Worried About the Amount of Household Waste You Generate? Some Simple Ways to Solve This Menace

The problem of waste is apparent around the world. It has been estimated that the average American tosses about 4.5 pounds of trash per day. So if you wish to make an effort to reverse this in your household, kudos to you! Remember that if you have any household items that are difficult to haul away, such as an old mattress or some electronic waste, don’t dump them. Rather call in Little Green Junk Waste Removal Company and we will take it away with no extra effort required from you.

The concern with the amount of waste your household has generated may have been brought on by your observations during the winter holiday season. The extra trash that piles up in your home is not a figment of your imagination. It has been estimated that we throw away 25% more trash during the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year compared to other times of the year. Our trash cans are filled with discarded wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, shopping bags, and of course, food waste. All these contribute to the massive increase in the trash that finds its way into our landfills. 

How To Reduce Holiday Waste

If you have taken a look at the overflowing trash bins in your home and decided that this will not happen again next holidays, there are some simple ways to reduce this waste.

• Cut down on wrapping paper. We often only use it once before throwing it away. Use gift bags which can be reused instead or get creative by using decorative tins or boxes that can be reused by the recipient. Wrap gifts in cloth napkins or dish cloths. Otherwise make sure that your wrapping paper is made from recycled paper and that it is able to be recycled. Avoid shiny, glossy wrapping paper as this cannot be recycled.
• Look for gifts that are friendly to the environment such as solar powered instead of battery powered gifts. Or make sure that the batteries can be recharged. Home baked goodies such as cookies or jams, plants, and gifts such as soaps will be used without being thrown out.
• Instead of buying gifts, consider gifting someone with a special experience. Tickets to a favorite sports game, theater tickets, or to see a favorite band are some ideas. Memberships to a gym, or a local swim club will ensure that family members stay healthy too! Consider giving an annual pass to State Parks to those family members that are nature lovers.

Reducing Your Household Waste During the Rest of the Year

So what about the rest of the year? There are many ways of reducing the amount of trash that you generate at home, and they are easy to implement. 

• Make a concerted effort to cut down on your plastic waste

  Plastic is mostly non-biodegradable which means that it does not decompose when it is thrown out, but rather lasts forever. It causes extensive environmental damage both on land and especially at sea, causing the death of many marine animals.
  
  It makes sense then that cutting down on single use plastic products at home will reduce the amount of plastic waste you generate. One of the most common items of plastic used at home is the plastic shopping bag. This is an easy one to solve as these plastic bags can be replaced with reusable bags which are available at all our stores. All you have to do is to remember to take them with you to the grocery store. This will immediately cut back on the plastic you need to get rid of.
  
  Consider all other single use plastic containers, such as bottled water, and see whether you can reduce your use of these. Consider installing a water filter at home to reduce the need for buying bottled water. Replace plastic bottles with reusable ones for your water requirements when you on the go to cut down on your plastic waste.

• Cut down on your food waste

  The problem of food waste is something that happens all year round, and not only during the holidays. We are all guilty of buying too much food and letting it go bad before we can eat it. Although food is considered organic waste, it still shouldn’t be thrown out to find its way into the landfills.
  
  Unfortunately while it decomposes in the landfill, it is often covered with other waste, so it is deprived of oxygen. It then releases methane gas into the air. It releases toxic leachates as well, which find their way into our ground water and other water sources. Methane is one of the principal gases causing climate change.
  
  One way to solve this problem of food waste at home is to create a meal plan for your family. By buying only the groceries that you know you will eat will cut down your waste. This will also help your budget as you are not overspending at the grocery store, as you only buy what you need.
  
  Instead of throwing your food items that have passed their prime into the trash can, rather start a compost bin. This will also ensure that you have a supply of compost to improve the health of the plants that you grow.

• Recycle

  We all have a certain amount of household trash that we need to get rid of, so make it your mission to recycle those items that you can.
  
  With this renewed determination of making sure that the only household waste that finds its way into the landfill is the absolutely bare minimum possible, you will go a long way to ensuring that our environment is kept safe and clean for all of us.

Little Green Junk

We are a professional waste removal company and are committed to responsible waste removal. We recycle your waste where we can, and we only use the landfill as the last resort.

We arrive on time as previously agreed upon, load up your unwanted waste, and we even clean up the area after ourselves. All with minimal fuss and hassle.

Call us at the following number: 717 988 0997. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Email: inquiries@littlegreenjunk.com

www.littlegreenjunk.com