Lean and Green: Waste Reduction

Did you know that the average American throws out 550 pounds of paper, 318 pounds of food, and 90 pounds of glass per year? About 80 percent of that garbage ends up in landfills.

One way to avoid garbage ending up in landfills is to reduce waste. Oftentimes, when visiting with a client in our sustainability consulting, we explain that waste reduction is the first component of the sustainability concept of the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Practicing waste reduction is a component of living a sustainable lifestyle.

We encourage clients to explore all of the areas that are waste generating. This includes, food waste, waste at the office, waste at home, and waste created through your daily purchases. Looking for ways to reduce waste for a sustainable lifestyle? Take a look at these suggestions:

Reduce Food Waste:
•    Pre plan your meals, buy in bulk, and prepare what you need.
•    Compost and turn your old food into healthy soil.

Reduce when you shop and shop with the environment in mind:
•    Purchase products that are returnable, reusable or refillable. Use reusable and refillable containers in your home instead of disposable items.
•    Purchase products with the least amount of packaging.
•    Get the most out of what you buy by comparing warranties and cost to repair or replace the item.
•    Look for products designed with the environment in mind. Organic clothing, sustainable furnishings, and solar powered products are just a few examples.
•    Rent or borrow instead of purchasing.

Reduce items at home:
•    Reduce paper consumption.
•    Find new life for old furnishings, appliances and clothes.

Our sustainability consulting approach emphasizes that changing habits is the key. Once you have raised your eco awareness in one area of waste reduction, it's easy to find new ways of reducing waste in other areas of your life.