In 2006, Americans threw away 251 million tons of solid waste. That averages out to 4.6 pounds per person per day. More than half of this waste is discarded in landfills, and more than half is coming from homes and apartments (rather than businesses). I don't know how that number strikes you, but to me that seems like an awful lot of trash. Though recycling has increased in recent years, trash has continued to inrease as well. So the first, and generally best, method to take care of our trash problem is to decrease the amount of trash we create.

This method, known as source reduction, has been made famous as the first R in the three R's of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Source reduction simply means reducing the amount of trash we create, and it is the first priority in managing waste. Reducing waste is important not only because of the unappealing nature of landfill growth and proliferation, but also because it conserves the resources used both in making products that end up as trash and managing the trash after it is created.

By buying fewer items that will end up in the trash, or items with less packaging, you are saving the resources that would've been used in making said items or said packaging. This could mean leaving trees standing to absorb carbon dioxide or using less oil to create a plastic package and then ship it to your local store. Not only that, but the waste you prevent will be saved from transportation (which emits greenhouse gases from the burning of the fuel used in the transport to the landfill), incineration (which emits carbon dioxide, and the even more dangerous nitrous oxide), and/or decomposition (which emits methane, also more dangerous than carbon dioxide). By reducing our trash to 1990 levels (cutting about 45 million tons overall and slimming our waste per person to around 3.75 pounds per day), we would prevent the carbon emissions equivalent of 18 million tons!

The question becomes, of course, how to do it. For this particular target, each person would have to reduce their waste by around 20% (eliminating around .85 pounds per day). As packaging and containers make up practically a third of household waste, that might be a good place to start. Much of today's packaging exists more to get your attention with an attractive display than to protect the product inside. Next time you are selecting between similar products, choose the one with less unnecessary packaging. When buying produce, opt to buy it unpackaged when possible. Similarly, buy things in bulk and in concentrate (when practical)--one larger box or bottle takes fewer resources than many smaller boxes or bottles would, and this is often reflected by a lower price! If you live alone, try to reduce the single-serving packages that you buy, and, instead, opt for larger packages that allow for easy saving of leftovers for future use.

Unfortunately, the amount of trash is not the only problem--there is also toxicity to consider. Many household products contain any number of dangerous chemicals, from formaldeyhyde to sulfuric acid, which then end up in our landfills. When using products with hazardous ingredients, be sure to follow the directions carefully and use only the amount that you need. Consider replacing these products with safer alternatives, such as baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice. Tips are available at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/catbook/alt.htm. Also, consider recycling things like motor oil and old batteries (simply drop them off at the Lakewood Recycling Center) rather than disposing of them yourself.

As paper and plastics make up nearly half of our trash, conscious decisions about the packaging we buy can make a big difference. Just don't go overboard and buy more than you can use--the savings on packaging won't help much if you're throwing away all of the leftovers! Not only can your buying decisions save you money, but creating less trash will save the city money, as well as helping our environment.