20ish ways to avoid making trash -- suggested by readers of the No Impact Man
blog
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Keep a set of cutlery with you so you don't have to use the plastic versions
Cut up old clothes, towels, etc for use as rags -- avoid paper towels
Use mason jars to carry everything from drinking water to a packed lunch. (There’s a pseudo pint
Mason jar with a handle, that doubles as a coffee mug; ~$2 @ A-Barr restaurant supply.)
Use a handkerchief instead of tissue
Make notepaper from the blank side of junk mail; or once-used computer paper
Give your old eyeglasses to the local Lions Club for distribution to those in need
Make cardboard egg cartons into biodegradable seed starters
Cut yogurt containers (or broken narrow-slat venetian blinds) into strips and use them to label garden
plants
Use cloth bags, or your own recycled plastic bags, for the bulk bins at the grocery store
Empty out vacuum cleaner bags and reuse. Or buy a vacuum that uses no bags.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper; in fact, they’re nicer, and stronger!
Cook from scratch to avoid food packaging
Use shaving soap bars to avoid throwaway bottles
Make your own yogurt so there are no plastic tubs
Wash and reuse zip-lock bags, or even freebie grocery-store plastic bags; if you take cloth bags to
buy purchases in, you will no longer have a free source!
Use the waxy liners of cereal boxes to wrap sandwiches
Use scrap office paper for kids’ coloring books; or turn it over, run it through your printer again for
some other (non-elegant!) print job.
Carry a cloth for drying your hands and wrapping things in
Pack a lunch in a reusable container instead of buying lunch in plastic packaging. Keep a couple of
reusable containers in your car or backpack, to use when you have leftovers at a restaurant. By now,
the other diners, instead of thinking you’re weird, will mentally applaud you for foresight!
Use rechargeable batteries
Use crumpled plastic bags as insulation in enclosed spaces. Warning: may release toxic fumes in
case of fire; so you may want to restrict this change to garages and other out-buildings.
Avoid paper coffee filters: get a “French Press” coffee maker (Starbucks & other suppliers); or get a
permanent, washable filter from Amazon or other suppliers (about $5 - $8).
Marvelous 20-minute online video: YouTube, ‘The Story of Stuff’.