Reduce, Reuse, Recycle [Guide and Discussion] | Open :D

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New! - I am hoping to move this to its own site once I get enough information to make it a great guide for everyone. If you wish to help me, please pm, or comment here! All credit will be given where due.

Also, I am going to be cleaning this guide a bit, and re-doing it. You might see some changes. See anything that isn't correct? Or something you wish to elaborate or add? Tell me, and I'll fix this. I want to give good and true information out to everyone.

So I just randomly decided to make a small guide on how to conserve and waste less in order to help the environment. I hope this is of use to people. I'll just keep adding things as they come to me. If you have a tip of your own, please post here with it, and I'll be sure to add it. Thank you!

Please this guide if you like it. I appreciate it!

Some credible websites to check out:

Waste Reduction and Recycling at Home
Resource Conservation
Waste Reduction Tips

Also some sites you should check out dealing with making the world a little more environmentally friendly.

Proper Disposal of old/expired medication | NoDrugsDownTheDrain.org

Reuse is where you use something more than once for either the same purpose or a new one.

Waste Reduction is just that. It's where the amount of waste someone produces is reduced.

Recycling is where you convert waste into reusable material

.

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I. Water
>A. Reduce
>B. Reuse
>C. Recycle
II. Paper
>A. Reduce
>.a. Printing
>.b. Paper Condiments
>B. Reuse
>.a. Scratch Paper
>.b. Newspaper
>.c. Recycled Paper
>C. Recycle
>.a. receipts
>.b. other paper
III. Clothes
>A. Reduce
>B. Reuse
>.a. Hand-me-Downs and Sharing
>.b. Thrift Stores
>.c. Clothes Drives
>C. Recycle
IV. Bags
> Cloth Bags
> Plastic Bags
> Paper Bags
IV. Plastics
>A. Reduce
>.a. thermos > water bottles
>B. Bottles, Jars, and Containers
>C. Recycle
V. Electronics
>A. Reduce
>B. Reuse
>.a. swapping phones
>.b. music players
>C. Recycle
>.a. electronic recycling events
VI. Composting
VII. Temperature
> warm to cool
> cool to warm
VIII. Credits
IX. Links

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A great site to check out for saving water alone is wikiHow to Save Water.

A. Reducing water

- Keep an eye on the clock on how long you shower.
- Showers are better than baths since they use less water.
- Turn shower off while shampooing and using body soap/wash.

- Try not to flush excessively, and don't use too much toilet paper to lessen how much you flush.
- Put a plastic basin into your bathroom sink so that it catches the water you use to wash your face and brushing your teeth, etc. You can also do this while washing your dishes. When the basin gets full enough, use the water to flush the toilet [4].

- Don't over water plants. Not only do you waste water doing that, but you also run the risk of drowning the plant.
- While washing dishes, don't leave the faucet on too long or when you're not rinsing.
- Always make sure you don't leave the faucet running even a little bit when you're done using the water.

- Keep all plumbing up to date, and make sure there are no leaks.

B. Reuse Water

- During rainy seasons, keep pots or containers outside to collect water which you can then use to water your plants later, or even wash your car. Also, put your plants outside during the rain so that they can be watered naturally.
- Any water that you don't drink from your glass or bottle, you should just drop it in a plant near by.

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A. Reduce

a. Printing

- Lessen the margins on Microsoft Word or whatever program you're using to be able to print more on a single sheet of paper.
How to change margins in Microsoft Word.
How to change margins in OpenOffice.
- Print on both sides of a single sheet of paper.
- Lessen the font size and choose a font that isn't very large to be able to put more words on a single page.

- For fliers, brouchures, pictures, etc. make them small, rather than a page long so you can print two fliers or more from a single sheet of paper.

b. Paper Condiments

Paper plates, cups, and napkins from parties should be composted, if possible, or recycled. An alternative would be to instead use normal plates (glass) and cups to eliminate using paper condiments.

