Effective Domestic Waste Disposal Strategies

Residential waste disposal is easy to take for granted when it's there and extremely unpleasant when it's not there! Although most homes in the United States have access to domestic waste removal, there are many benefits to maximizing all waste disposal methods available to you instead of only relying on a paid service.

Determining Your Strategy

• The most proactive step in disposing of waste is to minimize the amount of waste that your home produces. This can include limiting purchases to only what is necessary, and purchasing items that have as little to throw away as possible (such as purchasing food items in bulk or using homemade canned products that reuse glass jars).

  Once you have reduced the amount of garbage your family produces to as little as possible, you can move on to evaluating where to send the garbage you must get rid of.

  Most residential homes in the United States use a paid service that hauls their garbage away, either in the form of a private service you pay directly or a service by your municipality that is funded by taxes. Even with this type of service, it can benefit a household to dispose of as much of its garbage as possible into waste destinations that are free or don't use space in a landfill, especially if you pay by volume. Using a paid service for only the garbage that is absolutely necessary can save money and landfill space, and in some cases can even provide useful end products like compost for the garden.

Limiting Garbage That Leaves the House

• Much of your family's necessary garbage can be disposed of or used up without ever leaving your home. A compost bin can use up a lot of waste your family produces, while also creating compost that is nutritious for your garden or yard. All of your plant, fruit and vegetable waste (such as peelings, houseplant clippings) can go in the compost bin, as well as shredded newspaper, fireplace ashes, grass clippings and fallen leaves. The garbage disposal can also be employed to carry away soft food waste.

  A lot of items that would end up in the garbage can be reused in arts and crafts or as storage containers. Aluminum cans, jars, baby food jars or used popsicle sticks are just a few examples of garbage items that can be cleaned and reused.

Garbage That Leaves For Free or Doesn't Use Landfill Space

• In many areas, recycling centers accept recyclables for free. At the very least, these items are kept out of landfills and can in some cases generate income for the municipality that accepts them. Some nonprofit or civic organizations accept items for credit, such as boxtops, old newspapers or beverage returnables. In some states, the deposit on beverage containers is high enough that your household may be compelled to return them for the money you get back.

Above and Beyond

• Once you have limited the amount of garbage that must be disposed of in a landfill, you can go the extra step of seeking to limit the volume further by using a trash compactor.

  Whether your concerns are economy, ecological or a combination, it's feasible that a small percentage of your household waste has to be carted away.