Minimize Your Waste and Increase Your Peace of Mind

~Minimize Your Waste & Increase Your Peace of Mind ~

Minimizing your waste, or in more technical terms decreasing your carbon foot print, is a great start to your journey on going eco-friendly. Minimizing waste can be as simple as using reusable water bottles.

Recently I have taken to reducing my daily waste. I have set goals for myself in order to successfully reduce my carbon footprint. Goals for reducing my amount of trash are: 

1. Recycle ALL paper and plastic I use.

2. Use only reusable water bottles. 

3. Take reusable bags with me when grocery shopping.

4.Purchase at least 50% of daily/weekly items needed that are made from recycled content.

By successfully using items that are reusable and then only purchasing items of recyclable content I will be able to reduce my overall waste and reduce my carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse emissions a individual produces. You can calculate your own carbon footprint on this carbon footprint calculator, it discovers your carbon footprint by calculating everything you do and use in your daily day/ week to develop a number for the amount of greenhouse gases you are producing.

So far on my journey of reducing my carbon footprint I have been successful with my goals. Being conscious of what I am using and throwing away, takes some work but the reward of doing so is endless. Reducing your amount of waste is a small step but makes a big impact on going eco-friendly.  

Benefits of Reducing Waste

There are plenty of benefits that come along with reducing your carbon foot print. The most important benefit to you personally may be the amount of money saved. Reducing waste saves energy, that can benefit the earth and your wallet. Reusing objects will prevent the amount of pollution and waste that goes into landfills, this factor is important in saving the future of the environment. Reducing your everyday waste is a easy step to making a change. Environmental Protection Agency, mentioned, "The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place." 

Best Ways to Reduce Waste

I hope you all are intrigued enough to want to get started on your journey to reducing your carbon footprint. Here are a few steps you can take to do so. Remember everyone has to start somewhere so why not start now! 

1. Buy used items, check out your local thrift and consignment shops!

2. Use reusable bags

3. Use reusable containers

4. Compost your degradable items, such as yard trimmings and food scraps. 

5. Buy in bulk!! Doing so allows you to get more items for your money while reducing the amount of packaging as well.

For more ways to reduce your carbon footprint check out this article  on Rethink Recycling.

Remember reducing waste is a very easy and effective step to becoming eco-friendly and saving our environment. Set your goals and get started today!