B. Reuse

a. Scratch Paper

Any paper that has been marked, but still has space, can be used as scratch paper. I had (and still have) a tendency to want to discard the entire paper if I messed up whatever I was drawing on it, or even with finished drawings. So what I would do instead is to use those papers as scratch paper. Makes for nice stationary :3 Use it for math problems, passing notes, and all that jazz until even the miniscule amount of space is filled up before recycling.

- It should also be noted that paper can also be used to make paper clay, which can be used for a variety of crafts and dries hard enough for sanding. [1]

b. Newspaper

Newspaper can be used for so many different things. It can be used for your pets (temporary or not). I sometimes lay it out on the ground or wherever I am eating in the house if I don't want to drop crumbs and things like that. Likewise, it's ideal to lay out for kids too when they're not eating at the table.

Going further, it can be laid out for any messy project that you're going to do, whether it's painting or scrapbooking. This can also be used for paper mache.

If you're cleaning mirrors, I find that wetting a newspaper, and then wiping it on the mirror will make it spotless. Just make sure to wear gloves to not get ink on hand.

- You can reuse newsprint as a makeshift transfer paper too which a good alternative for carbon copy paper. [2]

c. Recycled Paper

Recycled Paper can be bought in stores. Basically, it has been made into sheets of paper using recycled paper-like sources so that it can be reused.

C. Recycle

a. receipts

These pieces of paper are important for about a few months or even less before you'll want to discard them. Lucky for you, they can be recycled. A word of advice though. Shred the ones that have a credit or debit number on it before recycling. You can never be too safe from identity theft.

b. other paper

After using the papers as much as you can, you can then recycle it by putting it in the appropriate bin. This would include any paper like xerox, construction, newspaper, etc. If you can't afford a recycle bin, local schools can recycle for you so you should take your papers there [3].

c. Paper Crafts

You can use different kinds of papers to create new things for yourself. Check some out here. Each link here has five crafts to make corresponding to the type of paper presented.

Recycled Newspaper Crafts | HowStuffWorks
Recycled Wrapping Paper Crafts | HowStuffWorks
Recycled Wallpaper Crafts | HowStuffWorks

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A good site with plenty more tips on recycling clothes is How to Recycle Clothes | eHow.com.

III. Clothes

A. Reduce

B. Reuse

a. Hand-me-Downs and Sharing

They don't sound awesome, but they definitely are a way of recycling clothing. Handing down clothes leaves some dollars in your pocket. If some clothes are too small for you whether you just bought the wrong size or had a growth spurt, then try giving them to your sisters or brothers. You won't be wasting clothes or money. You can also share clothes with siblings if you have the same size. That way your wardrobe is much larger as well.

b. Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are ideal for someone shopping on a low budget. You can find a variety of used clothes among other things being sold there. Buying from thrift stores leaves some coins in your pocket, and leaves the environment a little bit greener.

c. Clothes Drives

If sharing clothes or having hand-me-downs aren't your thing, you can give old clothes to charity to recycle them. Someone out there would definitely find a good use for them. Not only are you helping the environment by not wasting, you are also helping someone in need. Just make sure that these clothes don't have holes in them and are actually wearable.


d. Other uses
So if your old clothes have holes or whatever on them, and they can't be worn nor can they be given to charity, use them as rags for cleaning! That's better than using paper towels. You can also use clothes to make something different like a small pillow or something.

Make sure, however, to take off the buttons or zippers. They can be used on other clothes. And if the hole or whatever is small enough, you can also make nifty cushions out of them.

C. Recycle
So like I mentioned before, you can use old clothes for crafts! The link below contains 5 different crafts that you can do with t-shirts along with instructions.

Recycled T-Shirt Crafts | HowStuffWorks

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Cloth bags

These bags are probably the best option when going shopping. They're usually really nicely made so that they don't wear out fast, and of course, these can be used again and again. That's great for the environment because every time you go shopping, you use one less plastic or paper bag for every cloth bag you have.

