| As landfill sites approach capacity, householders | | | | amount of plastic coming into your kitchen, have |
| everywhere are beginning to listen to experts on | | | | a water filter installed to provide safe and clear |
| the subject of responsible waste disposal and | | | | drinking water for the family, eliminating the need |
| effective recycling to reduce the amount of landfill | | | | for all those plastic water bottles. If you do have |
| waste. | | | | plastic bottles, collapse them before storing to |
| The most effective way to approach waste | | | | avoid having your recycling bin full within a few |
| recycling within the home is to involve the entire | | | | hours! |
| family in the effort. There is little point in trying to | | | | Metal is usually in the form of drinks cans, which |
| tackle the issue of recycling single handed; it is all | | | | should be crushed flat. Bottle tops and empty |
| too easy to de-rail the project if the children | | | | food cans are also suitable for metal recycling but |
| continue to throw plastic bottles into the food | | | | remember to wash food residue from the cans |
| waste, etc. | | | | beforehand. |
| Take the learning process of recycling in simple | | | | Glass bottles are the most cumbersome recycling |
| stages, starting with acquiring appropriate bins for | | | | items as they cannot be collapsed or crushed and |
| separation of waste. If you have a designated | | | | most people try to make a regular trip to their |
| area attached to the kitchen such as a laundry or | | | | town's bottle recycling area to get rid of wine |
| utility room, this is the ideal place to | | | | bottles and soda bottles. Ensure that you check |
| accommodate your recycling area. A shredder for | | | | on your local regulations for glass disposal as they |
| paper will be needed for paper products that | | | | can differ between states. |
| display your name and address. | | | | Recycling is a life skill that children should be |
| Separate containers will be required for plastics; | | | | taught from as early an age as possible. In fact, |
| paper and cardboard; organic waste; glass and | | | | many children and teenagers display a healthy |
| metal. Paper waste products are pretty obvious | | | | attitude to recycling after the policies adopted in |
| and include anything constructed of paper such as | | | | homes and schools over the past decade and it is |
| the sleeves from grocery packs; discarded | | | | more likely that adults in their forties and fifties |
| homework; old household bills (shred them first | | | | are disinterested in prolonging the life of the |
| for security reasons, especially if they carry your | | | | planet. |
| identity details); junk mail and cardboard boxes | | | | To further improve your home recycling policies, |
| such as cereal packets. | | | | try some of the recycled products available in |
| Plastics are particularly damaging to the | | | | supermarkets next time you go grocery |
| environment and one of the more important | | | | shopping; that way you can contribute to a |
| items to recycle. They should be washed clean of | | | | greener planet by approaching the problem both |
| all food materials and stripped of paper labelling | | | | as a user and a recycling expert. |
| before being stored for recycling. To limit the | | | | |