Did you know that April is Earth Month?
This year help reduce the amount of waste that is sent to the landfill and join me and Tom’s of Maine in the #LessWasteChallenge by reducing your household waste by one pound per week.
Recycling is something that comes naturally to my children and myself. I grew up in a household that was strict on recycling, if my dad spotted something in the trash that was a recyclable he would make us dig it out and put it in the blue recycle bin. We have always recycled, so now that my children are 6 and 8, they automatically put plastics and glass in the bin, and make sure their friends do the same when they visit. Our children are our future and we need to teach them good habits that they will carry on to future generations.
How to Reduce Waste at Home:
- Recycle: Recycle everything you can. Most towns will provide a recycle bin and will pick it up every 1-2 weeks. You can also call your town or local recycling center and see if they accept any additional items. Our town currently only picks up plastics, aluminum, and glass every other week, but you can drop off cardboard and paper.
- Go Paperless: Most bills are now available digitally.
- Upcycle craft bin/closet: Save materials that can be up-cycled.
- Bring your own bags to the store.
- Reusable containers: Skip the Ziploc bag for snacks and leftovers, use reusable containers.
- Buy in bulk – helps to reduce the amount of packaging when buying multiple smaller items.
- Pack school lunches in reusable containers and choose a reusable water bottle
- Set up a neighborhood swap or donate – one person’s trash, may be another persons treasure. Don’t through away unwanted items, many can be repurposed.
My kids are big into arts and crafts and I often spot them digging through the recycles or in our upcycle drawer for craft ideas. I set aside toilet paper and paper towel rolls, egg cartons, scrap paper and pretty much anything that the kids could reuse for crafts. Cardboard boxes are their favorite and I have an area in our garage where I fold them up to store them. The kids love to upcycle the cardboard boxes into forts, tents, houses and cars, last week they even made mini dirt bike parks out of them to use with their toy dirt bikes. Plastic soda and sport drink containers often become targets for hockey in the garage.
We set up a recycle bin on the side of the house and challenged the neighborhood kids to fill it with recyclables. In just a day it was overflowing and we had to put out the bigger recycle bin. During one rainy afternoon, the kids mentioned how they were bored so I took out some craft supplies for the kids to make their own up cycle project. Trevor wanted to make a bowling set, we short on soda bottles, but our neighbor had just enough water bottles to make a small set.
DIY Bowling Set made out of Recycled Plastic Bottles:
Decorate the water bottles with construction paper & glue, or paint. Without a second thought, Trevor opted for painting, he’ll paint every chance he can get.
To make it a little more challenging, we added a little rice to make the bottles heavier so they didn’t get knocked down as easy.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
For over 45 years, Tom’s of Maine has been helping to make the earth a little more green by giving 10% of its profits back to organizations that support people and the planet and by encouraging employees to use 5% (12 days) of paid time to volunteer. Most Tom’s of Maine products are vegan, kosher and halal certified and gluten-free, and all packaging is recyclable through a partnership with upcycling leader TerraCycle or participating municipalities. See how Tom’s of Maine is taking the #LessWasteChallenge everyday.
When you take the pledge, you will be able to see how your state is making an impact as find tips and DIY crafts to help you in reducing waste.
Join me in taking the #LessWasteChallenge pledge to reduce you household waste by one pound per week.
Together we can make a difference.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
This post is sponsored by Tom’s of Maine. Product, information and giveaway prize provided by sponsor.. By entering this giveaway you agree to the Giveaway Rules. This giveaway will end on April 29, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. You must be 18 years or older. Open to U.S. residents only. Allow 4-6 weeks for prize fulfillment.
