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Repurpose household items

10/31/2013

Repurposing used household items many benefits. First, manufacturing new products drains our limited natural resources. Second, disposing of unwanted materials pollutes our environment. Finally, finding creative ways to repurpose used items is fun and saves money.

Here are some examples that we found:

Make your own Halloween decorations out of household items
Collect ends of bars of soap to make a new bar

Earth911 provides clever suggestions for repurposing household items (along with many other useful solutions for cutting waste.) Their new website, http://earth911.com/ , is easier than ever to use.

Also check out Pinterest for creative reuse ideas. http://www.pinterest.com/

avoid heavily packaged and single serving foods

10/24/2013

The energy used to process and package the food we eat makes up 23% of the total energy used in the US food system. Single serving containers - such as yogurt cups, snack bags, frozen food trays, beverage cans and bottles, restaurant carry-out clamshells and other food wrappers - make up a large percentage of most homes’ trashing and recycling. You can reduce your trashing recycling volume significantly by choosing to avoid those single-use purchases.

For example, consider buying 32-oz yogurt containers instead of 6-oz cups. Purchase large bags of trail mix or pretzels and separate them into reusable containers as you need them. Choose 2-liter bottles instead of single-serving beverage containers, especially for parties. You’ll save money as well.

buy concentrated cleaning supplies

10/24/2013

There are few downsides to using concentrated cleaning products, especially if you want to reduce your carbon footprint. Using concentrated products is generally a money saver, and the environmental effects are even greater.

If the product is manufactured with less water, less paper, ink and plastic, then less ends up in landfills and more space is freed up in shipping. More product can be shipped at a time to distributors and less fuel is needed to move the product. Less fuel being used means less emissions in the atmosphere and less greenhouse gas being produced. If you purchase concentrated cleaning products they will last longer, saving you trips to the grocery store. Eliminate the plastic bottle by purchasing hand soap and shampoo as a bar rather than as liquid. Laundry detergent is also available as a strip, packaged in a cardboard envelope.

You can also make your cleaning supplies last longer by just using the minimum amount that you need.

Choose reusable products; avoid single-use

10/24/2013

Get as many uses as you can out of the things that you have. There are lots of opportunities to save stuff to use again, such as holiday decorations and packing peanuts. Stock up on quality reusable items so that you can decline and avoid single-use items and therefore reduce your contribution to the waste stream. Even when you travel, bring all of your reusable items along (bags, water bottles, utensils, straws, and travel mugs).

Water Bottles - According to "National Geographic," Americans drink more bottled water than any other nation, purchasing an impressive 29 billion bottles every year. Making all the plastic for those bottles uses 17 million barrels of crude oil annually. That is equivalent to the fuel needed to keep 1 million vehicles on the road for 12 months. The recycling rate for those 29 billion bottles of water is low; only about 13 percent. Instead of buying bottled water, why not carry a reusable water bottle and refill it with tap water as needed? It’s a lot cheaper too; bottled water costs 250 to 10,000 times more than tap water.

Food and Drink Containers - Use reusable containers whenever possible. Bring containers with you when you eat out to bring home your leftovers. Bring your own travel mug when ordering either hot or cold drinks at a coffee shop to avoid the disposable cup. When packing up your leftovers from meals at home, store them in glass or other see-through containers so that you can see what is in your fridge and those leftovers won't be forgotten. Instead of plastic cling wrap, cover food with waxed cotton food wraps. The typical American school-age child generates 67 pounds of discarded school lunch packaging waste per school year. Annually, that equals more than 18,000 pounds for the average-sized elementary school. If every American child attending a public elementary school packed a waste-free lunch, 1.2 billion pounds of lunch waste would be diverted from landfills each year.

Bags - Try to remember to bring your reusable shopping bags to the store. You can also bring small containers and cotton or mesh draw-string bags to hold produce and bulk items. Some produce may not need to be bagged at all. Gift bags can also be reused again and again, or make your own cloth gift bags for easy wrapping – it can even be part of the gift! Consider these facts:

Approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. That’s more than 1,200 bags per US resident, per year.
Approximately 100 billion of the 380 billion are plastic shopping bags.
An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
Only 1 to 2% of plastic bags in the USA end up getting recycled.
Single use plastic bags are a major source of pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean.
Even when they photo-degrade in landfill, the plastic from single-use bags never goes away, and toxic particles can enter the food chain when they are ingested by unsuspecting animals.
Greenpeace says that at least 267 marine species are known to have suffered from getting entangled in or ingesting marine debris. Nearly 90% of that debris is plastic.

