What is Garbage?

It is important to ask this question twice: 

Before making purchases.
It's a sad reality, but part of what we buy is never intended by the manufacturer to be anything but "trash." Rethinking means using all of the tools associated with the other 4 R's. In the spirit of Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, take a look at your planned purchases and try to determine how much waste will be generated by its purchase. Are you buying garbage? 

Before Throwing something away.
Take a look in your home garbage bin, the dumpster at work, or take a trip out to the landfill. How much of the materials inside really need to be there? It's easy to pick out the recyclable materials, but it goes beyond that as well.

- disposable, non-recyclable materials

- broken, repairable materials 

- unwanted, but still useable items 

Don't throw anything away until you've exhausted all other options.