Green choices are not only good for the environment, but they’re also good for your bank account, and can even help simplify your life. These three practically effortless things you can do to make your life easier are so simple anyone can do it.
#1: Recycle.
By properly recycling, my husband and I throw away half as much garbage as we did before we recycled. Our blue bin is filled much faster than our garbage bin which means there is less of a haul to the curb and a reduction in material being wasted. To be successful though, you need to understand what can and cannot be recycled. Before you adapt this life hack into your daily routine, check with your locality to see what is acceptable for recycling. Recycling also helps save natural resources. If an item is recycled, it can be turned into something else without extracting new materials. For example, when I recycle my seltzer water cans, they can be back on the shelf in about 60 days. By using recycled materials, more aluminum does not have to be extracted to make new cans. BONUS: Try composting. Your trash will essentially vanish! The only thing left in your trash will be non-recyclable packaging. After you have mastered recycling, try to find ways to reduce that non-recyclable packing as well!
#2: Drink Tap Water.
There are hundreds of people who work hard every day at your nearest water treatment plant to ensure that the water that comes to your tap is clean and pure for drinking. What’s more, they ensure it either meets or exceeds drinking water standards. You can save hundreds of dollars on water bottles by using reusable bottles filled with tap water. In fact, you can refill a 20-oz. sports bottle from any Hampton Roads faucet over 1,000 times for what you’d pay for a one-time-use bottle of “designer” water. Seems like an easy choice to me.
#3: Throw away Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG).
FOG in the sink can cause a plumbing nightmare for you and your wastewater treatment facility. This may sound obvious, but often fats, oils, and grease innocently end up in our sink when we’re not even trying to put them there! Think about the last time you had a dirty pan which previously held your delicious sautéed veggies covered in olive oil. Did you wipe out the pan first, or just plunge it in hot water in your sink? Although the water is breaking up the oil to make it easily slide out of the pan, once it goes down the drain, it will solidify and cling to your pipes. If you want to make your life easier, scrape the pan first to remove any grease. Your pipes (and ultimately your wallet) will thank you later!
Try to incorporate all three of these life style changes to live an easier, greener life!
Blog contributed by Lacie Wever, Community Education and Outreach Specialist with HRSD.