Cleaning supplies – Avoid single-use wipes and sheets for cleaning and laundry. Wipe up spills and scrub surfaces using washable cloths. Instead of disposable dryer sheets, toss wool dryer balls in with your laundry.

Maintain and repair; don't replace

10/24/2013

Performing regular maintenance on major purchases will help them last longer and operate more efficiently. Likewise, repairing items that you already have gives them a longer life and reduces your overall consumption.

Appliances have a tremendous effect on your home energy costs. Hot water heaters, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes dryers can contribute to excessively high energy bills when they operate inefficiently. You can maximize the efficiency of appliances you already own by regular maintenance, tune ups, and system upgrades. Examples are:

Follow prescribed maintenance in product owners’ manuals
Install an insulating jacket on your hot water heater, insulate hot water pipes, and lower the water heater temperature (check dishwasher requirements carefully however)
Defrost refrigerators that do not defrost automatically to eliminate ice build up on interiors coils; clean external coils with a vacuum to keep them dist and lint free
Clean dryer filter after each use or as necessary

Vehicles: The single most reliable way to save money on cars is to keep your clunker and drive it till it drops, according to Kiplinger Personal Finance, A decently cared-for vehicle should still be running long after the odometer has clocked 100,000 miles. Keep driving it, and you save money not only because you don't have to make payments on a new car, but also because insurance premiums are lower.

Keep that old car maintained properly to get maximum fuel efficiency:

Keep your engine properly tuned
Keep tires properly inflated
Use the recommended grade of motor oil
Replace clogged air filters

Clothing: The most effective way to reduce the impact of the clothing industry is to buy fewer clothes. Wearing your clothes longer will reduce your need for new clothes. To extend the life of your clothing, avoid washing them too much and mend them as needed. Shoes can also be repaired as long as the upper part of the shoe is not dried out or cracked.

cut your paper use

10/24/2013

The average American uses about 750 lbs of paper each year (compared to only 100 lbs worldwide.) Nearly 85% of that paper is recyclable, of which about 63% is actually recovered.

There are three fairly easy ways your family can cut its paper consumption.

1.     Use online bill pay. There’s a very good chance your bank offers the option to pay all your bills online. Certainly many companies – such as PECO, Verizon, Aqua PA, The Inquirer, and many insurance and credit card companies – offer paperless billing.

2.     Stop the junk mail. There are many free online options for stopping junk mail. Catalog Choice is a popular one; they even have a phone app.

3.     Reuse paper. Fill your printer with paper that’s been printed on one side. You can always have the good stuff handy when you’re ready to print that final copy. Also, use paper that’s been printed on one side as scrap paper. You’ll never need to buy a note pad again.

Give away, instead of throw away

10/24/2013

Things that you no longer want may be useful to someone else. Online exchange platforms provide connections with people looking for used items. Gift shop in your house before buying new items for a friend or family member.

A number of organizations accept old clothes and household items for reuse. The local Goodwill, 725 S. Chester Road in Swarthmore, is a convenient place to recycle just about everything – and get a tax deduction while you’re at it. For detailed information about what items Goodwill accepts, visit the Goodwill of Delaware County website.

Purple Heart will pick up your gently used household items directly from your doorstep. Purple Heart supports veterans and their families. To schedule a pick-up, visit https://www.gogreendrop.com/pick-up?sourcecode=MPH&charity=2.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore (2318 Washington Ave., Philadelphia is the closest location) will take your used appliances, cabinets, etc. If your load is big enough – or if your neighbors also have items to donate – the ReStore will pick up your used appliances. Visit Habitat for Humanity ReStore Philadelphia for more information.

Locally, the Delaware County SPCA has a wish list of items posted on line. Some of most appreciated items are towels, blankets and sheets! Those cats and dogs waiting new owners find comfort from your cast offs.

Choose less packaging and avoid single serving containers

10/24/2013

So much of what we purchase includes packaging which is immediately thrown out. When making purchases, choose items with less packaging. Single serving containers - such as yogurt cups, snack bags, frozen food trays, beverage cans and bottles, restaurant carry-out clamshells and other food wrappers, and especially water - make up a large percentage of most homes’ trash and recycling. You can reduce your trash and recycling volume significantly by choosing to avoid those single-use purchases.

Large packages typically have a lower ratio of packaging to contents. For example, consider buying 32-oz yogurt containers instead of 6-oz cups. Purchase large bags of trail mix or pretzels and separate them into reusable containers as you need them. Choose 2-liter bottles instead of single-serving beverage containers, especially for parties. You’ll save money as well.

