- Handbook Home
- Too Much Trash
- A Basic Solution
- Making it Work
- The Four Principles
- The Twelve Tips
- Conclusion
Tip 12: Be Creative - Find New Ways to Reduce Waste Quantity and Toxicity
here are many ways to reduce the amount and the toxicity of solid waste. By thinking creatively, many new uses for common items and new possibilities for source reduction and recycling can be discovered. Here are just a few ideas. Now, try some of your own!Turn a giant cardboard box into a child's playhouse.
Transform a plastic ice cream tub into a flower pot.
Give pet hamsters or gerbils paper towel and toilet paper cardboard tubes with which to play. Use an egg carton to plant seedlings.
Turn used tires (not steel-belted) into children's swings or other playground equipment.
Select nontoxic inks and art supplies.
Combine source reduction techniques. For example, try storing coffee bought in bulk in empty coffee cans.
Choose beverages such as water or milk in reusable containers, where appropriate.
Place an order through the mail with a group of people in order to save money and reduce packaging waste.