By Karissa Miller / WM
Happy Earth Month!
The cherry trees and tulips are blooming, the sun is shining and everywhere you look, you see green in the Pacific Northwest. As you savor the beauty of nature this spring, show Mother Earth some love by embracing green living habits this month and beyond.
Whether you’re looking to reduce waste in your home or be more energy efficient, opportunities abound.
Commit to Recycle Right
Save natural resources such as trees and water by giving products a second life. Follow these three tips to ensure your home recycling is the best it can be.
• Recycle clean bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.
• Keep food and liquid out of your recycling.
• No loose plastic bags or bagged recyclables.
Make sustainable swaps
When it’s time to retire old light bulbs, use the opportunity to replace them with energy-efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs last longer, meaning the energy savings will stick around long past Earth Month.
Don’t forget the impact of swapping out single-use products. Pay attention to what disposable products you accumulate while on the go. This could be paper bags, plastic utensils, plastic water bottles, disposable coffee cups or take-out food boxes. Make a commitment to bring a reusable alternative next time. Every small swap counts!
Dispose of hazardous materials properly
To keep the planet and community safe, it’s important to dispose of hazardous materials responsibly. These include products that are toxic or ignitable, such as:
• Oven cleaners
• Glues
• Dyes
• Bleach
• Smoke detectors
Keep these items out of your curbside carts. Instead, bring them to a hazardous-waste facility. Always be on the lookout for “danger,” “poison” and “caution” labels before disposing of products. When in doubt, check with your local hazardous-waste facility on accepted waste products.
The good news is you don’t always need to make a special trip to the hazardous-waste facility. There’s a variety of programs aimed at making it convenient to recycle these products.
• Paint recycling: Visit paintcare.org to find drop-off locations for unwanted paints, primers and stains.
• Electronics recycling: Visit ecyclewashington.com for recycling locations for TVs, laptops, tablets and more.
• Light recycling: Visit lightrecycle.org to recycle mercury-containing lights, including old CFL bulbs, at a collection site near you.
Green up your spring cleaning
The only thing better than a day spent in the sun is returning to a clean home. Tackle spring cleaning sustainably by opting for planet-friendly cleaning products.
A quick online search yields countless recipes for easy and green homemade cleaning products. As a bonus, you can reuse the cleaning bottle. Grab a reusable cleaning cloth and get to work.
Reduce food waste
Saving food presents a huge opportunity to cut down on wasted water, energy and other natural resources. The good news is there are easy ways to ensure food makes it to the table instead of the garbage. Visit the WM website at wmnorthwest.com for food-waste reduction tips such as:
• Cooking with foods that would otherwise be thrown away
• Extending the shelf life of foods
• Purchasing “ugly” produce
Here’s to a beautiful and green planet this Earth Month and beyond.
Karissa Miller is WM’s recycling education and outreach manager. Learn more about waste reduction at the WM website: wmnorthwest.com.
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