Reducing your trash output is like dieting; for a greater chance at sustainable success, you have to change your eating habits and adopt a new lifestyle. Otherwise, you’ll just regain all the weight after the diet is completed. To reduce trash in your home, you need to adopt a new lifestyle. You can make small changes, reducing waste in the home, or you can go big and live a zero-waste lifestyle.
Basics of a zero-waste lifestyle
The mantra of a zero-waste lifestyle is “it’s not about perfection; it’s about making better choices.” The first step is recognizing that you will not be 100% trash free. But, you will make significant reductions in your household trash production. Another benefit of the zero-waste lifestyle is that you begin to live a cleaner, healthier lifestyle. The zero-waste lifestyle improves the way we live, the way we eat, and the way we consume.
Reduce the amount of stuff you buy
The success of a zero-waste lifestyle relies on making smart consumer choices. In short, you need to reduce the amount of stuff that you buy. The next time you shop, limit yourself to the things that you absolutely need and see how much less “stuff” you end up with at the end of a week. The less “stuff” you buy, the less trash you’ll produce.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Buying less means we need to start thinking of alternative ways to get what we want, without producing trash. Instead of buying something new, think of ways that you can borrow, rent, or share it with someone else. If you’re buying something to replace something else in your home, find a way to recycle or repurpose the old item.
Cleaner modes of transportation
Ridesharing, public transportation, or other cleaner modes of transportation (walking, running, biking) are a big part of a zero-waste lifestyle. It is also much more environmentally friendly to put your kid on the school bus. Carpools are the next best thing. Better yet, walk or bike to school with your kids, it will put them on the right path to continuing a zero-waste lifestyle when they leave home. 
Be a responsible consumer
If you’re going to make smart choices to achieve a zero-waste lifestyle you need to be informed. The more you know about the products you buy, the closer to zero-waste you can become. Get to know the companies and the brands that you buy. Find out how your stuff is made, the materials used, the sources, and how far they have traveled. Buying quality local products, from boutique furniture shops to farmers markets, often reduces the waste produced from manufacturing your stuff. Quality also lasts longer, and the longer your stuff lasts, the more you’ll reduce your trash.
Sunrise Sanitation has been providing trash management services for your home, your business, and your job-site in Maryland and West Virginia. We have 24/7 recycling centers and are always looking for ways to implement new and sustainable practices.
