How to Precycle

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Recycling's great, but go even greener by precycling as well, and create less waste to recycle in the first place.

To complete this How-To you will need:

Reusable bags and containers
A thermos
Cloth towels and napkins
A computer with internet access
Houseplants or potpourri
Cloth wrap and bags
Vinegar and baking soda

Step 1: Think ahead

Bring reusable sacks and containers to the supermarket to carry your items in the cart, rather than using the clear plastic bags that stores provide. When checking out, place all your purchases into reusable bags.

Step 2: Eat, drink, and be practical

Take a thermos to the cafe, or fill it at home; pack a lunch in a box or insulated sack instead of a paper or plastic bag; drink tap water instead of bottled; and buy fresh foods rather than prepackaged. Carry cloth handkerchiefs, and ask take-out joints to hold the plastic cutlery, individual condiment servings, and paper napkins.

Step 3: Go digital

Set up your bills for auto pay. You'll cut out excess mail and avoid late fees. Read online editions of newspapers and magazines, which are often free and feature additional multimedia content. To prevent unwanted catalogs or junk mail, request to be removed from the company's mailing list.

Tip: For a $1 fee, the Direct Marketing Association's mail preference service will take you off the mailing lists of many large companies for five years.

Step 4: Cut out single-use products

Avoid buying single- or limited-use products, such as disposable diapers, cleansing face wipes, and razors.

Step 5: Precycle on the job

At work, think twice before printing out emails or documents. Double-sided copies also reduce paper consumption. Posting employee manuals and memos online creates less paper waste and makes the documents easier to update.

Step 6: Clean more with less

Use concentrated dish and laundry detergents, which pack more cleaning power into less packaging.

Step 7: Scent your home naturally

Fill your home with the natural scent of houseplants or potpourri instead of using store-bought air fresheners, especially ones with disposable cartridges.

Tip: You can use white vinegar and baking soda -- which come with less packaging than conventional cleaning products -- to clean just about anything. Use undiluted white household vinegar or a paste of baking soda mixed with water.

Step 8: Don't trash gift wrap

Avoid excess garbage when gift-giving by wrapping presents in reusable cloth or cloth bags. Often, the best gifts need no wrapping at all.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• HomeFamily
• waste
• reduction
• environmental
• recycling
• reducing
• green
• living
• saving
• environment
• earth

[Tacoman1013]

Rule of the internet when arguing on youtube the harder you try the harder you will fail

[ilnaras]

The funny thing is that Coke celebrated Earthday buy giving out coupons for bottles of their bottled water.

[foxxieluvv]

are they talking about... adult diapers? What other diaper kinds are other than disposable... Thats kind of gross....

[jacobsanchez24]

some simpler steps:1.never drink coffee or water,2.never eat out,3.never shave,4.let the baby shit everywhere,5.dont work where there is any hazerdous waste,6.dont eat from plates(paper or ceramic)-use youre labtop as a plate,7.dont where clothing,8.live outside on the sidewalk(you dont have to take care of a house),9.dont have any relations with family and friends(you dont give gifts), and that is how to live the treehugger dumbfucker way!

[sharon4773]

do you read labels? in the pea sized amount you are supposed to use, there is a good amount of flouride, and in childrens toothpaste (because they often swallow) there is only a little (less than already the small bit) and you arent supposed to swallow...its to coat your teeth. STOP AVOIDING MY QUESTION WHO HAS DIED FROM FLOURIDE IN THE TAP WATER IN THE RECENT YEARS?

[tv4polo]

im just saying eating toothpaste is bad 4 u and btw go eat a tube of toothpaste please smartass

[sharon4773]

so how many people have died from flouride poisoning in the tap water recently?

[tv4polo]

theres a deadly amount that can kill people

[AnobisBloodwing]

and this djust a few. you can find real fast. main media and schooling stil holds on the mith that fluorid is good

[AnobisBloodwing]

Fluoride is a perfect weapon for the eugenicists, as a toxicologist in the United Kingdom recently found that perinatal deaths in a fluoridated area was 15% higher than in neighboring non-fluoridated areas. The fluoridated area had a higher socio-economic status and would have been expected to have less perinatal deaths. The fluoridated area also had a 30% higher rate of Downs Syndrome.

[AnobisBloodwing]

The Department of Health in New Jersey found that bone cancer in male children was between two and seven times greater in areas where water was fluoridated. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers confirmed the bone cancer-causing effects of fluoride at low levels. In fact, fluoride build up in the bones and causes adverse changes to bone structure

[AnobisBloodwing]

There is plenty of research, studiously ignored by the corporate media, that indicates fluoride not only dumb-downs children and adults alike, but is a killer. In 1995, neurotoxicologist and former Director of toxicology at Forsyth Dental Center in Boston, Dr. Phyllis Mullenix published research showing that fluoride permanent effects the brain. The toxic effects of fluoride on the central nervous system was subsequently confirmed by previously-classified government research.