Buying in bulk allows you to avoid packaging altogether. Bring your own bags or containers to stores that offer bulk food items.

RECYCLE EVERYTHING YOU CAN

10/24/2013

Every year:

Nearly 900 million trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills.
Americans throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year.
Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Lincoln Financial Field from top to bottom twice a day.
Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups. Even 500 years from now, the foam coffee cup you used this morning will be sitting in a landfill.

With co-mingled recycling collection in our neighborhoods, recycling is easier than ever. Clean paper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can all be placed in the same bins for pick up. However, it is important to follow a few rules of thumb and avoid “wishcycling” (placing items that you think should be recyclable but actually aren’t) to ensure items are recycled as they should be. For example, don’t place anything in your mixed recycling that is smaller than a credit card. Too much food residue makes otherwise recyclable items unrecyclable, so rinse them briefly in cold water before placing them in your bin.

Recycled waste from our community is sent to various recycling centers where the materials are processed to be reused. For co-mingled recycling to be economically and environmentally successful, it is critical to keep items out that cause sorting centers problems. Anything that is rope-like can get stuck in the gears and rollers of the sorting machines, causing jams, and should be avoided in the bins: plastic bags, trash bags, extension cords, Christmas light cords, wire, rope. Anything that is perishable or biological or hazardous can destroy the value of the recycling. A little contamination can ruin a lot of recycling. Avoid: food, oil, blood, dirty diapers, chemicals, pesticides, paint, sharp pieces of metal. To prevent plastic bags from causing jams in the sorting machinery, place your recycling loose in the recycling bin rather than contained in a plastic trash bag.

Many materials are recyclable, but have to be taken to specific drop-off locations because curb-side recycling is not designed to handle them. Electronics and compact fluorescent light bulbs contain heavy metals and toxins that should be kept out of the waste stream, so bring them to recycling events or businesses that offer recycling to dispose of them properly. Check out the aFewSteps Recycling list for some locations and information on specific items. Plastic bags can be dropped off at most grocery stores for recycling.

Some materials are very valuable to recyclers and will almost certainly get recycled and some things are not very valuable and will almost certainly not get recycled. Bringing your paper, cardboard, and aluminum to Swarthmore’s Recycling Center assures that those recyclable materials will be successfully recycled and reduces the overall cost to the Borough. Notably, pizza boxes cannot be placed in curb-side recycling due to food contamination but are accepted in the paper recycling at Swarthmore’s Recycling Center.

Below is a qualitative guide to what recyclers value most and least, based on curb-side single-stream service (not recycling center values):

Aluminum cans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#2 plastic, clear (milk jugs, etc.): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#1 plastic: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#2 plastic colored (laundry detergent): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
#5 plastic (yogurt containers): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Clean mixed paper and cardboard: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steel cans: ⭐️⭐️
Hard plastic containers (cat litter, buckets, etc.): ⭐️⭐️
Other plastics: ⭐️

These have negative value:

Mixed glass (clear, green, brown combined): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trash (hoses, plastic bags, food waste, food-covered paper, food-filled containers, strings of lights, rope, etc.): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hazardous waste (propane tanks, paint cans, pesticide containers, needles, dirty diapers, etc.): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can reduce your production of glass and plastic waste by purchasing drinks in aluminum cans instead.

According to Earth911.org (a terrific website for recycling ideas) the primary reason people say they choose not to recycle is a lack of convenience and a lack of clarity about what exactly can be recycled. Fortunately, recycling in our community is convenient and (hopefully) clear. For more clarity about what can and can’t be recycled in your neighborhood, please check out the following local recycling links:

Nether Providence and Wallingford

Rose Valley

Rutledge

Swarthmore

Delaware county Household Hazardous Waste disposal

use organic fertilizer (compost)

10/16/2013

Most common fertilizers are made in a factory, generally by processing natural gas to create ammonia, which can be further modified to form urea. These nitrogen compounds are the base for most fertilizers, along with inorganics such as phosphates , metal salts, and other compounds.

While these fertilizers contain essential nutrients, they are in a form not generally encountered by plants in their natural environment. As a result they can often “burn” or damage plants, particularly if applied too liberally. Furthermore, runoff of excess fertilizer can change the chemical balance of rivers and streams, causing algae “blooms” and depleting oxygen levels.

Organic fertilizers, such as compost, provide nutrients in a way that the plant can easily absorb, and in the right balance. You can buy it at the garden shop, make your own from garden and kitchen waste, or let the little wiggly worms do it for you. Learn more about vermicomposting here. You can also mix left over coffee grounds with a little compost as an added boost for acid-loving plants like rhododendron and azaleas.

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