Precycle This Holiday Season

“How much waste are you purchasing” Minnesota Pollution Control

Plastic bottles and plastic bags litter our oceans, lakes, streams, and our countryside. This is a serious worldwide problem. What are some ways we can generate less plastic litter and less landfill trash?

On America Recycle’s Day I am posting my tips to precycle. When you precycle you make wise purchases that lead to less waste.

Below are my suggestions to encourage precycling, and you might be surprised to find you are already be doing the precycle drill.

First, always bring your reusable bags shopping, and resist all plastic bags.

Second, choose products that use minimal packaging, and packaging that can be recycled. Many corporations are making an effort to reduce packaging and offer packaging that can be recycled. Be sure you recycle as much packaging as possible.

Third, carry your own reuseable water bottle. The number of plastic bottles I see in the trash is shameful!

Always choose glass products over plastic. Glass products can be reused, they don’t have the harmful chemicals of plastic and they can be made into new glass bottles.

Fifth, Bulk purchases allow you to get just the amount you need, and I fill my reusable containers with bulk items. Nuts, spices, oatmeal, tea, grains, beans and laundry soap are great bulk items. Whole Foods and coops have recyclable/compostable brown paper bags for bulk items. Placing your bulk items in a “one use” plastic bag negates the environmental advantage of bulk purchases.

Sixth, use washable reusable cloth bags for produce purchases instead of plastic bags, and avoid products on styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic film.

Finally, always use cardboard egg cartons. They can be composed or cut up and used as mulch around plants. They can also be reused/refilled at some stores.

Recycle everything possible, and return all plastic bags to locations that collect and recycle them.