Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Compost

Under the Returnable Container Act, when you buy a soda or other carbonated soft drink, beer, water (that doesn't contain sugar), or wine product, you pay a 5-cent deposit on every container under one gallon. You can redeem that 5 cents by returning your empty bottle or can to any redemption center. 

When consumers don't redeem their bottles and cans, 80 percent of those unclaimed deposits are remitted to New York State and the beverage distributors keep the other 20 percent.

If your home or work mailbox is overflowing with unwanted solicitations, advertisements and other literature you can remove yourself from mailing lists. 

• Visit the Direct Marketing Association website to opt-out of unsolicited mail.
• Avoid signing up for information that you really don't want.
• If you receive unwanted mail from specific companies, contact the companies directly that send you unwanted mail and tell them to remove your name from their mailing lists.

Due to the changes in the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can now be removed from credit card mailing lists by making a toll-free call. This call can remove your name from three major credit bureaus' mailing lists for two years. To be removed, visit the OptOut website or call 1-888-5OptOut (1-888-567-8688).

When at home (or on the go) there are many reusable alternatives to single use items:

• Use cloth napkins or Swedish dish cloths instead of paper napkins
• Opt for washable plates, cups, straws and silverware
• Use reusable containers and sandwich bags, or beeswax wraps for leftovers

Instead of disposable coffee pods, try a reusable pod and save the coffee grounds for compost

More than 2,200 pounds of cell phones were collected for recycling in New York in 2024! NYS law requires all wireless service providers that offer phones for sale to accept old cell phones from consumers for reuse or recycling at no cost. Cell phones can also be donated to non-profit organizations such as Cell Phones for Soldiers.

Know what's in your refrigerator, freezer and cabinets and shop wisely. Plan your meals ahead of time. Make a grocery shopping list. Learn how to properly store your food to extend its shelf life. Get creative in the kitchen  and cook with food you might have otherwise thrown away.

It's all about recycling the nutrients and returning them to the soil to be used again. Learn more about composting at home. If you can't compost at home, look for a food scraps drop off spot or residential collection service in your area.

Leaves are a great "brown" material rich in carbon, that are needed to balance the "greens", such as food scraps and grass clippings, in your home compost pile.

Compost inside year-round with worms, otherwise known as vermicomposting. Red wiggler worms will eat leftover fruits and vegetables and make lots of worm castings, an excellent soil amendment.

To find farmers' markets, co-ops, CSAs and restaurants that serve local and/or organic foods near you, enter your zip code on the EatwellGuide or Local Harvest for information.

Support local breweries, cideries, and wineries. Choosing local reduces transport emissions and helps local economies.

LEDs last up to 25 times longer than incandescent, fluorescents, or other traditional bulbs, so once you’ve switched to LEDs, you’ll have fewer burned-out bulbs.

If you're renovating, updating, repairing, or building, think reuse and recycle.

Deconstruction is the act of carefully dismantling materials to salvage for reuse. Deconstruction allows valuable materials to be reused instead of being disposed of as waste in landfills and waste combustion facilities.

• Check to see if your local community hosts a Buy Nothing group or a similar exchange platform. These groups, often run by volunteers, encourage members to trade or give away items at no cost.
• Check for tool libraries near you to borrow tools that are already in circulation in your local neighborhood. Tool libraries promote affordability and sustainability and enable community members to take on DIY projects.
• If you need help fixing a small to medium-sized object, you may be able to find help at a local repair event. Repair events are community-driven initiatives where skilled volunteers provide guidance and expertise to help other community members repair their damaged objects.
• If you are replacing a mercury thermostat with a new or smart thermostat, bring your out-of-service mercury thermostat to a thermostat wholesaler near you for recycling.

If you can't do construction or remodeling work yourself, hire builders certified by the National Green Building Program. If looking for salvage retailers or help with deconstruction, check out CR0WD’s Service Directory. 

