Global warming is a serious issue which we, as a planet, really need to address as quickly as possible. While our governments endlessly discuss different tactics to slow down pollution and to regrow our trees and to build a giant cork to fit in the hole in the ozone layer, what can we do to do our part?
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One of the biggest things we can do is to produce less waste. If we use fewer materials, there is less of a demand on corporations to produce more materials which gobble up the world's resources and pump fumes into our atmosphere as they are produced in factories.
So how can you create less waste?
Buy Less
The simplest thing you can do is to buy fewer materials which require packaging. In fact just buying less of everything would be a good idea as even things like fruit which sometimes has to travel halfway round the world to reach your fruit bowl, require fuel to be expelled from the vehicles which transport them.
Before you start feeling guilty and start rationing yourself to one slice of homemade bread a day, make a list of all things you buy in a week and make note of everything which you don't use. Cut those out of your weekly budget and then look at where you are buying everything else from. Try to start buying items which are grown or made as close to where you are from as possible. This way they have less distance to travel and use less fuel. Next stop using plastic bags from supermarkets and take your own bags with you. Plastic bags make up a serious percentage of waste in the UK.
Reuse Items
Another thing you can do is to reuse packaging and items like plastic bags which you already have. Things like cardboard boxes are ideal as you will certainly find a use for them in the future. For instance, next time you need house clearances or to carry out some rubbish removal, you will have boxes ready to go.
Leftovers
One of the biggest things we waste every day is food. Far too often people use half a packet of something or half a bag of potatoes and let the rest rot. Try to organise your meals around what you have in your cupboards so that you throw less away. This will mean less overall waste going into landfills and hopefully less rubbish lorries trundling around our streets pumping out noxious fumes.
Many homeowners see rubbish removal as being an often daunting task. This is why the only thing you may want to do is to just take out the garbage and hope that someone collects it. That said you can save or even make some money if you take out your own garbage. Things like metal containers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, mirrors, old pianos etc., can all fetch you scrap prices at recycling plants.
Start by sorting everything out
If you want to start taking out your own garbage start by sorting out everything from the very beginning. The easiest way is to have three waste bins. You can label each bin plastic, metal, and glass. You can have a fourth bin where you just dispose of organic waste. This makes sorting everything prior to heading over to the recycling plant easier.
Storage space
Generally, unless you're running a commercial outlet you're not going to collect enough plastic, metal and glass items from your home. In order to make this venture viable you'll have to let it sit around for a week to a month. So, ideally you need to have some sort of storage space outside where you can store all the items as they collect. A large metal covered bin works best but you can also settle for a shed where you store all the junk you've collected.
Contact the nearest recycling plant
Most recycling plants specialize in either metal, glass or plastic. There are very few plants that will buy everything from you. So you need to contact all the nearest plants (around a 10 KM radius) and find out what they will buy from you. You can then map out a route to drop off all the items perhaps on a weekend.
Stay safe
Anytime you deal with waste materials and junk make sure that you wear gloves. You'll also want to store everything until it's sold in a safe place away from pets and kids. Soda bottles, beer bottles, metal oil cans and plastic bottles etc., should all be rinsed prior to storing in order to reduce the instance of germs and viruses.
How much can you make?
This is the million dollar question especially since you're going to spend on fuel driving to and from the recycling plants around where you live. On average you can expect Rubbish Clearance to make around $10 to $50 depending on how much junk you collect. Generally, speaking if you don't have enough you might as well wait till at least you have 10lbs of stuff you can sell. You can use a weight machine prior to determining if it's a good time to visit the plant. This may not be a lot of money but it will cover fuel expenses and you are doing the environment a favor. However, if you don't have the time you can always hire a professional junk collector who will pick up everything from your home. These rubbish removal experts are often free for certain types of materials but you'll not get paid because they (rubbish removers) make money by selling the items they pick up from your home.