There are many ways you can make a difference in your own home, your community and your business. We've all heard of the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - they work well as a guide for conserving resources.

Reducing is the most important step - if you can find ways to avoid buying or using things, you don't have to figure out what to do with them later. Questions to ask when buying things:

* Do I really need this item? Do I already have something that might do the job? Do I have a place to keep this item? Will I use this item frequently (if not- can I rent or borrow it for occasional use?)
* Is the item meant to be used once and thrown away? Are there more durable, less wasteful alternatives?
* How is the item packaged? Will I be able to recycle the package?

Reusing is about giving things a second life. Questions to ask for reuse include:

* Is this item still usable? Who might I be able to give it to?
* Can I repair this item?

Places for reuse: schools, libraries, doctor's offices, thrift shops, charities, freecycle.org (a website for giving things away).

Recycling is the final R because it involves energy and resources to process materials into new products. There are two parts to recycling:

1. finding a place to take your stuff. Click here for a list of places in your community that you can take things to be recycled.

2. buying products made from recycled materials. If you only do step 1, you're not really recycling.

Beverage Containers

Waste Electronics

Used Oil Materials

Scrap Tires

Paint

How do you recycle? Share your recycling stories and photos with us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .