Waste

Curb your impact by taking on a Challenge to reduce your waste! Practice the “5 Rs” - refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle - during the Challenge and beyond with the suggested actions below.

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Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food or learning how to.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

WikiHow: How to Compost

PA Resource Council
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DAILY ACTION
Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending (___) disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug.

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DAILY ACTION
Choose Two-Sided Printing

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided.

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DAILY ACTION
Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep (___) disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

How much water actually goes into making a bottle of water.
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DAILY ACTION
Become a Master Recycler/Composter

I will sign up for one of Pennsylvania Resource Council's workshops on composting, rainwater conservation, home health and other conservation topics.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PRC Conservation Workshops
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Recycle Everything I Can

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PA Resource Council
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DAILY ACTION
Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

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DAILY ACTION
Avoid Disposables

I will not use any disposable straws, plates, cups, or cutlery.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

Rise Above Plastics Toolkit

Plastic Pollution Coalition
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DAILY ACTION
Use Reusable Containers

I will only use reusable containers for my lunches at work or school.

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DAILY ACTION
Needs vs. Wants

I will adopt a 'Needs Vs. Wants' approach and only buy things I need.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

Introduction to Consumerism
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DAILY ACTION
Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and subscriptions.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PGH2O Paperless

DLC Paperless

Peoples Gas Paperless
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Reduce Unwanted Mail

I will reduce the amount of unwanted mail I receive (catalogs, phone books, etc.).
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PA Resource Council
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Start Composting

I will start a compost collection at home, work, or school.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PA Resource Council
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace or school. If a recycling program exists, I will advocate for ways to improve and expand it.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PA Resource Council
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Buy in Bulk

I will only purchase bulk food items and avoid all single-package items.

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DAILY ACTION
Buy Food And Water Only

I will not purchase anything but food and water during the Challenge.

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DAILY ACTION
Visit a Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least (___) minutes learning about the waste stream by visiting a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill.

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ONE-TIME ACTION
Find Local Recycling Depots

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.
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ACTION RESOURCES:

PA Resource Council
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ONE-TIME ACTION
Lobby for Reusables

I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.

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ONE-TIME ACTION
Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

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DAILY ACTION
Carry my Trash

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

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DAILY ACTION
CREATE A CUSTOM ACTION

Ideally, you’ll choose at least one measurable goal so that you can measure your success but there are no limits on what you can choose—so exercise your creativity!

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