Water bottles. Napkins. Coffee cups. Cardboard boxes. Shopping bags. Magazines and newspapers. Pens and pencils. Clothing. These are just a few examples of things that people casually throw away without giving any thought to their potential value.
Reusing items is a very important way of keeping unnecessary garbage out of the waste stream. There are many steps you can take to get the most out of the items you already have. Mostly, it takes an awareness and thoughtfulness about the things you throw away. Buy items you can reuse, such as cloth napkins and towels, water bottles, pens and pencils that are refillable, etc. A reusable, washable coffee mug can be carried to meetings or classes, preventing overuse of wasteful Styrofoam and paper cups. Taking a bit of extra effort to clean, repair, or maintain items to keep them reusable goes a long way in helping the environment. Reusing things yourself, donating, or selling them is even better than recycling because it eliminates the energy costs involved in processing recycled items.
Besides saving natural resources, energy, and landfill space, frequent reuse of items can save you a lot of money. Reusing costs you nothing. Printing double-sided on paper and buying products in bulk with less packaging are examples of ways to save by reusing. Instead of spending money on books, movie rentals, or CDs, use your local library and take advantage of their shared resources. All it takes to reduce our waste is a bit of awareness about what we throw away and what we keep.