Painting your house? Don’t waste leftover architectural paint by drying it out and throwing it in the trash. Bring your leftover paint to a PaintCare drop-off site near you.

After a severe storm, check these storm debris management guidelines for suggestions on what to do with everything from appliances to hazardous substances.

It's illegal to throw rechargeable batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, in the trash. By law, retailers of rechargeable batteries and products containing rechargeable batteries must accept them from consumers for recycling.  Find a retail store or alternative drop-off location for your used batteries here: Rechargeable Battery Recycling - NYSDEC.

Electronic waste does not belong in your recycling bin or garbage. To learn how to properly recycle electronics and utilize a manufacturer take-back program or locate a collection site, check out our webpage here: Recycling Consumer Electronic Waste - NYSDEC. Remember to "wipe" all personal information from your electronic devices before recycling them.

If shopping online, check secondhand online marketplaces to see if you can get your wanted item pre-loved/ "new-to-you". There are many thrift outlets online, specific clothing, books, designer, and general marketplaces. By choosing secondhand over new, you keep items in circulation and divert items from landfill right from the comfort of your phone.

They sell fresh produce and other products with much less packaging than in stores. Don't forget to bring your own shopping bags.

Not only are you paying extra for the packaging itself, but you're also paying to transport it and later to dispose of it! For example, buy concentrated cleaners and detergents; their containers are smaller. Be sure to check your local recycling guidelines to see which types of packaging can and cannot go in your home recycling bin.

Recycling works through a three-step process, where recyclables are collected, processed, and remanufactured into new products. To support the recycling system

read labels and purchase products with a high post-consumer recycled content. This is easy to find in stationery and office paper, but you can also find clothes and shopping bags made from plastic soda bottles, garden hoses made from tires, purses from inner tubes and much more.

Bring Your Own (shopping) Bags. New York State's Bag Waste Reduction Act took effect 3/1/2020. Skip the small plastic bags offered in the produce section and the paper bags at checkout. Opt to bring your own bag and reuse what you already have.

Libraries are the masters of reuse. In addition to borrowing books, you can access the internet, do research, borrow CDs, DVDs, and read newspapers and magazines-all for free! 

Your local library may also have a “Library of Things” where you can borrow more than just books; these programs allow community members to check out items they may only need occasionally, rather than buying new. Collections often include tools, household items like small kitchen appliances, games, outdoor gear, and so much more. Check with your local library to find out more

Check to see if your library is accepting donations if you have books and non-book items that can be reused by the community.

You can even see if your community has a tool library. Tool libraries typically operate on an annual membership, giving community members access to a wide range of tools for home projects, gardening, and repairs.

Check out local garage/estate sales, thrift shops, and consignment stores.  By shopping secondhand, you are directly diverting materials from landfills and keeping items in circulation. Shopping secondhand over new reduces the demand for new resources to be created. You'll save money and the environment at the same time.

Find homes for your unwanted items the same way rather than disposal. Direct reuse is the best way to guarantee your items’ useful life will be extended.

As a pro-tip create a “wish to thrift” list for items that you are looking to purchase and see if you can find them secondhand before buying new. This can be in the notes app on your phone, on a scrap piece of paper, or even on an online retailer’s wish-list. 

Keep items on this list for a few months before buying new. If you still cannot find your desired item secondhand, determine if the item is a necessity to you, and figure out if there is a sustainable brand that you can purchase the item from first-hand. Sometimes, if you wait on purchasing an item, you may realize that you did not really want it in the first place.

Use a durable, safe, reusable water container rather than a single-use bottle. By using a reusable water bottle, you save resources, save on transportation emissions of shipping water, save money, and reduce plastic waste.

Send e-mails and electronic copies instead of paper. Keep electronic files on computers instead of keeping papers in file cabinets. Review documents onscreen rather than printing them out.

Mailing tubes and envelopes can be used more than once. Use scrap paper for phone messages. Reuse boxes and use shredded wastepaper as packing material.

