Waste Reduction Tips

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

While recycling is part of the solution for preserving landfill space and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there are other ways to decrease the amount of waste generated at home, at work and at special events. Reusing re-usable items and reducing the use of disposable items are actions we can all take before even considering recycling. Here's how:

Shopping Bags

When asked the question "Paper or plastic?". . .why not bring your own reusable cloth shopping bags instead. Using a reusable cloth bag when going shopping at any store will help divert tons of unnecessary paper and plastic bags produced and disposed of everyday in landfills. Cloth bags also hold a lot more, so there are fewer trips back and forth from the car and the cloth carrying handles are more comfortable on your hands than paper or plastic handles. Some stores even give a small discount when you bring reusable cloth bags or reuse old shopping bags to carry out your new purchases.

And if you buy just one or two items, try going without a bag altogether. The store pays for its bags, which means so do you, and in the end, so does the environment.

Unwanted Mail

Eliminating unwanted mail is another way to reduce waste. Roughly 35 million trees are cut down every year to produce mail that people don't even want. To be removed from national mailing lists, call 1-212-768-7277 or send your name, name variations and address to:

Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service
P.O. BOX 643
Carmel, NY 10512-0643

You can also stop unsolicited catalogs from being delivered to your mailbox. Fill out an online questionnaire and stop the delivery of unwanted catalogs.

Click here to get started: http://www.catalogchoice.org

Reduce Packaging

While it's true that some packaging is necessary for health, safety, shelf-life and theft considerations, all too many manufacturers over-package their products. This excess packaging costs consumers more money; costs our environment more resources and energy; and costs our landfills valuable space.

So take a little extra care before you buy. Look for an alternative product without packaging or the least amount of packaging and send a message that you don't like waste. Also, avoid single-serving items that are overly packaged. Ask local vendors to avoid using excessive packaging. Approximately one-third of the garbage we generate is packaging that is thrown away immediately after we purchase merchandise.

When it makes sense, buy in bulk, but only purchase the amount you will use within a reasonable time. You will avoid over-packaging and save money, since larger quantities are generally discounted. Try these alternatives next time you shop:

• Large box of cereal vs. individually wrapped snack pack of mini boxes of cereal
• Pudding mixes in recyclable boxes vs. pre-made pudding packs with individual servings that are stored in non-recyclable plastic cups
• Fresh vegetables bought by the pound vs. vegetables in shrink-wrap or in clamshell containers
• 1-gallon water jugs vs. 6-pack of individual 12-ounce plastic bottles
• Soup in recyclable cans vs. microwavable single-portion soups

Reusing By Donating

There are many items that even the most active recycler may throw away because they are not commonly recycled. Some of these items include mattresses, furniture, clothing, appliances, electronics or art materials. They can often be donated to local thrift stores and nonprofit groups to be repaired and reused. Visit bargainlink.com, or check the yellow pages for thrift stores.

Donate your old tennis shoes to Nike's environmental and community program Reuse-A-Shoe. Part of the Let Me Play Campaign, Reuse-A-Shoe creates basketball courts and soccer fields with your old tennis shoes. Any brand of athletic shoe is accepted. Please do not send any cleats, dress shoes or shoes that are wet or that contain any metal. Take your shoes to the San Ysidro Factory Store at: 4445 Camino De La Plaza, Suite P-350, San Ysidro, CA 92173, or send shoes to:

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Donate unwanted cell phones and help victims of domestic violence. The San Diego Police Department and Verizon Wireless have drop-off locations throughout the city for your cell phones and cell phone accessories. These phones are then refurbished and given to victims of domestic violence. This program accepts all wireless phones and accessories from any service provider. Find the nearest Verizon Wireless store by visiting the Verizon Wireless website and entering your zip code in the store locator, or send phones to:

Verizon Wireless HopeLine
c/o ReCellular Inc
2555 Bishop Circle W.
Dexter, MI 48130

Reusable Product Alternatives

While shopping, you can help the environment by selecting products that use less packaging and are durable or readily recyclable in your community. When buying a product, stop and think, "Can this item be recycled or reused?" If not, is there an alternative brand or product that you can buy? By making these choices, you are using your purchasing power to reward manufacturers that make durable, recyclable and reusable products, not products that are only disposable.

