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Reducing & Recycling
Organic Materials
There are several ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle
organic materials. Excess food can be donated to
feed hungry people. Yard trimmings, food waste,
and wood waste can be made into mulch or compost
and used to prevent soil erosion and provide valuable
nutrients to plants. Manufacturing paper using recycled
materials conserves resources for the future. By
examining current landscaping, food preparation,
and disposal practices, communities, businesses,
and individuals can find creative ways to reduce
and better manage municipal solid waste.
Yard Trimmings
Yard trimmings include grass clippings and trimmings from bushes, trees, and other yard vegetation from residential, institutional, and commercial sources. Simple ways to reduce or recycle yard trimmings include grasscycling and composting.
Food Scraps
Food wastes are food preparation wastes and uneaten food from residences, grocery stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and lunchrooms. The food waste recovery hierarchy shows how productive use can be made of much of the excess food that is currently thrown away. Edible food residuals can be donated to the needy, while inedible food residuals can be blended into compost or reprocessed into animal feed.
Wood Waste
Wood waste includes furniture and other durable goods, wood packaging (e.g., crates and pallets), and other miscellaneous products. Chipped wood can be used onsite as mulch or a composting bulk agent. Salvaged or reusable wood products (e.g., furniture, doors) can be donated to nonprofit or charitable organizations. Recovered wood also can be used to manufacture new products such as medium density fiberboard and particle board for construction purposes. Find more ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle wood waste below:
- The Freecycle
Network
is using the Internet to revolutionize the concept
of reuse. Items posted on the site are available
for anyone who wishes to take them, creating an
alternative to "trashing" an item and
an outlet for goods that would otherwise have
been thrown away.
- WasteWise
Update: Donation Programs-Turning Trash into Treasure
(PDF) (12 pp, 1.1MB,
about
PDF) describes how organizations can
reduce waste and serve the community by donating
surplus items to local or national nonprofit organizations.
- Materials and waste exchanges are markets for buying and selling reusable and recyclable commodities.
Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics
Plastic products are items you use everyday like bags, bottles, packaging, and containers. Conventional plastics used for these products include HDPE, PET, and LDPE. These plastics can be easily reused or recycled.
Other materials that have been developed are biodegradable and compostable plastics. This type of packaging will safely disintegrate and biodegrade in a well-managed composting site. Many, but not all, of these materials are produced from renewable resources (i.e. corn, switch grass, grain).
Two specifications that identify plastics as biodegradable
and compostable have been developed by the American
Society for Testing and Materials :
- ASTM D6400 (Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics) and
- ASTM D6868 (Standard Specification for Biodegradable Plastics Used as Coatings on Paper and Other Compostable Substrates).
Composting biodegradable or compostable packaging or products is an effective form of recycling.
The
Biodegradable Products Institute
provides more information.
Paper and Paperboard Products
Paper and paperboard products include items you use every day—newspapers, food packaging, tissues, corrugated cardboard boxes, office paper, and paper plates. Paper and paperboard products constitute the largest portion of MSW but also offers the greatest opportunity for source reduction (e.g., lightweighting packaging, double-sided copying) and recycling. To learn additional ways to reduce paper use or procure recycled-content paper products, go to:
- EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines program is part of EPA's continuing effort to promote the use of materials recovered from solid waste and includes CPG designated paper and paperboard categories.
