How to Reduce Waste

There are five major ways to reduce the amount of waste that we are producing.
1. Before you buy anything, ask yourself if its something you want, or something that would be nice to own. Also, ask yourself if you could buy it used. Finally, ask yourself if you could borrow from a friend or rent it rather than purchasing it. If you ask these questions, you can take the first step towards reducing the amount of waste and helping to save the environment for future generations. Don't forget to tell everyone you know to do the same.
2. Redesign. This is something that calls for rethinking the manufacturing process to use fewer resources and to use them more efficiently. A great example is the Deer Park water bottles. If you haven't noticed, they have redesigned the form and are using less plastic on the cap. This change involves savings in energy use as well as materials. If companies follow this environmental approach, there will be more resources and greater efficiency.
3. Redesign. This also involves companies. However, this time we're looking at redesigning manufacturing processes to output less waste/pollution. Though some people view pollution as unavoidable, it is not true. Of course, we as a society must produce where the marginal product of pollution is equal to the marginal cost. However, it is also true that most toxic organic solvents can be recycled within factories or replaced with water-based or citrus-based solvents. For example, Hydrogen Peroxide is a great substitute for chlorine.
4. Design products to last longer. Products that last longer need to be replaced less often, therefore allowing us to use less resources and save the environment. Also, remember to reuse your belongings for as long as possible. The decisions you make don't only impact you. Causing environmental damage has negative social externalities and far reaching consequences that may lead to a situation resembling the Tragedy of the Commons.
5. Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging. Packaging often is unnecessarily used, excessively used, seldom reused, hardly renewable, and not likely to be biodegradable. They are used for aesthetic purposes with no regard to the environment. So in order to reduce waste, it is important to cut back on packaging and to research technologies that will allow them to be reused and easily biodegradable.