Some kitchen waste disposal units tend to put unnecessary pressure on overtaxed sewage plants. A much better option is to practice composting or vermiculture methods instead. Composting organic waste reduces household trash by approximately 30%. Go one step further by reusing various plastic bags to isolate smelly meat, bones and pet waste. By controlling odors in garbage, bag will not have to be put out on curb as often.

So, imagine that if your waste and recycling was now half size that it typically was before. That means in theory waste pickup service would decrease costs by 50%, landfill would be receiving half of what it used to, fewer trips to recycling depot, less pollution…

Well you get picture. It is easy to make a difference and we can all start at home. Right where we are.

Pasta cooking water can be left out until it has completely cooled – so that heat and moisture are released back into air. Before pulling plug, consider leaving hot dishwater (and bath water) until it cools. Why pay to heat up your sewer pipes? When cooking vegetables, consider steaming instead of boiling. When steamed, more nutrients are retained in food, and because it requires less water to heat - there is less energy used.

In summer, consider cooking on barbecue to help keep house cool. Most barbecues now include side burners that make outdoor cooking all that much easier. All these methods are relatively easy to adopt and when added up, savings in energy and time really do make a difference.