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As much as halfof the 85 million tons of paper products Americans consume every year goes toward packaging, wrapping, and decorating goods, according to Earth 911.

Here are some tips for tackling it with a clear conscience:

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Empty Cans
Big empty cans make great storage ware. Use them for storing small appliances like glue gun, garage tools, wires, etc. or for your clothes pins. You can also use small square cans as sewing kits to hold your needles and threads. The bigger cans can be painted and decorated to make a trendy trash bin in your room.

Plastic Containers
Plastic does not break down in landfill, but it can be recycled to make many diverse products. Plastic goods are assigned different numbers to grade them for recycling: #1 and #2 for containers, #4 for bags, #7 for mixed plastics that are not recyclable. Check your plastic containers’ number so you can be sure if you can convert your plastic trash to cash.

Glass Bottles
Glass bottles make good flower vases. You can glue accessories like buttons, sequins and beads on the bottle to make it more stylish. Put in your own pasta sauce or cheese spread and give as a gift. (For recipe options please visit www.nestlerecipes.com.ph.

Old Clothes
Join a bazaar or hold a garage sale for old clothes and things you no longer need but are still usable like lamps, bags, and school books.

Worn-out Tooth Brush
Clean used toothbrushes with soap and let dry. This can be used as stain and tile cleaners.

Old Laundry bags or Clothes bags
It is always economical to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store so you won’t have to use plastic bags. Bring your old laundry or clothes bags as these can hold all your grocery items. For tin cans and fresh produce, opt for a bag with a more durable material like tarpaulin or abaca.

Soap Wrapper
Instead of immediately throwing the wrapper after taking out the soap bar, put them inside your closet or shoe cabinet for a few days. This will make your cabinet or drawer smell fresh.

Empty Milk Cartons
Open up the bottom of a used milk carton and use it to plant a tree seedling in. The carton will protect your seedling from weather and pests and will degrade as the tree grows

Fix that leak!
A leaking faucet may not raise too much concern but we did the math — a drop of water per second can accumulate up to 225 gallons a month and up to 2,700 gallons a year. Think of all the water you can save by fixing your leaking faucet!
How to check:
Before you leave the house (and no one will be left to use water), read your water meter. Check the meter again when you arrive. There is a leak if both water meter readings are not the same.
To check for toilet tank leaks, add some food coloring in the tank. Do not flush. If color appears in the bowl or on the floor, you definitely have a leaky pipe somewhere. Call a plumber quick – a small leak can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day.

Use a tabo
Using the tabo or water dipper instead of the shower while taking a bath saves you more water than you think.

Washing Dishes
Save as much as 70% water when you wash your dishes by using two water basins (one for soapy water and one for rinsing) rather than washing your dishes in running water. When washing greasy plates, soak them first in a basin of hot water.

Don’t let the water run
You should not let the water run while you’re brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving.  This can save you three gallons of water everyday.

Defrosting food
Thaw frozen food overnight inside the refrigerator to defrost them instead of placing it under running water.  You can also bring out the frozen food to thaw in room temperature if you have time.

Use a pail
Use a pail Instead of a hose when cleaning your car. Using a cotton rag rather than a sponge can also save you water, plus, it’s friendlier to your car paint.

Use a broom
Using a broom rather than using a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk can save you up to 150 gallons each time.

Do your garden duty in the morning
Water your plants early in the morning because this is when temperature and wind speed are the lowest, reducing evaporation losses.  This saves you 300 gallons of water. Remember not to over soak your lawn.  Grass does not need a lot of water.

Water can be recycled too!
Do not throw away collected dripping water from air conditioner or rinse water from washing the dishes/clothes. You can still use this water for washing mops and rags, watering plants and for cleaning or flushing the toilet.

Washing clothes
For easier removal of dirt, soak the dirtier clothes first.  Use an appropriate amount of water inside your basin and never let the water overflow. If you are using a washing machine, collect your dirty clothes and wash whenever you have a full load only.  Put the correct amount of detergent to lessen the rinsing.

More than 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water yet only 1% comprises fresh water that we drink, use in the bathroom, and wash our clothes with. The average person can only survive 3-5 days without water.  We know how important water is to our everyday life, yet have we done our part to help conserve this valuable resource? With some efforts to save water, you and your family can really make a difference!

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It’s true that in most cases you’ll have to make a special effort to responsibly get rid of these items. But, luckily it’s not all that hard if you’re willing to do a little research and some advance planning.

To read some common guidelines on recycling some common items, click here.

And yet, the answer to that age-old question is not nearly as clear-cut as it may seem. Did you know, for example, that more energy is used to produce paper bags than their plastic counterparts? Making paper bags also requires a lot of water (not to mention trees).

The production of plastic bags is equally problematic. They’re made from oil (an estimated 12 million barrels a year just to produce those used in the U.S.). Another huge downside is that they can make their way into large bodies of water and harm marine life.

To guide you when to pick one over the other, click here.

Where to start:

• Get free stuff, or give away what you no longer want, through a local Freecycle group.
• Shop thrift stores, yard sales, vintage clothing and antiques stores, Craigslist, and eBay for second-hand goods.
• Regift useful things to friends and family who will appreciate them.
• Find new books and pass along old ones on BookMooch.
• Take the Wardrobe Refashion pledge to revamp your clothes without buying anything new.

More about reusing stuff, here.

Call it repurposing, call it recrafting, call it creative reuse, or call it trash transformed. No matter what you call it, this concept of “cradle to cradle” is one of the tenants of green living. It means that a product’s lifecycle doesn’t have to end up forever rotting away in a landfill. It can be endlessly reincarnated into useful items.

Read entire article here.

A report from the FDA indicates that a chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down when heated into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA).

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.” Another study has found an acid that can be extracted from the chemical causes cancer in animals and is “likely to cause cancer in humans.”

Read complete article here.