Reduce waste

Reducing is not only about minimizing the waste that we throw in the garbage, it's also about cutting back on what we toss into blue boxes and composting bins.

Creating products from recycled and composted materials is certainly preferable to creating them from new materials. Still, facilities that process recycled and composted materials consume resources like water and energy, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, the vehicles used to transport these products and materials burn fuel and release pollutants into the air.

So the goal of reducing is to minimize all types of waste that we produce.

Say “No thanks!” to junk mail.

Much of what we call “junk mail,” Canada Post calls “unaddressed mail” or “ad mail.” Canada Post will respect your request to stop receiving it — all you have to do is ask! Just put a note on your mailbox, or above your mail slot that reads, "No Junk Mail Please!" If you live in an apartment or condominium, be sure to put the note on the side of your mailbox that is accessed by your mail delivery person.

For more information about junk mail and its impacts on our environment, visit the Red Dot Campaign’s website at http://www.reddotcampaign.ca.

Say “No thanks!” to plastic bags.

These are the facts:

• The majority of plastic bags end up in landfills, where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
• Plastic bags are made from oil (as are almost all other plastic products), so our reliance on them contributes to our dependence on oil and, in turn, our greenhouse gas emissions.
• Millions of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish are killed each year by ingesting littered plastic bags.

Reusable shopping bags are relatively inexpensive and, these days, are certainly not hard to come by.

A number of cities and countries around the world have banned, or have committed to banning, the use of plastic bags. To learn more, read The Time Has Come To Kill All The Plastic Bags.

Consider both the types and amounts of packaging that come with the products you buy.

Try to keep the following questions in mind when considering a product’s packaging:

1. Is all or most of the packaging recyclable? Plastics usually up the non-recyclable percentage of a product’s packaging, so the less plastic, the better (and none, of course, would be the best… Well, second to no packaging at all).
2. Is the packaging excessive given the size of the product? If it is, take a stand by leaving it on the shelf. You may even want to contact the company to let them know why you’ve chosen a competitor’s product over theirs. Some manufacturers may not care about their environmental impact, but they definitely care about consumers not buying their products.
3. Was the packaging made from recycled materials? Manufacturers that have used recycled materials will usually let you know they’ve done so right on the packaging itself.

Treehugger.com (a popular eco-website) held a “Waste of Packaging Contest" that asked entrants to submit their picks for the most eco-unfriendly packaging on the market. According to the site, entries flooded in, because sadly, excessive, non-recyclable packaging can still be found anywhere and everywhere!