What You Can Do About Climate Change — Waste

The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Save money, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by practicing the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

• Think green before you shop. Reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions by thinking about the environmental impact of products. For example, consider a product’s durability, sustainability, and ease of recycling when making a purchase.
• Reduce your food waste by shopping smart, buying only what you need, composting food scraps, and donating unused food to food banks or shelters. Food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
• Reuse or repurpose items such as old clothing, cloth grocery bags, and containers to cut down on the amount of waste you create in the first place. Find out more ways to reduce your impact.
• Buy used items to reduce waste as well as the emissions created by producing new materials or disposing of them in landfills. Donate your old items to make sure others can reuse them, too!
• Buy products made with recycled content. Check labels to see if a product or its packaging is made from recycled content.
• Know before you throw. Know what items your local recycling program collects and encourage your household to recycle right and recycle more.
• Learn about what else you can do at home, at school, at work, and in your community.