Things to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
Recycling and reusing simple and common items around the house will help reduce your carbon footprint. That's because you'll need to buy fewer goods that require energy to produce. Once you discover some of the simple things that you can do to recycle, reuse and reduce around your home, it will become a simple routine. Does this Spark an idea?
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Plastic Bags
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The plastic bags that you receive from the grocery store or the department store can be reused or returned to the store for collection. They are useful as little trash can liners. They fit well into bedroom or bathroom trash cans. They can also be reused to carry lunches to work or to carry your good work shoes if you are going to have to walk in bad weather. In addition, they transport wet clothes well.
Corrugated Boxes
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Items that are ordered from the Internet often come in corrugated boxes for delivery. These boxes can be broken down and stored in the attic or garage. There are many uses for this cardboard. It can be a backdrop for painting. Documents can be placed in them and stored. You can also reuse them to send packages to other people during the holidays or for birthdays.
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Aluminum Cans
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One of the most common items that is recycled is the aluminum can. To make the practice more efficient, you should crush the cans flat and use a plastic container to take them to the recycling center. This allows you to rinse the plastic container out and reuse it again.
Water for Showers, Baths and Dishes
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Use a 5-gallon bucket to catch the water that is being run until it is warm. This water is fine to use for plants and can actually be stored in other containers until it is needed. Turn off the water after you rinse a dish or before you lather up for a shower. The amount of water that runs down the drain during these two periods is anywhere from a gallon to 15 gallons, depending on which job is being done.
Milk Jugs
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Rinsing out plastic milk jugs and cleaning them gives you an extra container. This container can be used to store water that has been run through a hose and then saved for plants. When a hose with a nozzle sits out in the hot summer sun, the remaining water will get warm and even too hot to use on plants. By saving this water and allowing it to cool, you can later use it on plants without worry of scalding them.
Paper
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Reuse or recycle the paper that letters are sent on that do not have damaging information. Items like letters from a church, an old test or a child's letter from school can be reused. Children enjoy drawing pictures on the blank backs of these items. You can also use the backside of the paper to print out pictures from the Internet to color.
Old Books
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Old books that are no longer of use to you can be sold to bookstores or donated to libraries. If you have a college text that you longer need, selling it back can actually earn you a little money. Old children's books are often accepted gratefully by schools or church groups for their classroom libraries.
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