A Dozen Ways To Cut Your Trash Bill

We have become a disposable society. We throw things away instead of getting them repaired or reusing them as our grandparents did. Make it a game to see how little you throw away. So here are a few ideas on how to cut your trash bill.

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1. Buy any thing you can in glass jars. These can be recycled into Christmas gift jars or to hold something else. Also some trash companies will recycle them. Brown bottles can be used to hold homemade salad dressing and other homemade vinegars. Corks can be bought online at brewing supply companies.
2. Start using cloth napkins and cloth placemats and dish towels instead of paper towels.
3. Invest in cloth grocery bags and break the plastic bag habit. Recycle all plastic bags they can be used for packaging materials for storing things or mailing. Leave some at your local dog park for poop pickup. At least you will have used it twice. If you are a crafter, use it for stuffing.
4. Save your plastic containers for storing other food. Bag your own fruits and vegetables instead of buying pre packaged food. Get a water filter and make your own bottled water.
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5. Buy the filter save your bottles for a month and then refill them.
6. Use china, stoneware or melamine plates instead of plastic or paper. Use real silverware instead of plastic.
7. Donate your old magazines and periodicals to nursing homes. If they are not to old most nursing homes will take them for their residents to read. You can also donate yarn and basic crafts supplies they will love you for it.
8. Avoid disposable contact lenses, lighters, cameras and razors. Buy refill-ables and real contact lenses, go digital with your cameras.
9. Clean and crush your tin cans and recycle them. Many cities now have county recycling programs that will take them and recycle them for you.
10. Donate old sheets and towels to your local animal shelter or rescue, and if you have a pet pass think about donated your pets belongings to the shelter also.
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11. Recycle that old computer. There are many programs across the nation that recycle all kinds of Electronic computer, try your local Best Buy or Office Max many will take your computer to recycle along with batteries of all kinds.
12. Reuse those old calendars. If you loved the pictures frame them. Schools can also use them (Especially the ones with landscapes) or they can be decoupaged to furniture or in other crafts.
13. Use the backs of envelopes for lists. Shred your old documents and use them to package items with. That includes old checks. Make scratch pads from papers that are printed on only one side.