Plastic bags

Yes, we all know that cloth bags are better, but that doesn't mean that you can't use these if a cloth bag doesn't appeal to you or you can't afford it. Here's what I do since I don't like cloth bags that much either. I use the plastic bags, and bring them home with the groceries (obviously), and then I store it in a cabinet. Then I use them to put trash in all the time, and usually keep one handy for the pets when outside. I fill them up as much as possible before trashing them.

Paper bags

They can be used for the same things pretty much just like the plastic bag. But you can also use these for arts and crafts. If the paper bag is small enough, it's easy for making puppets with kids. And of course, we can't forget about using them as the customizable book covers. When you're done with using them for arts or just covering you book, simply recycle.

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Information about the different resin codes, or the little chasing arrows with numbers, can be found in a nifty table.

Resin Identification Code | wikipedia.

A. Reduce

a. thermos > water bottles

- An alternative to using water bottles are using a thermos instead. Using one will lessen how many water bottles you use and therefore how much plastic you also use. Tap water and bottled water are essentially the same thing, except that tap water is free.

B. Reuse

a. Bottles, Jars, and Containers

- When you get anything in a jar, bottle, or plastic container, try to see if you can use it for spices or other storage again and again, rather than just throwing it out. Reusing here would be more ideal than recycling (dropping it in the bin).

b. Bottle Crafts

- You can do many things with bottles. There are 7 videos in the link below that teach you how to get crafty with plastic bottles.

Water Bottle Crafts | eHow

There are also other things you can do with plastic bottles, and the following links show them.

Recycled Milk Jug Crafts | HowStuffWorks
Recycled Soda Bottle Crafts | HowStuffWorks

C. Recycle

You can recycle plastics according to the codes on them. But most in your household should be allowed to be put in your recycle bins. If you can't afford a recycle bin, local schools can recycle for you so you should take your plastics there [3].

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V. Electronics

A. Reduce

- If you feel something is broken, try to see if you can fix it before tossing it out to get a new one. If it's something as simple as a few cracks, tape them over. So long as it works properly.

B. Reuse

a. swapping phones

- If you have a phone you can't use because of a service change, swap with a friend who has a phone that they don't need, but you could use instead of tossing it completely.

b. music players

- Some phones, even if you no longer are using their service provider, can double as mp3 players and such even without a service. Check to see if yours can, and use it for music rather than throwing it out.

C. Recycle

a. electronic recycling events

- Electronics can't be recycled in the same way as plastic, cans, or papers can. What I highly suggest is to wait for a local school to announce that they'll be hosting some electronic recycling event, and take all the devices you need to recycle over there. That way, you not only recycle your things properly, but the school also gets some money out of it. Not only do you help the environment, but you also help the school which is like a win-win-win.

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A possible way of getting rid of excess food, rotten or just leftovers from the party, is to compost them in the proper bin. You can compost scraps of cooked and raw food, seeds, skins from fruits and vegetables. You can also compost used napkins from parties. The same short lists that are below of what should and should not be composted can also be found in the link below along with other quality information about composting.

Basic Composting | epa.gov

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- Make sure there are no leaks in doorways to prevent outside air from coming in or inside air from escaping so that the temperature of your home is more manageable. A short, step by step, DIY about checking and sealing windows can be found in the link below. It's actually really simple. I did it on a window myself even. It requires a only little bit of strength when applying the chalk and drying time.

How to Check and Seal Windows | DIY network
How to Seal Doors | DIY network

Warm Temperature to Cool

- Open windows when it's not too hot for the air conditioner or fans.
- Open windows before cooking to prevent the house from getting hot.
- Wear white and light colored clothing more since light is reflected more from lighter colors, and therefore less is absorbed, making you less warm.

- Do all this to minimize use of air conditioners or fans, and therefore minimize use of electricity. Even the smallest things count.

