Metro Beautification & Environment Commission offer us some tips on auditing the waste in our home.

The following has been provided by Metro Beautification & Environment Commission.

Whether you are a seasoned recycler or a beginner, you stand to maximize your recycling options and minimize your trash output by conducting a basic home waste audit. The objective is to find out what kind of trash you have and consider the alternatives to tossing the items into the trash.

A room-by-room waste audit is the simplest way to learn about your household's waste management habits. The first step is to find out what kind of trash you have by examining and separating the contents of all the trash and recycling cans in the house. Divide the trash into these categories: reusable at home (if you would really reuse it), reusable by someone else (to sell or donate), recyclable in your municipality, compostable in your backyard (non-meat food and food soiled paper), and trash.

Label some used grocery bags for this purpose. As you go through each room of the house, make a list of the items you find in the trash and recycling cans and then place each item in the appropriate bag.

When you finish separating the trash, take a moment to look at the bags and think about the results of your home waste audit. Are you recycling all that you can? How much would your trash decrease if you avail yourself of all the waste diversion options in your community?

Now plan to improve your household's waste management strategy. Assess your options and decide what to do with all of the stuff you found in the trash. Set a goal to divert as much of your household's waste from the trash as possible. For example, make realistic plans to reuse items in the near future. Pick a date for a yard sale, or learn where you can donate items. Contact the Public Works Department in your community to make sure you have the most up-to-date list of items that are accepted for recycling. If you have a garden, consider composting your food waste and food soiled paper trash.

Finally, educate others in your household and facilitate success! Make sure everyone understands what goes where and why. Place containers in the appropriate rooms to collect recycling, reusable items, compostable food and trash. Some rooms may not need trashcans, just recycling containers.

Measure your success; complete a follow-up audit a couple of weeks later. By now, you should have significantly less trash going out of your home. This time simply look in the trashcans to see if you can spot any non-trash items. Find a way to congratulate everyone on making these simple, but positive, changes in household management!

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