By Metro
As the hustle of the holiday season comes to an end, the new year offers a chance to think about new beginnings. It is a fresh start for our habits and offers an opportunity to set a vision for the year ahead.
There are many actions you can do to conserve resources, minimize the impacts of products and reduce waste in your daily life. Check out one of these New Year’s resolutions and pick one that works for you.
Buy sustainable products
Use reusable bags for groceries. Opting for reusable bags saves resources, reduces plastic pollution and protects the workers who remove plastic bags that get tangled in sorting machines. Using reusable bags twice a week for a year would keep 104 single-use bags out of the trash.
Bring your own reusable water bottle. People in the US purchase about 50 billion bottles of water per year and 75 percent go into the trash. Switching to refillable water bottles reduces one of the biggest contributors to plastic waste.
Ditch the paper towels. Paper towels contribute 7.5 million pounds of waste per year. Instead, you can swap to Swedish dish cloths, cotton kitchen towels or repurpose old clothing into rags.
Start new habits to prevent waste
Stop before you buy. The phrase, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is organized in that order for a reason. It takes a lot of energy and natural resources to manufacture new products. Buying fewer things, choosing things that will last longer and giving gifts of experiences all lessen the impacts of manufacturing.
Repair instead of discarding. Repairing broken things can reduce waste and save money. Look for local experts or learn a new skill yourself. Check out portlandrepairfinder.com to find repair services near you.
Cut down on food waste. Food that ends up in the trash emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Use a “first in, first out” method to go through grocers and look for meal planning calculators to see how much food you need to make.
Make use of bulk food and refill stores. Buying from the bulk food aisle and zero waste stores helps reduce bulky containers and packaging. Check to see if your local store will allow you to bring your own clean containers.
Donate your unwanted things. When you donate things you can’s use anymore, you give someone else a chance to make use of them. From furniture banks and sports stores to musical instrument exchanges and art supply resellers, greater Portland has a huge variety of local reuse organizations who can give your goods a second life.
Keep toxic wastes out of the environment
Recycle your old electronics. Many old electronics contain harmful materials like lead and mercury that we want to keep out of the environment. The Oregon E-cycles program has over 200 collection locations throughout the state. Find a site by visiting EcycleOregon.org or calling 888.532.9253.
Use eco-friendly cleaning products. People use an average of 40 pounds of cleaners each year, and many common cleaning products contain harmful ingredients. You can switch to less toxic store-bought products or make your own healthy cleaners at home. Find easy-to-use cleaner recipes at oregonmetro.gov/greencleaners.
Go pesticide free in your garden. Garden chemicals can be harmful to humans, pets, wildlife and waterways. Switching out your practices and products can make your garden as safe as it is beautiful.
Got a question on how to start? Try the Metro area Master Gardener hotline at 503.821.1115.
Photo by Metro.