Cool Temperature to Warm

- Bundle up on clothing and comforters to keep warm without use of heaters.
- Keep windows shut tightly, making sure there are no leaks bringing cold air inside.
- Wear darker clothing to let light be absorbed.
- Wear socks and hat to keep warm. Heat tends to escape from these two areas the most.
- Sit with family and friends rather than alone since body heat always helps keep warm.

- Do all this to minimize use of heaters or fireplaces, and therefore minimize use of electricity, wood, and bring less smoke into the atmosphere. Even the smallest things count.

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There are definitely alternatives to the chemicals we use daily for cleaning. And these happen to be some of them. The credit section goes to the Upper Midwest Health House Program by the American Lung Association. More information at Health House.org

Grease Gutter - 1 cup lemon juice + 1 cup water
Scouring Powder - 1 cup baking soda + enough water to form a paste
Laundry Stain Remover - 1 tsp. of white vinegar or baking soda per machine load
Toilet bowl cleaner - 1 cup vinegar (leave overnight and brush the next day)
Floor and furniture polish - 2 parts vegetable oil + 1 part lemon juice
For Leather Furniture - 1 cup vinegar + 1 cup linseed oil
Metal cleaners (brass and copper) - lemon juice + salt to form paste
Metal cleaners (brass and copper) - lemon wedge dipped in baking soda
Metal cleaners (brass and copper) - hot white vinegar + salt
Metal cleaners (brass and copper) - hot ketchup applied with a rag
Silver Polish - 1 gallon boiling water + 1 cup baking soda (line with aluminum foil a pan or pot large enough for the silver piece. Remove boiling water from heat and place in sink. Pour baing soda into boiling water - it will froth a bit. Pour hot water mixture into an aluminum covered pan to completely cover the silver. Wait several minutes, repeat of necessary.)
Glass Cleaner - 1 part vinegar + 1 part water
Rug and Carpet odor remover - baking soda (sprinkle baking soda over carpet, then vacuum.)
Flies - well watered bowl of basil
Moth Repellant - cedar chips in cotton satchets
Roach Repellant - chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins




Read all about different kinds of soap uses here! [5]

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Soda Bottle Crafts

Soda Bottle CoinPurse
Soda Bottle IpodHolder
Soda Bottle Beads
Soda Bottle Vase
Soda Bottle CandleHolders

Cardboard Crafts

Cardboard Scissor Holder

Paper Crafts

Newspaper Giftbags
Newspaper Flowers
Newspaper Basket
Magazine Gift Bows
Paper Flowers
3D Paper Ornaments
Magazine Business Card Holders
Magazine Baskets
Magazine Coasters

Cloth Crafts

iPhone Pouch
T-shirt Tote Bag
Fabric Scrap Roses
Scrap Fabric PotHolders

Aluminum Can Crafts

Pencil Cup
Soda Can Xmas Card

Bag Crafts
Recycled DogFood Bag into Garden Tote Bag

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Credit must be given where credit is due.

Credits for the Guide

Graphics and guide are made by Chahiye.
Floral brushes and recycling logo brushes are from deviantart.com
For all the links provided, credit goes to the respected site.

Credit for Tips

If you have any tips that I might not have written, or you see something that needs to be corrected, please pm me. I would add it to this guide along with a credit to you. Thank you.

[1] credit for this tip goes to Xabelis
[2] credit for this tip goes to Jason0690
[3] credit for this tip goes to Glorified Apes
[4] credit for this tip goes to Chanda Jay
[5] credit for this tip goes to iiWishEzra-

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If you liked my guide, I'd really appreciate it if you added its banner so that word could go out about it, and so more people could learn to recycle better.
Please this guide if you like it. I appreciate it!








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Open :3
Please post your tips away and anything else you have to say. Comments, questions, and suggestions are all appreciated. Spreading the word about this guide is also appreciated.

If you've got a banner you want to put up of your own threads, whatever they may be, just post it with the code, and I'll add it.

I hope you read the guide and find some use from it.