Try these reusable alternatives:

• Use washable cloths instead of throwaway wipes
• Buy rechargeable batteries
• Buy cloth napkins that you can wash instead of paper you throw away
• Buy washable plates and cups for picnics instead of disposables
• Buy razors with replaceable blades
• Seek out reusable or refillable containers that hold shampoo, soap, etc.
• Use plastic or glass containers with lids instead of aluminum foil, plastic bags or plastic wrap
• Rinse plastic bags and reuse them



Try these workplace alternatives:


• Bring re-usable dishware to work and eliminate the use of disposable Styrofoam, plastic or paper plates and cups or plastic utensils.
• Make sure all printers have double-sided set as the default.
• Print drafts of documents on the backside of used paper.

Recycle Styrofoam Packing Products

Expanded Polystyrene, more commonly known as "Styrofoam," is widely used for product packaging. Packing "peanuts" are the most common form of expanded polystyrene; providing soft cushioning for fragile items.

While packing peanuts may be great for our packaging needs, they are not good for the environment. When disposed in landfills, polystyrene will not degrade.

You can help, though. Many shipping stores will reuse your packing peanuts. Below is a list of online store locators to find the nearest shipping store near you.

Remember to call ahead for any specific instructions that may apply. (Most stores will not reuse molded polystyrene.)

Store locator links:

• UPS
  http://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en US
• Mail Boxes Etc.
  http://go.mappoint.net/mbe/PrxInput.aspx
• Postal Annex
  http://www.postalannex.com/Find/default.asp
• Fed Ex / Kinkos
  http://fedex.kinkos.com/locations/index.php

For more information:

• Plastic Loose Fill Council
  http://www.loosefillpackaging.com/
  or call 800-828-2214

All other forms of Styrofoam can be recycled at Cactus Recycling. Bring in clean Styrofoam food boxes, sheets and any other Styrofoam packing material, excluding packing "peanuts." For more information contact Cactus Recycling at 619-661-1283.

Buy Products Made of Recycled Materials

No recycling program is truly successful unless recyclables collected are transformed into marketable products and then purchased by you! To create a demand for recycled products, make sure to purchase paper (computer, stationery, legal, white, envelopes and newspaper) that contains recycled materials. Ask store managers to stock products made with recycled materials and write to the manufacturers of the products you buy and tell them you prefer that they use recycled materials.

When shopping, buy those items that say, "Made from recycled materials" and have the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled content. (Post-consumer content means any material that the public has already used or recycled.) California law requires that any consumer good labeled "Recycled" must contain at least 10% post-consumer content. The City of San Diego also has an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy (EP3), which provides environmentally friendly suggestions and other product recommendations.

Thanks to today's technology and manufacturing, recycled-content products are high quality and attractive. Look for these recycled-content items for your home or business:

• Clothing and shoes
• Children's toys and playground equipment
• Garden tools
• Carpet and carpet pads
• Plastic lumber for planters, decks and benches
• Motor oil
• Floors and countertops
• Rain gutters
• Packaging materials
• Paper products like tissue and towels
• Cleaning supplies
• Writing or computer paper and envelopes

Your choices and efforts can make a significant difference in the success of San Diego and our nation's recycling programs!

Redemption Centers

Many supermarkets sponsor Redemption Centers that will buy back California Redemption Value (CRV) containers for recycling and may accept other materials like steel cans, glass jars and newspapers. Some stores have reverse vending machines, which give you money back as CRV containers are fed into them. The City of San Diego Recycling Guide (PDF: 953K) provides a list of redemption centers including the material each location will accept.

Plastic Grocery Bags

Most grocery stores in the San Diego area have a bin for recycling used plastic grocery bags.

Dry Cleaners

Many dry cleaners take back their plastic clothes bags. When you get home and hang up your clothes, keep the plastic covers and recycle them on your next trip to the dry cleaners -- rather than throw them away. Some stores will also reuse clean hangers.

Wine Corks

Wine and champagne corks can be recycled into new cork products. Send your corks to:

Wine Cork Recycling
Yemm & Hart Ltd
610 South Chamber Dr.
Fredericktown, MO 63645

Yemm & Hart ONLY accept cork stoppers. Please do not send stoppers made from plastic or any other non-cork materials. For more information on Yemm & Hart recycled content products and cork recycling visit their website at www.yemmhart.com.