Make double-sided printouts and copies. Circulate, rather than copy, notices and memos. Buy printer paper with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content.

Scrap paper and backs of envelopes are perfect for shopping lists and phone messages.

Bring lunch to school or work in reusable containers. Keep reusable plates, cups, utensils, and napkins at your desk.

College students can save money and resources by renting some of their textbooks instead of buying them. Search "rent textbooks" to find vendors.

Refill your mug instead of buying coffee in paper cups. Paper coffee cups are usually made from mixed materials, made with an internal plastic liner, which makes them extremely difficult to recycle. 

When single-use paper cups that have plastic liners hold a hot liquid, microplastics have been known to leech into the drink.

Don't pay to throw them out. Return them to where you purchased them or take them to a tire recycler.

Have it done every 6,000-8,000 miles (or as recommended by your tire manufacturer) to save hundreds of miles in wear.

Propylene glycol anti-freeze is less toxic for pets, children, and wildlife. Anti-freezes based on ethylene glycol are highly poisonous, even in tiny amounts, and spills attract animals because they smell and taste sweet. See the link in the right-hand column for precautions in cleaning up ethylene glycol spills.

When your car battery dies and it’s time for a replacement, don’t throw the old one away. It is illegal to dispose of lead-acid batteries in the trash in New York State. You can return your unwanted lead-acid battery to a retailer for recycling at the same time you purchase a new one.

• Hikers will appreciate finding DEC Trails Supporter Patches in their stockings.
• The nature enthusiast will be thrilled with a gift subscription to the Conservationist.
• For the amateur wildlife photographer: Habitat/Access Stamp and lapel pin.
• Send your best (female) friend, wife, daughter or mom to Becoming an Outdoors-Woman camp.
• Lifetime Sporting Licenses for the hunter and angler in your life.
• Delight the gourmet cook with fresh, locally grown food through shares in a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.
• Buy carbon offsets for the eco-minded business traveler. They can help reduce an individual's carbon footprint by contributing money toward tree-planting or investments in renewable energy.
• Give the gift of your time or help: visit someone who's housebound, or offer to do minor repairs if you're handy.

Skip the single use plastic decorations.

• Use reusable decorations
• Use pinecones, evergreen boughs, pumpkins and garlands of popcorn and cranberries.
  • You can compost these decorations after you are done using them. Be sure to remove any candles, wax, or lights and avoid composting anything that is painted or has glitter
• Hang cookie cutters and snowflakes cut from used paper.
• LED lights are a greener choice than traditional lights. 

Check your local secondhand shop for other types of decor

Thrift costumes and costume parts rather than buying new and let your creative juices flow. 

Try creating environmentally themed costumes to raise awareness about a message you are passionate about. 

Try:

•  a polar bear carrying a chunk of Styrofoam " polar ice”
• a New York State symbol or an invasive insect like the emerald ash borer. See instructions for making masks

An e-card uses no paper. If you want something tangible, try cards made from kenaf, hemp or recycled content. If you prefer a paper card, look for one made from a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Recycle holiday cards into gift tags and ornaments.

Most wrapping paper is used once and thrown away- especially the metallic or plastic-coated kind, which can’t be recycled. Try these sustainable wrapping ideas instead:

• Fabric wraps like scarves, bandanas, or cloth napkins
• Reusable gift bags or baskets
• Upcycled materials like maps, newspapers, or the Sunday comics.

Plain Kraft paper decorated with stamps, dried herbs, or reused ribbons.

Check with your local community to determine if/ how you can compost your holiday tree and pumpkins. Many municipalities in New York State offer curbside tree pickup for composting or mulch. 

Check to see if your area has pumpkin smash or drop-off events. Before composting your pumpkins, make sure to remove any candles, wax, or lights from your pumpkin and avoid composting anything that is painted or has glitter. You may also choose to compost pumpkins and other fall gourds in your home compost.