Most of the garbage that is removed from your home will end up at a landfill. Landfills have a negative impact on the quality of land, water and air around them, which is why it's important to reduce what ends up at the landfill. While a lot of efforts have been made to improve recycling habits, there's a lot more to be done; it starts with you, right at home. Controlling your waste production can help to reduce your need for waste removal, so that only the most necessary waste ends up at the landfill. Find out how in the paragraphs below.

1. Know your recycling policies

If you don't have a recycling bin in your home, visit your local waste management authorities and find out how you can get one. You can also take time to find out recycling centres around you and the routes and schedules for recycling trucks so that you put out your recyclable garbage at the right times. Also, find local junkyards and electronics shops and find out what kinds of appliances, electronics, wiring etc. that you can hand over to them so that you don't throw them away in the regular trash.

2. Establish a plan

Ensure that all your family members know the kinds of waste that can be recycled, and where they should be thrown. Have separate bags for plastics, glass, metals and paper to make work easier for the collectors. Create a list of recyclable items and label your bins accordingly, for a visitor to know where to throw what and for children who might forget which items can and can't be recycled.

3. Know what you can recycle

As a general guide, you can recycle glass bottles and jars, aluminium foil, pie tins and cans, steel and tin cans, toilet paper rolls, paper towels, some plastics (check with your local council for your region's list of recyclable and non-recyclable plastics), catalogues, magazines and junk mail, paper bags, telephone directories, cereal boxes, newspapers and inserts, beverage cartons and carrying cases, wrapping paper, office paper and greeting cards.

Feminine products and diapers, paint, Styrofoam, polystyrene and hard plastic bottles, cling film and loose plastic carrier bags are generally non-recyclable. Separate construction debris to make clean fill that can be sold to other construction jobs, otherwise they are unrecyclable. Gently used clothes and shoes can be donated to charity. Limit your daily usage of non-recyclable items such as the abovementioned plastics.

4. Handle spring cleaning efficiently

During your spring cleaning season, separate wastes into as many piles as necessary to avoid cross-contamination of potentially recyclable waste – electronics, organic waste, toxic waste, old clothes and shoes etc. If there aren't recycling pickup plying your route, plan a day to take your recyclables to the drop-off point. Before enlisting bulk waste removal services, ensure that there's absolutely nowhere else that waste can go first. Call a junk remover for large amounts of junk. They can help you with sorting your trash if you're not certain what can be recycled, and to properly get rid of all kinds of waste in an environmentally-safe manner.

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