should start recycling. Here are some common materials that can be recycled:
- Plastic
- Aluminum
- Glass
- Paper
Recycling is good for the environment because it reuses products instead of using resources to make more. Some of the benefits of recycling include reducing waste, creating less pollution, and saving energy.
Try Composting
If you notice that a lot of your waste is coming from food, you can try composting. Composting is the process of decomposing organic material to create fertilizer that enriches the soil.
Several common items can be composted, such as fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Composting is the most effective way to manage your food waste.
Managing Waste for Big Projects
Do you have a big project coming up, and you aren’t sure what to do with the waste? In these situations, you should rent a dumpster from a professional company that can manage the waste for you.
Some of the benefits of dumpster rental are that they are safe, will save you money, and are better for the environment than disposing of the waste on your own.
Are You Ready to Better Manage Waste?
Because humans create so much waste, it is important to manage it the right way. To properly manage your waste, start by measuring how much waste you make, cut back on waste produced, recycle, compost, and always rent a dumpster for large projects.
Did you enjoy reading this post on how to manage waste? If so, check out our other posts on how to deal with waste!
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