Americans generate roughly 4.4 pounds of waste per person, per day, according to the World Resources Institute. That’s more than double the waste generated by the average person in Spain and nearly triple that of the average person in Finland. So while the heightened efforts throughout the country are a good start, there’s clearly more that can be done.

Many Americans are beginning to do more by precycling, a means of reducing the amount of resources needed to manufacture goods. This helps combat the ever-growing problem of resource depletion that continues to make frightening headlines on a daily basis. By following the tips below, Americans can do their part to slow down resource depletion and do so in a way that will have little or no impact on their daily lives.

• Bring bags to the grocery store. In an effort to encourage environmentally conscious behavior, many supermarket chains sell reusable cloth bags that can be used in place of more traditional, environmentally irresponsible choices like paper or plastic. Even if your local store doesn’t offer such a product, a simple cloth bag strong enough to hold groceries will suffice.

• Embrace the scraps. Lots of factory-made products are made out of scraps. For example, remnants from paper factories often are used to create stationery that’s just as useful and appealing as traditional stationery. The products, which are growing in number seemingly by the day, often are labeled “precycled,” making it easier to pick them out.

• Dispose of disposable items. Products such as paper plates, Styrofoam cups and other items that typically are used only once before being discarded aren’t necessities. Bring a travel mug to the coffee shop each morning instead of using the shop-supplied Styrofoam cup. Some shops even offer discounts to those who bring their own, reusable mugs. If you don’t want to use the good china for your next backyard barbeque, replace paper plates with reusable plastic plates that are friendlier to the environment.

• Part with the packaging. Whether giving gifts or just in your daily shopping, avoid excess packaging. When giving gifts, don’t waste all that wrapping paper if a reusable gift bag will provide the same effect. On a daily basis, when choosing between two similar products, choose the one with less packaging. Companies do market research on just about everything, including how a product is packaged. If enough people steer clear of products with too much packaging, eventually that trend will get back to the marketing department.

Source: Metro Creative Services