You can always tell when garbage day is near.

Three words: overflowing, stinky garbage.

Your garbage can starts to overflow with waste, where you have to wrestle with the trash just to make it all fit into your container.

Once garbage day has come and gone, you figure that there has to be a better way to cut back on your waste consumption; a decision which not only helps you, but benefits the environment as well.

In this blog, we share some tips for how to cut back on waste.

Compost

This tip may seem obvious, but there are a number of people out there who don’t compost.

Composting may seem more of a bother than it’s worth, but it truly helps cut down on the amount of garbage you produce each week. Food scraps not only contribute to the amount of waste, but they also don’t decompose properly in the landfill. Keep a small bin under your kitchen counter where you can easily dump food scraps.

Go Paperless

These days, almost everything is done online and more companies are transitioning to being completely–or almost–paperless. If you are still receiving your bills in the mail, switch to paperless and pay your bills online. It saves you time and it’ll leave some space when it comes time for garbage day.

Make Wiser Choices at the Grocery Store

When you head to the store to pick up some groceries, you’ll find plastic in most places you look. From individually wrapped peppers to packages of meat, plastic is everywhere and seemingly unavoidable.

Here’s a few tips to cut back on plastic and reduce garbage production:

  • Avoid buying single use items and opt for long-lasting items
  • Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging
  • Bring your own reusable shopping bags so that you’re not throwing out plastic bags
  • Meal planning often helps to limit waste. Planning out your meals is healthier for you in most cases, but it also decreases the chance of you throwing out items that have gone bad.

4. Use Reusable Containers

Reusable containers are an excellent way to keep food longer and reduce the amount of waste. Invest in some quality containers that keep cereals, baking ingredients and other items from growing stale quickly. Mason jars are a popular choice for the kitchen pantry for their multi-purpose use and their trendy appearance.

5. Repair Items When Possible

It’s so easy to go out and replace an item if it’s broken, rather than try to fix it. If you have an item that’s broken, attempt to repair it before immediately throwing it out.

And, before you purchase an item, ask yourself “is this item built to last, or am I purchasing it solely because it’s inexpensive?”Buying higher quality items and repairing them when possible is better for the planet rather than buying ample cheap, disposable items.

Helping Simcoe County With All Their Waste Management Needs

Georgian Waste is a family owned and operated company that has been providing waste management services to Simcoe County and surrounding areas for years. Give us a call at (705) 424 0082 or send us a message online.