If you want to avoid landfill, there are a few tips you can follow. Among these are buying less stuff and reevaluating your priorities. Also, if you buy things, you should consider buying them with recycled content and using them instead of throwing them away. This will cut down on the amount of waste you put in landfills.
Composting
Composting is a natural process that recycles organic material, and it improves soil and plants by breaking down organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments. Unlike garbage, compost isn’t destroyed in landfills, and it can be successful in any environment. Instead of sending your organic waste to a landfill, collect it in a compost bin and take it to a composting facility for further processing.
In order for compost to be adequate, it must meet certain conditions. First, it needs to be moist. If it’s too dry, the decomposition process will be slower. The moisture content of compost should be sixty to seventy percent. Yard waste, fresh food scraps, sawdust, and composted food waste usually have a moisture content of around 70 percent. The compost pile needs to be maintained at a temperature of at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit to allow microbes to feed on the material and transform it into rich soil. If you live in a climate that reaches 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the compost pile will need less time to decompose.
Recycling
One of the best ways to avoid landfill is to recycle as much as possible. By doing so, you can save money on your monthly trash bill and help your local community at the same time. Not only will you be reducing waste, but you’ll also be making better choices every day. Consider a zero-waste lifestyle where you try to use as little single-use plastic as possible.
Instead, try to use reusable products such as cloth bags, food packaging, and hygiene products. Not only will you be helping the environment and your community, but you will also be supporting a circular economy.
Recycling can also help create jobs. According to the EPA, for every 10,000 tons of recyclable waste, six jobs are created in local communities. Additionally, recycling can also produce better-quality products than virgin materials. For instance, recycled bimetallic can tin is more valuable than virgin tin.
Buying recycled-content products
Buying recycled products is a great way to reduce the amount of waste going to a landfill. By purchasing recycled products, you encourage manufacturers to make more of their products from recycled materials, which decreases the amount of waste they have to send to landfills. This helps create a more sustainable economy. You can find recycled products everywhere.
By purchasing recycled products, you also help close the recycling loop, which reduces new resource consumption. This way, you can support the development of a recycling market and help protect the environment.
Avoiding single-use plastics
Despite the positive impacts that single-use plastic products can have on the environment, these products are a challenge to dispose of properly. These products are not made to be recycled, and many end up in landfills where they harm wildlife and plants. To avoid a future landfill, you should avoid purchasing single-use plastic products and consider recycling them instead.
