Reduce

Reducing what we create, buy and use, and what we throw out is the most important step in saving our natural resources, energy, green space and in reducing pollution. Many things end up in the garbage that don't need to be there in the first place.

Some things could have been designed better. Some things could have been repaired or used by someone else. Some things could have been recycled or composted. Some things could have been avoided altogether with wiser purchases.

What we choose to buy and how it is packaged has a lot to do with how much garbage we throw out. We need to change our consumer habits and think twice before we buy so that we don't create more garbage.

Reuse

Most materials are made from natural resources. Natural resources are things made from nature, such as trees, minerals, oil, gas and metals. The waste we create is really a resource that is thrown away sometimes after a single use. Reusing and then recycling these materials helps limit resource use, keeps valuable materials out of landfills, and prevents pollution. When we reuse things, fewer materials are wasted and non-renewable resources are conserved.

The time has come for us to change our way of thinking; to place more value on the basic requirements for all life on Earth-clean air, soil and water-and reduce our waste to help protect them. We need to start taking action and change the way we feel about and deal with waste.

Recycle

As much as 80 percent of everyday waste materials can be recycled and given new life when broken down and used again and again. Recycling still uses energy and resources, but it's much better than making things from scratch.

Don't have a recycling program in your community? Take your recyclables to the closest depot and write letters to your mayor, councillor and local newspaper in support of setting up a program.

Compost

Organic materials (food scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, yard waste, etc.) make up about 30 percent of the garbage going to landfill. Instead of wasting this valuable material by throwing it in the garbage, it can be composted. It is a natural, biological process that recycles organics into a useable resource: nutrient-rich, soil conditioner for farms, parks and gardens.

Composting is a bit like cooking: you combine a number of ingredients (organic material, soil organisms, moisture and air), stir them around and leave them to simmer for a while. It is a natural, biological process that recycles organics into a useable resource: nutrient-rich, soil conditioner for farms, parks and gardens.

Composting waste has two key benefits: it reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and it produces a free natural fertilizer that helps build healthy soil and plants, achieving a healthier environment.

There are many different kinds of composters; some are designed for backyards and some for apartment balconies, such as vermi-composters, which use worms to accelerate the breakdown of food scraps into soil.

You can buy a composter (contact your local Public Works Department, they usually sell them at reduced rates) or you can make one. Organizations like the Composting Council of Canada offer good instructions on building your own composter.

Burn

The practice of burning garbage has been around since the early 1900s. Burning can reduce the volume of trash by 80 to 90 percent. Many people have different opinions on whether burning garbage is a good alternative to burying it.

Some say that incineration is harmful to our health because of the toxic chemicals that are released during the combustion process. Others say that the current technology of incineration is better and more environmentally friendly than what existed in the past so it has become a practical option. What do you think? Take part in the suggested activity and find out for yourself.

Bury

When you throw out your garbage, chances are it ends up buried in a landfill. That's where the majority of our trash goes. Unlike a dump - which is an open hole in the ground where trash is buried and foul odours and animals abound - a landfill is a carefully built structure designed to keep garbage away from nearby water, soil, air, wildlife and people.

Isolation from the environment occurs with a bottom liner of one or more layers of clay (natural) and/or plastic (synthetic) and a daily covering of soil. Garbage is collected, trucked in, dumped, spread out, crushed, covered with soil and compacted with heavy equipment.

Waste brought in stays for a very, very long time. Because there is very little oxygen and moisture inside a landfill, trash doesn't break down very fast. So basically, our waste is stored in the ground and becomes a permanent part of the landscape.

Rainwater that trickles through a landfill combines with harmful chemicals and other particles from the rotting waste, creating a liquid called "leachate." If a landfill isn't protected with a liner (most old landfills aren't), or the liner cracks, leachate may seep through layers of garbage and eventually enter the surrounding area polluting ground water, wetlands, rivers and lakes.

Today's landfills are built with pipes that collect leachate that is treated in a sewage treatment facility. When a landfill closes, the surrounding environment, especially the ground water, must be inspected, monitored and maintained-for up to 30 years in some places.

The slow decay of garbage in landfills also produces greenhouse gases-mostly methane and carbon dioxide-that contribute to global warming. New landfills have gas collection pipes to capture the gases and potentially use them for industrial purposes.