Being proud of the city you live in is important for your mental well-being. If you’re constantly exposed to pollution, it’s likely going to lead to you feeling stressed every time you go outside. While one person cannot be solely responsible for cleaning up an entire city by themselves, baby steps in the right direction will lead to change and it can get more people on board doing the same things.
Understanding What You Can Recycle
The city of Los Angeles collection service, LA Sanitation & Environment or LASAN, offers trash and recycling services to more than 750,000 households. It offers a green bin for organic waste, a blue bin for recycling, and a black bin for trash. If you want to do your part and reduce the trash around the city, get your family and friends on board with recycling as much as possible to reduce what gets dumped in the landfills.
What many people don’t know is that if you toss one non-recyclable item in your recycle bin, that can prevent the entire bin from being recycled. This is known as recycling contamination and causes the items to not go through the recycling system properly. Common items you can recycle are:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Glass
- Plastics
- Metal
One of the most important things to remember when recycling is to clean out the containers first before tossing them. If you’re unsure if the item is recyclable or not, read the packaging.
Consider the Products You Use
The products you use in your household regularly can contribute to the overflowing landfills and pollution. If you want to aim to produce less waste, then start switching out the products you use to more environmentally friendly ones. Getting a bamboo toilet paper subscription can help make it easier for you to always have your bathroom stocked with eco-friendly items.
Take some time and go through the products you have in your home and read the labels. Consider making your cleaning products with items in your cabinets instead of buying commercial ones. Eco-friendly packaging is a must for eliminating waste because these will break down and because they’re made from renewable or recycled materials.
Reuse Whatever You Can
Some items you regularly toss out can be repurposed and used again. Your glass containers and jars can be used for decorations or storage purposes. Donate your unwanted items to thrift shops or hold a garage sale so someone else can use them. Only use reusable bags for shopping and try to rent or borrow things instead of buying new ones.
When it comes to repurposing items, you’re allowed to get creative as you want so it fits your needs. Browse the Internet for some ideas and join some crafting groups to help you think outside of the box.
Compost Your Food Waste
The new California law that most are aware of recently is that individuals are supposed to separate their organic materials from their trash for compost. This is an effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from landfills from rotting food. Organic items include:
- Eggshells
- Teabags
- Coffee filters
- Pizza boxes
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Grease
- Flowers and plants
- Leaves
Organic materials such as untreated wood, food scraps, paper products, and landscaping waste should all be put in the green bin for weekly collection. You can even compost your bamboo paper towel. You are no longer allowed to put any of these items in the blue or black bins.
Just one person can make a difference when it comes to waste reduction. Lead by example and show others how you’re taking a stand to reduce the pollution around Los Angeles. Recycling conserves energy, reduces greenhouse gasses, and reduces air and water pollution, so everything you do will make a difference.
