Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Buy Recycled Content

REDUCE - waste. Buy carefully, only what you need. Avoid excessive packaging. Refuse styrofoam. Print on both sides of paper. Switch to paperless bills and subscribe to on-line newspapers. Reduce your junk mail, Use cloth bags when you shop. Eat leftovers. Reducing waste reduces needless consumption. This preserves renewable and non renewable resources. It further reduces air, soil, water contamination. It reduces landfill space.

Web sites: state of Connecticut DEEP "What do I do with...?"  

 

REUSE - what you buy. Purchase durable goods that last longer. Repair, don't toss! Sell unwanted items or give them away. Buy used items. Borrow/share rather than buy. Reuse keeps materials out of the waste stream. It creates less air and water pollution than making a new item. It reduces the strain on valuable resources.

Web sites:State of Connecticut DEEP "What is zero waste?", www.freecycle.org , www.wastefreelunches.org

 

RECYCLE - curbside and at all town sponsored collections. Recycle at public events and in public places. Compost. Recycling manages solid waste by reducing use of raw materials, reducing air and water pollution, and reduces energy consumption.

Web sites: State of Connecticut DEEP "Recycling", www.harwinton.us click on "departments" then scroll to "recycling".

 

BUY RECYCLED - look for the following words on products: "recycled content", "post consumer", "pre consumer." Support companies that use recycled material in the production of their product. Shop retail or on line with businesses that sell products made with recycled materials. Thank them for offering these products. Buying recycled reduces the amount of raw materials needed to manufacture items. This conserves natural resources, saves water and energy, and reduces water and air pollution.

Web sites: EPA "Product Resource Guide"

Did you know - recycled paper can be made into paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper, boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, compost, and kitty litter?

Glass never wears out - it can be recycled forever. We save over one ton of resources for every ton of glass recycled - 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar.