Save Money and the Environment Too! Campaign

Help Our Environment and Save $3,000 a Year

Managing trash is no longer just a matter of finding another place to put it. Despite recycling efforts to keep waste out of landfills, Californians still dispose over 100 thousand tons a day. On average, that's 2.4 pounds per person per day at home, and 7.8 pounds per person per day at work. Each January, the Save Money and the Environment Too Campaign promotes ways to reduce the amount of waste we generate, and make more economical shopping choices.

Every community in California is working to reduce waste. Ten years ago, the passage of Assembly Bill 939 required every city and county to reduce their landfilled waste by 50%. This goal continues to be a priority, and it takes effort on everyone's part to achieve this target. What can we do as individuals?

The first step is to be aware of what kind of waste we make and in what quantity. Check you garbage can to see if it's filled with fast food containers or convenience items, paper or yard waste or other items that could be recycled, paper towels, paper napkins, disposable diapers, and paper plates. Once you know what you are throwing away, it is easy to see which changes will make the biggest differences.

The positive side of getting involved in your trash is that what is good for the environment is almost always better for the budget. Changing a shopping habit can reduce waste AND save you money. 30% of the trash we throw away is packaging. On average, 10 cents for every dollar we spend on packaged goods goes toward packaging. For instance, sugar in small, single serving packages costs about 16 cents an ounce, and 13 cents of that pays for packaging. If you buy sugar in a 5-pound package, you'll pay 3 cents an ounce and you won't be throwing away all that extra packaging.

The next time you shop, compare the costs per ounce on the same products packaged in bulk and in individual-serving sizes (check the shelf tag to find this figure), and you will see how much extra you are paying for that packaging. Buy individual sizes not only costs more at the store, but also costs more ecologically by filling up your garbage can, and then the landfill. Buying in larger sizes usually means less frequent trips to the store, saving you time and fuel.

Buying durable, reusable products also saves valuable resources. Avoid single- or limited-use items such as plastic razors, throwaway cleansing pads and cigarette lighters, non-refillable pens and foil baking pans. Reduce or eliminate your use of disposable diapers, which account for a startling 2% of total U.S. landfill volume.

You can help your city this year by reducing how much trash you create - at home and at work. Watch what you throw away and soon you will notice ways to save money and the environment, too.

The Save Money and the Environment Too Campaign is brought to you by BayROC, the Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition, made up of 110 Bay Area cities and counties, BART and more than 400 supermarkets, including Safeway, and Cala/Bell Food Co. The campaign runs from January 14-27. For more information on waste prevention and reuse, call 1-877-STOPWASTE, or visit our web site at www.BayAreaRecycling.org .