25 Wasteful Things You Can Live Without

By Planet Green

We produce a lot of waste. In 2008 alone, Americans generated 250 million tons of trash, and though about a third of that was recycled, a lot went into landfills or was incinerated. Our culture is centered around disposability, and only we have the power to change that.

Take stock of the disposable, overly-packaged, and single-use products that you use, and then look for reusable alternatives. Not sure where to start? Here are more than two dozen items that many people use . . . and can easily live without.

25 Wasteful Things You Can Live Without:

Tin foil — Use an oven-safe pot or dish with a lid.
Plastic wrap — Instead, use a container with a lid.
Disposable cleaning cloths, dusters, etc. — Use a microfiber cloth that can be washed.
Paper towels — Use a tea towel, instead.
Disposable pens — Buy a good pen that only needs the ink well changed.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Veronica C.

5:47PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

This is not completely realistic.

send a green star

Taylor i.

4:09PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

Great advice for creating less waste... I have already eliminated most of these... some things I had not thought of before, so thank you!

Elizabeth O.

4:01PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

Useful tips.

Valerie A.

3:10PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

Thanks

Carole K.

9:41AM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

Re-read on Daily Action. I have left reaction comments previously. This article is in my favorites & I shared it on Facebook as well. I consider it to be @ least in the top 10 of best of all Care2 articles ever posted!

Kenneth D.

9:28AM PDT on Apr 21, 2012

noted - thanks

Alison A.

5:04PM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

Thanks for posting.

Berenice Guedes d.

12:02PM PDT on Apr 17, 2012

I already practice part of this and I'll do my best to improve the other part! Thanks for
the tips.

Marlene C.

3:04PM PDT on Apr 16, 2012

I'm trying very hard to implement as many of these ideas as possible. HOWEVER, I live in an apartment house in NYC and must use bags to dispose of my kitchen garbage. To avoid buying plastic garbage bags I reuse the ones from the supermarket. If anyone has a better solution I'd love to hear it.

Rose Mary F.

11:43AM PDT on Apr 16, 2012

Come on, people, we should all know by now how dangerous these items are to our environment!

We can do without these wasteful things and make our planet healthier.

Peace.