Evaluate your Output

Take a look at a week's worth of your trash in order to evaluate your output:

• Assess how much is coming from typical sources, such as packaging, food waste, and paper (such as junk mail). You may want to keep track of your trash in separate garbage bags for the week: food scraps in one bag, paper trash in one, packaging in another, and so on. Sorting makes it easy to see what's generating the biggest volume of trash.

• If you're not already recycling or composting, make a list of all the items in your trash that you could recycle or compost. Imagine how that would reduce your weekly trash. Read more about composting.

• Take a look at what's left - the unrecyclable items. This category is a great place to start considering measures to reduce this type of trash by not purchasing or producing it in the first place.

Prioritize your strategies so that you tackle the biggest unrecyclable source of your waste first - you don't have to reduce everything all at once. Take small, easy steps to get yourself started on a sustainable path.

Adjusting your Purchases Accordingly

The general guideline for minimizing your trash (other than buying less) is to buy items with either the least possible packaging or recyclable packaging. You also can shop at stores that sell loose items or use refillable containers. Shopping around for the least wasteful packaging takes some time, but you'll immediately see a difference in the amount of trash you throw away.

Here are some general tips to guide you around the grocery store, where most packaging trash comes from:

• Buy fresh food that doesn't come prepackaged. Place fruits and vegetables directly into your cart - skip the plastic bags hanging in the produce department. Or reuse bags from a previous shopping trip.

• Avoid individually packaged items. For example, buy a larger container of juice and send the kids to school with juice in a thermos instead of those small, individual juice containers.

• Opt for items in glass or other recyclable containers instead of plastic containers that can't be recycled. Basically, try to avoid any plastic that can't be recycled through your local system. (Read about how to recycle plastics.)

• Avoid aerosol cans altogether if at all possible because you can't reuse or recycle them. For cleaning and toiletry products, purchase products in pump-action bottles, for example.

• Take your own canvas bags, shopping basket, or reused bags with you when you shop so that you don't load up on more plastic or paper bags. If you must choose between paper and plastic bags, choose paper, which can be composted, reused, or recycled. But try hard to remember to bring your own bags - paper and plastic bags demand a heckuva lot of energy.