From Guest Blogger Erich Lawson: How to Reduce Waste – Use Effective Waste Handling Techniques

The consequences of excessive waste generation have started showing, with different areas losing their soil potential. Rivers, seas, and oceans are also getting contaminated with the amount of waste being dumped into these water bodies. One of the biggest impacts of this excessive waste generation is the imbalance in the ecological system across the globe. If the generation of waste is not reduced soon, there would be nothing left in the world, apart from waste.

There are many methods that you can follow in your day to day life that will help you reduce the amount of waste being generated. Some of the methods are:

• Create a compost heap: It is advisable to create a compost heap where you can put pet poop, food wastes, and any other organic stuff that you know will get decomposed easily. If you want, you can also buy worms from the market and put them in the compost heap. These worms will help in breaking down the structure in the heap. The end product can then be used in the garden as this is very fertile in nature. This is one of the best natural and organic sources of plant manure available.
• Reuse: Always try and reuse as much as possible. If you have any leftover cloth in your house, then you can easily make kitchen cloths from them. Along with this, you can also sew different clothes together to create beautiful doormats. Turn those ice cream containers to tiffin boxes or, even better, storage for food and pickles. Airtight and sturdy in nature, these boxes will keep the food inside absolutely free of contaminants. Old and broken furniture can also be repaired to be used again. If you want, you can also run a garage sale of your old furniture to make some extra money and your trash can become someone else’s treasure. If you do not do any of this stuff, then it would be best to donate your old furniture to various charities.
• Carry cloth bags while shopping: When you are going to the supermarket, carry a cloth bag to avoid using a plastic one. These cloth bags can be made from leftover cloth at home. These are reusable and can be washed when they get dirty. If they are torn and worn out, simply use them as kitchen and dust cloth till the time they are completely worn out. Even after becoming worn out, these bags can be reused in a different manner. Do not throw them in the trash can, instead dump them in the recycle bin or Trash Compactors so that they can be used for making something else.
• Reuse metal cans: Beverage cans are one of the most common things that are thrown in a trash can. Ending up in the landfill, these cans generally take more than 500 years to biodegrade. It would be a good idea to use these cans in your home for different purposes like a pencil and pen stand. Cut the upper portion of the can with the help of pliers and then smooth the edges with the help of a hammer. You can also stick Plaster of Paris on the edges to ensure proper smoothening and use this as a pen and pencil stand. You can also make small seedling pots from these cans. After cutting the upper part, just make a small hole in the bottom and you have a seedling pot ready to be used.
• Pick things without packaging: Packaging material amounts to 50% of the waste that is generated in the world. Buying something that does not require packaging will be the right way to reduce this kind of waste. In a supermarket, buy apples and other fruits from the bin instead of buying the ones that are packed in Styrofoam and plastic.

All these ways are just a few tips to ensure that you are able to make a difference by reducing the generation of waste in the world. Try and recycle as much as you can so that things can be reused in different ways.