Sustainable Living: A Guide To A Zero Waste Lifestyle

Key Takeaways

• Sustainable living offers an eco-conscious way to save money and resources.
• There are many components to sustainable living, with many options for individuals.
• Roll off dumpster rental is a great way to meet a sustainable living lifestyle and conserve budgets.
• Responsible waste disposal and recycling are the starting blocks of zero waste.

Is Sustainable Living for Everyday People?

Yes, it is. We keep hearing terms like eco-friendly and sustainable living on a global scale, as communities and nations strive to combat growing environmental threats. This often results in individuals, like you, thinking that you can’t play much of a role in helping combat climate change and pollution. But you can. There are many components of sustainable living that anyone can adopt to be more eco-friendly and more financially frugal – from different products you can use to daily practices. But what does it really mean to live sustainably on a regular budget and in today’s fast-paced environment?

Sustainable Living Defined

Sustainability

refers to actions, choices, and methods that ultimately work to lessen the physical impact of people on the environment. The goal here is to live in a way that mitigates pollution while also helping preserve the natural world by consuming fewer resources. Many of these choices also help cut home and personal costs A few examples of sustainable choices you can try include:

• Carpooling or using public transportation This reduces gas costs and pollution because it involves fewer individual vehicles being driven.
• Incorporating green energy sources like solar panels A great way to lower your power bill and dependence on fossil fuel-based electricity.
• Recycling items whenever possible, especially electronics recycling Instead of having to harvest the ground for new natural resources, reusing and repurposing items helps conserve the environment while reducing manufacturing emissions.
• Starting a vegetable garden Growing food on your property helps circulate oxygen back into the environment. You also save money by growing your own food while reducing food production demands and associated pollution.
• Buying food in bulk This reduces food waste and the waste involved with packaging these items.

While it’s true that governments dictate national and international policies toward advancing environmental conservation and longevity, individual households can also live sustainably. For example, take renewable energies. As more households pivot to more eco-living options, electric costs generated by solar power dropped 85% from 2010-2020. The result is a reduction in toxic fumes produced to power homes while also saving you cash. And that’s just one component. Another key aspect of eco-living that you can easily incorporate involves waste disposal.

Zero Waste: a Key Aspect of Sustainable Living

We all have trash and waste to get rid of, whether it’s in a bathroom trash bin or a construction roll off container at your worksite. Very often, what we throw out is simply collected and stored in landfills, which are large contributors to pollution, as disposing of these items typically releases toxic gases like methane. What’s more, these items just sit unused on top of land, further depleting the ecosystem. This is where living zero waste comes into play. Zero waste, as the name implies, revolves around sustainable living in which we eliminate the accumulation of waste in our dumps that contribute to pollution. There are several aspects of this. On a macro level, zero waste supporters focus on changing the lifecycle of goods, so that more items can be reused or disposed of without releasing toxins. On a micro, individual level, it involves mindful disposal choices. For example, you can try to limit the amount of waste you are generating, and on the other, you can prioritize products that can be reused or repurposed to cut down on environmental pressures. There will always be waste, but it’s how you dispose of it that ultimately makes a difference. This is why roll off dumpsters, like ours at Temporary Dumpster, offer several key advantages to sustainable living, and a way to achieve a more zero waste output. Before we dive into this though, let’s look at major ways you can embrace a zero-waste lifestyle.

A 3-Step Guide To A Zero Waste Lifestyle

Zero waste revolves around three core principles: reduce, recycle, reuse. Let’s break these steps down and look at simple ways you can start living sustainably now.

1. Reduce

About 42% of all greenhouse emissions are generated by producing new products, food, and packaging. We’re consuming too many items and the waste of this purchasing and disposal behavior is a major cause of pollution. One of the first ways to start living sustainably is by taking a look at what items you currently use and then reducing your use of environmentally harmful items.

Sustainable living tips:

You’d be surprised how often we buy things like plastic bags or bottles and then toss them away. But you really don’t need them, or at least, not as much as you think. One way you can reduce the amount of plastic items you’re using is to rely more on reusable containers. Instead of buying packs of ziplock baggies every other week, invest in washable containers and a lunchbox that you can reuse indefinitely. You still get a packed lunch, but you’re no longer exclusively dependent on plastic baggies. In no time the food containers pay for themselves in savings. You can apply this plastic reduction in other ways too, like with bottled water. Sure, maybe you keep an emergency pack of bottled water in your car, but for the rest of your daily H2O needs, just use a reusable water jug and bottle. This leads to our next zero waste pillar.

2. Reuse

If we reuse items instead of throwing them away after consumption, this helps eliminate the need for purchasing new items and the production wastes associated with them. Reusing as many items as much as possible is great for zero-waste living because you are not creating new waste in this scenario.

