Three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

After air, water, or land becomes polluted, it becomes more difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible to clean up. Conservation is an important step towards creating a better, healthier, more sustainable environment, and it is important to remember that conservation does not just start with recycling. Here are ways in which you can do your part to make this world more environmentally friendly by living according the three R’s.

REDUCE

Conservation begins with reducing the earth’s resources that you use, from energy to water, and reducing the amount of solid waste you create. It’s easy to do just by changing a few things about the way you live. Here are some simple ways you can reduce, which can often save you some money:

Purchase food and other supplies in bulk instead of as individually packaged items, which require more packaging.
Purchase durable, longer lasting goods that don’t need to be replaced as often.
Take your own bags out when shopping instead of using new paper or plastic bags each time. Places like Whole Foods will reimburse you a small amount for providing your own shopping bag.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Turn the lights off when they’re not in use or use motion-sensor lights.
Turn the water off while you’re brushing your teeth and take shorter showers instead of baths.
Don’t use the drive-through or sit in your car idling for long periods of time.
Walk, bike or take public transportation when you can.

REUSE

Cut down on the amount of waste you produce by reusing your materials. From computers to furniture to clothing, many items can be reused. Here are a few quick ways to reuse your materials:

Set your printer to print on both sides of a sheet of paper.
Repair broken appliances and shoes or find a charity like the Salvation Army or Goodwill (or any other nonprofit!) that will make use of them.
Donate or trade-in your old clothes, books, music, and movies. Places like Buffalo Exchange will give you cash or store credit if you bring in clothes that they can re-sell. Places like Half Price Books will do the same for some old books, movies, and music.
Buy recycled products. This “closes the loop” and ensures that after reducing, reusing, and recycling, these recycled products are actually being used.
Reuse those paper or plastic bags if you have them. Many grocery stores like Randall’s and Whole Foods will take your plastic bags and recycle them.

RECYCLE

Why should you recycle? Here are some statistics on the amount of waste we produce in the United States.

Many neighborhoods in Houston receive biweekly curbside recycling services. To see if your neighborhood receives these services, or to obtain a new bin for your curbside pickup service, go to City of Houston Recycling Services website.

For those of you that don’t receive curbside recycling services, there are several recycling drop-off locations in the Houston area. From aluminum to computer boards, our RECYCLING DROP-OFF MAP can help you figure out where to take your recyclables.

There are several 24-hour drop-off locations, including:

There are also many Abitibi PaperRetriever Bins that take all types of paper, including cardboard, magazines, phonebooks, newspapers, etc., located throughout Houston. These PaperRetrievers are part of Abitibi’s community-based program that rewards churches, schools, and other non-profit organizations for recycling by paying for the recycled paper. Locate a PaperRetriever near you and for an easy and accessible way to recycle paper.

RESOURCES

This site provides just a few basic, quick tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle. There are many more resources that can provide much more information on sustainability and conservation. Here are a few:

For more information about recycling in your area, Earth 911 is a good resource for finding places to recycle almost anything.
Go to Generation Green for more tips on increasing energy efficiency in your home.