Have you ever really looked at how much trash your household produces in a week? It isn't just what goes in your home trash bin. It is also your discarded items when you are outside the home, at a restaurant, attending a party, on an airplane, replacing an appliance. According to the EPA, trash created in the U.S. Is three times GREATER than it was in 1960. The trash ending up in landfills is twice what it was in 1960's. This seems counter intuitive since there was little recycling done back in the 1960. In the 1970's I worked in a grocery store and customers paid a deposit on beverage bottles. This cut trash and litter. So many beverages and products come in plastic containers of which only 8 or 9% is recycled. Make a goal to reduce and reuse as much as possible. Recycle and compost what you can. Recycling and composting makes up 32.5% although a lot of recyclable items end up in landfills. Landfills are expensive and after they are no longer operating, they must be maintained for 30 years!

• Use real dishes
• Eat the groceries you purchase
• Take your own container to restaurants for leftovers and to Farmer's Markets for purchases
• Use a cloth towel to dry your hands at home and use air dryers when you are in public places. Or drip-dry your hands.
• Reuse baggies – bread bags can be used for sandwiches and other foods
• Lots of items can be reused: clothes you no longer wear, household items can be donated or posted on Nextdoor, craft items can be donated to Austin Creative Reuse Center at 2005 Wheless Lane

Let's be good keepers of this beautiful earth that God gave us.

 Julie Peckham
Green Team leader