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Garbage
Reduction Tips
How you can limit the
amount of garbage your baby can produce
We
know that you are probably doing a good job seperating your garbage
from your recyclables. You may have noticed, along the way, that since
your baby blessed your life your garbage and recycling cans fill up
faster and heavier than before. Not to worry, this is natural. Babies
require all sorts of things to keep them fed, clothed, clean and safe.
These products all come in some form of packaging which you eventually
throw away (that is, after your baby is done playing in the box.) Here
are some tips for eco living which will help you reduce the amount of
garbage you and
your baby produce:
- Toys and the garbage
they produce:
Your baby probably has
already collected a large assortment of toys. When you are pregnant,
and after
the baby arrives, friends and family shower your baby with gifts of
toys.
Babies, of course, love this and we do not want to discourage any
child’s
happiness! We just want parents (and their families and friends) to buy toys
responsibly. How? Keep the battery driven toys to a
minimum. Buys toys with eco friendly packaging, less plastic and ones
that will last a long time and
will
interest your baby for more than a couple of months. Buy used toys at
thrift
stores or garage sales, and get rid of your unused toys the same way. A
lot of
toys are durable enough to be played with by many children, not just
one, and
recycling them back into play is good for kids and the environment!
- Food Packaging and
Containers: You
can generate a lot
of garbage just with the packaging your foods are purchased and stored
in. Try
to avoid buying foods and snacks that are packaged in single-serving
packets. Buy
them in larger containers, preferably in bulk, and divide at home into
biodegradable bags. Store your foods in reusable containers. They keep
food
fresh for baby and treat Mother Nature with kindness!
- Packaging: As
you may now know, when you have a baby there is a lot of
“gear” you have to obtain such as; car seats, high chairs, cribs, etc..
These
items generally arrive in your trunk, or doorstep, in a large box and
the item
is protected inside by foam blocks and encased in plastic bags. If your
child
is old enough, you know they can play in the box for hours before you
recycle
it. But the foam and
plastics used in packaging takes centuries to decompose in
a landfill. Buy these items, if possible, at thrift
stores, garage sales or
from other parents whose children have grown out of them. We know you
want your
baby’s things to be shiny and new, but after just a few uses your child
can
quickly make anything look used. Save
some money, and the environment, by
obtaining used products when you can.
- Disposable
Diapers:
Your baby will go
through over 5,500 diaper changes before becoming toilet-trained. Over
16
billion disposable diapers are discarded into American landfills every
year. These will
take over 400 years to
decompose and are emitting methane and greenhouse gases. You can take
easy,
practical steps to reduce this environmental damage. Click here for our
tips on
responsible diaper use.
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