Always ask if someone else might be willing to take items that you no longer use. Inquire from your local schools, community group, charities, social halls, social services and churches.

-       Compost most if not all of the waste from your kitchen and garden – refer to the section on Compost for more information

-       Collect and recycle plastic bottles.

-       Check your garbage for items that can be donated or recycled instead of throwing them away, such as aluminum foil, plastic bottles, boots, shoes, clothes, etc. Inquire from the local authorities about where you can bring them for reusing or recycling.

-       Use remanufactured printer cartridges for your printer at home or in the office. Return your used cartridges so that they can be recycled. (Refer to the A-Z list)

-       Avoid buying packaged fruits and vegetables. Buy the loose ones instead.

-       Buy produce from your local farmers. Patronize shops in your local area.

-       Always keep recycling in mind when you start building or renovating your home. Inform your builders about recycling as well. Metals, such as copper and lead, may sell at a good price. Copper is available in abundance in cables.

-       Use reclaimed materials in your building projects. You can also get your fittings and fixtures from the salvage yard.

-       Used furniture and other household items can go as donation to families who have low incomes.

-       Change all your light bulbs and use low-energy bulbs instead.

-       Purchase a paper shredder and use it to make pet beddings out of used paper. The dirty pet bedding can add to the compost heap together with the kitchen waste.

-       Search for recycled products on the internet. There is dumping of wastes from thousands of trashcans every minute. 

Volunteer your services to the composting or recycling project in your area.

-       Get more information on minimizing waste, reusing, recycling and composting.

-       Inquire if you can visit schools to give talks about reducing waste. Inquire from the school district in your area or from www.paperrecycles.org.

-       Attend meetings in the community and suggest that they increase their efforts to reduce the waste in the community.

-       Collect “fringe” items, often collected by charities, such as metal foil, corks, jumble, bric-a-brac, books, printer cartridges, etc.

-       Create your own recycling or composting project or an information center.

-       Attend trainings to become a Master Composter.

-       Help the local authorities in promoting composting within the community. Inquire from the local recycling center on how you may help them.

Buy locally grown or produced items. Choose items that are organic or fair-traded. Always consider the components of each item that you purchase. Ascertain whether it is organic or not. Also, consider if the product can be reused, recycled or composted at the end of its life span. Make sure that you make wise decisions that will not affect the planet negatively.