RRRASOC Shares Advice on How to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
(RRRASOC, March 6, 2018)
Southfield, MI – Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC) recently sent out tips to residents for how to “reduce, reuse and recycle” more.  Here’s what they had to say:
Three great ways to help reduce the amount of waste we generate, conserve natural resources, and save money.
Reduce
Waste reduction is about changing our behaviors to not create garbage in the first place. Here are some examples:
Stop Junk Mail
Remove yourself from mailing lists and utilize electronic bill payment. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), more than 4 million tons of junk mail are produced yearly. Over 50 percent of this unsolicited mail ends up in landfills annually.
Shop Smarter
Bring your cloth shopping bags instead of using plastic. The EPA states that every year, Americans use and dispose of 380 billion plastic shopping bags, which require an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to make.
Boycott Plastic Water Bottles
Invest in a reusable water bottle. Forbes Magazine estimates that over half a trillion plastic bottles will be sold in 2020. Plastic bottles are made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which doesn’t decompose yet is highly recyclable.
Reuse
Reusing and re-purposing items gives them a second life.
Donate and Buy Secondhand
Instead of throwing away clothing and small household items, donate them to a local charity. Residents in RRRASOC communities (except Novi) can participate in the curbside clothing collection provided by Simple Recycling. Simple Recycling estimates that 14.3 million tons of clothing are sent to the landfill each year.
Save Shipping Materials
Keep old/used packing peanuts, padded envelopes, boxes and other packing materials and reuse them for sending new packages or wrapping gifts. Another great way to reuse shipping materials is by using the Give Back Box. This method gives both the box and items packaged in it another use.
Reusable Over Disposable
Bring your own coffee mug, water bottle, plate/bowl and silverware to work instead of using disposal foam, plastic and paper versions. Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times according to Recyclaholics.
Recycle
Recycling is the process of taking materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. 
Buy Recycled
Check the labels of items you purchase for recycled content. Buy products in packaging that is recyclable. Read more about sustainable packaging here.
Recycle Everywhere
Recycling isn’t just for home. Set up recycling bins at work and keep a bag in your car for recycling on the go. Find more on recycling at work here.
Recycle Right
Know what is accepted in RRRASOC’s recycling program. Unacceptable items expose employees to unsafe materials, lowers recycling facility productivity, and decreases the value of recyclables. Not sure if it can be recycled? Download our guidelines or search the RRRASOC Recycling Directory.
Learn more at rrrasoc.org.  RRRASOC serves Farmington | Farmington Hills | Milford | Milford Township | Novi | South Lyon | Southfield | Walled Lake | Wixom