(NC) Looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint at home? An easy way is to recycle or reuse plastics, paper and aluminum. Recycling cuts down on energy consumption which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The answer might also be found in your green bin. In Canada, it’s estimated that 80 percent of our municipal and industrial solid waste heads to the landfill. Recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard make up a third of our waste, while another third consists of yard and kitchen scraps. Diverting these materials from our landfills can help reduce emissions and keep landfills from filling up too quickly.
Try these energy and money-saving tips to minimize food and organic waste at home:
1. Always shop with a list to avoid overbuying.
2. Choose long-lasting items rather than disposable products.
3. Try out recipes for leftover fruits and vegetables.
4. Freeze bread, meat and more in meal-size portions for easy thawing.
5. Leave grass cuttings on your lawn to return nutrients to the soil.
6. Composting is a great way to reuse your food scraps for your plants and yard. If you don’t have a yard, an indoor vermicomposting bin may be for you.
Every community has different rules for composting—check your local municipality to learn how you can divert as much organic waste as you can.
Some cities and towns are making good use of food scraps and farm waste, too. They’re using this organic waste to produce clean energy known as renewable natural gas or RNG. By converting the biogas released from organic waste into carbon-neutral energy, RNG is fuelling garbage trucks, transit fleets and other vehicles, heating homes and businesses, and even powering factories with net-zero emissions. Learn more about RNG at www.enbridge.com/RNG
