• Reducing the waste you create is best
• Reusing all items you possible can is second best.
• Recycling always the last resort

Reducing waste does not mean you have to reduce what you buy, it means shopping with the environment in mind.   Consider the environmental impact of each product before you buy it.  Make a list of what you need before you go shopping; this will reduce impulse buying.  Buy in bulk. It is cheaper and eliminates small containers and excess packaging, which accounts for 50 percent of our domestic trash.  You have bought your laundry soap like this for years. Think about what else you can buy in bulk!

Avoid buying throw always that cant’t be recycled. If you need to use a disposable camera, make sure that it can be recycled when you get the film developed. Some companies that make one-time use cameras reuse and recycle up to 90 percent of the parts of their cameras when consumers send them in for developing. Installing low-flow shower heads and faucets can save a family of four 280 gallons of water per month.   Remember, every time you make a purchase, you cast your vote to protect the environment.

Before throwing anything away, think about how each item can be reused.  Be sure to use both sides of a piece of paper before recycling it.  Donate clothing, furniture, and appliances to charity.  Hospitals and nursing homes often accept old magazines and schools reuse many items in their art and theater classes. Almost all glass, plastic, and metal containers can be reused for storage in the kitchen or the garage.  Think before you toss.

If you want to reduce and reuse at the same time, take a two liter pop bottle and fill it with water. Add a few stones to weigh it down, place it in the tank of your toilet, and you will have reused a pop bottle and reduced two liters of water every time you flush.

Many different materials can be recycled. Among these are aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, plastics, tin cans, steel cans, brass, copper, car batteries, computer paper, office paper, corrugated cardboard, motor oil, scrap iron and steel, and tires.

Separate aluminum, steel and tin cans from other metals. If you aren’t sure whether a can is aluminum or steel, check with a magnet.  A magnet will stick to steel and tin but will not stick to aluminum.  Wipe or lightly rinse all cans and make sure they are dry before recycling them.  Prepare newspapers by folding them into brown paper bags or bundle with string into one foot stacks.   Prepare glass by rinsing and removing metal or plastic rims and lids. Sort by color. Brown, green and clear.  Prepare plastics by rinsing and separating by numbers.  If plastic is recyclable, it will have a number on the bottom of the container.  Break down corrugated cardboard boxes. Separate office paper into white, colored and glossy stacks. Be careful to remove sticky tabs and paper clips.

• Turn off lights when they are not needed.
• Turn thermostat down when you leave the house in winter.
• Raise the air conditioner thermostat or turn the system off when you leave the house.
• Follow appliance operating and maintenance manuals carefully.
• Use fluorescent lighting whenever possible.
• When buying new appliances, consider operating costs as well as purchase price (life cycle costing).
• Use cold water whenever possible.
• Car pool to work or shopping.
• Walk or bike whenever possible rather than drive.