Sustainable living tips:

Reusing items can come in a variety of ways that can also make your life more convenient and cost-effective. You’ve probably seen people using reusable shopping bags, or carrying metal water thermosas, or even sporting vintage clothing. What do they have in common? These items were not tossed out and instead repurposed to increase their longevity. Or, they replace a product that would be tossed out entirely Because you do not have to purchase new items that eventually become trash that needs to be dumped, you also save money. But what’s more, you get more use out of said items. Take, for example, milk gallons that you buy at the store. Instead of just dumping these items when done, you can reuse the jugs in your garden to help develop home-grown food. By reusing this single item, you help alleviate food demands, reduce waste, and gain a free resource for your garden.

3. Recycle

Recycling is very similar to reusing items, but this requires a deeper refinement process. Again, the goal here is to reduce dependencies on new product production, while simultaneously eliminating waste buildup. You’re probably already recycling, awesome! But many materials can be recycled that you may not be aware of.

Sustainable living tips:

In addition to moving away from plastics, and recycling those that you still use, you can increase your zero waste goals by recycling other items like aluminum and electronic devices. Consider how much something as simple as recycling phones can help preserve many natural resources. One study found that recycling cell phones alone can salvage materials like palladium, copper, silver, and gold, which are then refined and used in other electronics. This helps reduce e-waste which is one of the leading contributors to pollution and greenhouse emissions. With this in mind, don’t just dump your electronics waste. Instead, look for companies like Temporary Dumpster that can transport your electronics waste to e-waste landflls. Another item you can easily recycle instead of throwing out is roofing shingles. If you’re in the process of redoing the roof on your shed or house, Temporary Dumpster offers roofing dumpster rentals that can accommodate various shingles and transport them to recycling. Another way you can further embrace recycling is to use recycled materials in your building projects. These can be purchased from providers like Habitat for Humanity (whom Temporary Dumpster sponsors because of their powerful mission), and are often less expensive than new materials.

Use Roll Off Dumpsters to Achieve Zero Waste Goals

Even applying zero waste fundamentals, it may take you some time to reach a fully sustainable living arraignment. More than likely, you will still have some junk, whether it’s accumulated in the yard or if you have a house full of things you don’t need. You still need to get rid of the junk, even if you are able to reuse and repurpose some of the items at home. Regardless of your specific needs though, roll off dumpster rental provides an affordable and effective way to remove your waste while still being sustainable. Here’s how we can help you achieve zero waste.

We follow eco-responsible waste disposal rules

Whenever Temporary Dumpster retrieves our roll off dumpsters, we follow stringent disposal rules according to local and national regulations. We ensure that if you do have waste, that your materials are delivered to proper locations that will not harm or contaminate the environment. Part of the way we do this is by not accepting materials containing chemicals or toxins that could harm the environment. Like you, we want to hold ourselves accountable for protecting the environment.

Roll off dumpster rental is fossil fuel efficient

A roll off dumpster is not powered by an engine or gives off toxic fumes. Once we deliver your roll off to your home, business, or construction site, the dumpster just waits for you to load it. From here we simply pick it up and deliver the roll off for environmentally responsible dumping. Because we offer a range of dumpster sizes, from 10-yards to 40-yards, rest assured that Temporary Dumpster has a size-efficient roll off dumpster for your exact situation. This ensures that you get the most for your money and that the space is utilized fully to avoid unnecessary trips. Considering that even our smallest dumpster can hold about three truckloads of waste, roll off dumpster rental usually produces far less pollution than hiring moving specialists. And did we mention that roll off rentals tend to cost less than typical moving specialists?

Dumpster rental provides more accessibility and use

Roll off dumpsters like the ones that we rent out are designed to accept a wide range of materials. This means that whatever junk you do need to have hauled away, odds are we can take it. And because we have so many roll off dumpster sizes available, you can remove a wide variety and amount of waste right away. Instead of leaving junk to idle and contaminate your backyard or work site, we offer yard waste and construction waste dumpsters to help you responsibly remove a bulk amount of junk that cannot be salvaged.

You can recycle with roll off dumpsters

Another benefit of roll off dumpsters is that some providers, like Temporary Dumpster, can take your recyclable waste to the appropriate recycling facility for you. Some of the items we can take for recycling include old power tools, phones, and other electronics, as well as metal, wood, roofing shingles, and other building supplies. Just be sure to review our roll off dumpster FAQs to understand the rules for loading, and make sure to describe your recycling items with one of our roll off rental specialists.

Access a Roll Off Dumpster Rental Near You

Whether you’re ready to recycle old items or want to clear up your outside junk and debris to avoid corrupting the environment, our roll off dumpsters offer an affordable, sustainable junk removal option. Besides offering flexible rental periods and cost-effective pricing, our team is committed to helping you achieve zero waste as much as possible. With multiple locations and a fleet of eco-friendly roll off dumpsters, your next cleanup or recycling project is only a phone call away. Reach us at 1-800-513-4973 or get a free dumpster quote.