分类: Reduce Waste

Reuse your reusable items; don't buy too many

2/6/2026

Use what you have as many times as possible. Reusable items do not have a lower carbon footprint if they’re not used enough.

The biggest problem with reusable items is that we have too many of them. Extend a reusable product’s lifetime as much as possible. Avoid buying more, even if it is reusable. Having a large collection of reusable water bottles uses more resources than having just one to replace disposables.

Read more from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability

More reduce and reuse, less recycle

10/24/2025

Focus first on waste reduction: reduce and reuse before relying on recycling

Reducing and reusing have greater value in terms of sustainability than recycling. Buying less new stuff and getting more use out of already existing stuff uses less resources and produces less waste. Recycling can be difficult to do correctly, and many materials remain unrecyclable. Despite this, there is a tendency for people attempting to be more sustainable to prioritize recycling over reduce or reuse. This behavior has been termed “recycling bias” and “reduction neglect.” The more effective way to reduce waste is to prevent its creation rather than relying on recycling.

See more details in this 2023 article in theconversation.com by Michaela Barnett, Leidy Klotz, Patrick I. Hancock, and Shahzeen Attari.

Plan ahead to reduce single-use plastics

7/4/2025

Since 2011, the Plastic Free July movement encourages us to build new habits, such as carrying a kit for leftovers when we go out.
Americans go through five pounds of plastic a week. The Plastic Free July movement was founded in 2011 aiming to engage people to reduce single-use plastic use as well as push for systemic change. Reducing plastic use requires more planning and the changes that stick are the ones that work with your current lifestyle.
Photo by Susan O'Donnell
Read more at NPR.org

Reduce use of printer ink

3/21/2025

Use font and printer settings that waste less printer ink

Printer ink cartridges are expensive and run out remarkably quickly. Consumer Reports has some ideas for ways to make your ink cartridges last longer. For printing that does not require high quality, use the draft mode or eco mode in the printer settings. Print versions of documents, particularly those created from a web site, that don’t include ads and logos. Consumer Reports found that some fonts, such as Ariel, use more ink than others, like Times New Roman and Calibri. When possible use e-versions and skip the printing altogether.
Read more from ConsumerReports.org.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Drink filtered water rather than bottled

3/7/2025

Getting a water filter pitcher instead of buying bottled water will save you money and reduce plastic waste.

Investing in a water filter pitcher or some other at-home water filtration system eliminates your production of plastic bottle waste and saves you money. Much of the cost of bottled water is from packaging, shipping, and marketing. In most places, municipal water is perfectly safe to drink, and the water filter can improve its taste. The pitcher can be stored in the refrigerator so that you have cold water to drink, and reusable water bottles make that water portable without the plastic. The Swarthmore Food Co-op has a box for recycling used Brita brand filters, packaging, and pitchers.

Read more at HowStuffWorks.com

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Compost paper towels, napkins

2/21/2025

Paper towels, napkins, and tissues cannot be recycled because their fibers are too short. Instead, compost them.

Papermaking fibers can typically be recycled five to seven times before they become too short to be recycled again. Paper towels and napkins are the last stop in the recycling chain. Also, only clean recovered paper that is free of food, trash, and other contaminants can be recycled at all.

Read more at StanfordMag.org

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Borrow things, not just books, from the library

1/31/2025

The Delaware County library system has a library of things, with items that you can borrow ranging from kitchen/lawn appliances and tech gadgets to camping gear. Before buying things new, first look for it at the library to see if you can just borrow them for the time that you need it. Borrowing items instead of buying new reduces using precious resources for manufacturing, packaging, and transporting new products. It also saves you money and helps you cut back on your clutter at home. Once you are finished with your task or event, just bring the item back to the library for others to use or until you need it again. You might be surprised by the variety of items on their lending list! It includes: yard games and board games (Jenga, connect four, table tennis, horseshoes, Bocce ball, croquet), electronics (scanners, metal detectors, DVD players, power adaptors, calculator), tools (drill, wrenches), musical instruments (guitar, glockenspiel), camping gear, health needs (blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, walkers and canes), crafts (sewing machine, crochet and knitting kits), and more!

For a complete list, check out the Delco Library System webpage and search for “library of things”. Or click this link.

Remove makeup without disposable wipes

12/13/2024

A pea-sized dollop of coconut oil will remove eye makeup brilliantly. Beware disposable makeup wipes as they are made from plastic fibers which become microplastics.

Warm a pea-sized dollop of coconut oil in your palms and gently massage it in the eye area with your fingertips. Disposable makeup wipes are one of the leading contributors to landfills and generally made with plastic which breaks down into smaller plastic particles that pollute our waterways.

Read more about this issue at thegoodboutique.com and more skin care recipes at Earth911.com.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Decline printed receipts

11/1/2024

Opt for digital receipts whenever you can and don’t recycle printed receipts; most are made of thermal paper coated with the hazardous chemical BPA.

Most receipts today are made of thermal paper that contains free-form bisphenol-A (BPA) or bisphenol-S (BPS) instead of ink to produce the letters and numbers on receipts. These chemicals can transfer to your skin or food in your shopping bag. BPA and BPS have been linked to endocrine disruption which can adversely affect your reproductive health, brain development, and heart and lung health, among other organs and bodily functions.

Read more here at Treehugger .com

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Decline the plastic straws

9/27/2024

At home and when eating out, decline the plastic straws to help reduce plastic waste in the environment.

Plastic disposable straws are not recyclable and contribute to the mounds of plastic waste created by our disposable culture. They become harmful when they are released into the environment where they can be detrimental to wildlife. Marine mammals and birds ingest discarded plastic straws, bags, bottle caps and other trash. When these plastic items become lodged in the gut, ultimately kills these animals. If you need to use a straw, there are better alternatives to disposable plastic. Reusable straws made of metal, bamboo, or glass often come with a brush to clean the inside. There are a variety of sustainably made disposable straws made from paper, pasta, or even seaweed.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

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