OREGON — It is so easy. Just throw it in with the trash, or just put it out at the curb. Like most things, if it is out of sight, then it is out of mind. The Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department would like to remind Ogle County residents about overall waste reduction.

With two active landfills in Ogle County, and another landfill at our border, we are reminded that final disposal for all sorts of waste is not all that far away. While landfilling is an option for some materials that have met their serviceable end, we should always think about the materials we purchase, and what we are going to do with them when we do not have a use for them anymore. If it goes to the landfill, there it stays, buried, for many, many years. Many items can be used beyond their original intent, or maybe recycled and turned into a new product.

The OCSWMD encourages waste reduction and re-use of materials whenever possible, and offers several means to achieve that end. Things to consider include smart shopping, meaning only what is needed for a meal or home project is purchased, and looking around the home first to determine if you need to purchase more of an ingredient or some other item essential to your task. 

Preserve and use all leftovers from your meals. Use reusable shopping bags, so as to avoid disposable plastic bags. Use reusable containers, water bottles, and coffee mugs when packing lunches and preparing for the day. Avoid plastic or foam plates, plastic utensils, and plastic cups. Buy items in bulk to avoid excessive plastic packaging, and avoid items with multiple layers of packaging. Purchase items packaged in recyclable materials, and seek out items made with recycled materials to “close the loop.”

If going out to eat, try to order just what can be finished, to avoid food waste and those foam take out boxes. Plastic straws and lids are not always necessary either. These small things can go a long way in reducing what is sent to the landfill.

The OCSWMD also encourages reuse and recycling to achieve overall diversion from what is sent to the landfill. 

Think first

Think before you throw it away. Can an item be sold, donated, or handed down? Can the item be repurposed so it still has a useful life? Can the item be saved for next year, such as a holiday gift bag? Can the item be composted, such as certain types of kitchen and yard waste? Can an item be recycled, in part or whole, with your curbside recycling service? Can the community benefit from an item that you do not want anymore? Consider a donation to the Goodwill, a local church or school, senior center, or thrift shop. Can the item be taken to a household hazardous waste facility for safe disposal? Can the county accept the item at a monthly electronics recycling takeback? Can the item be accepted at a scrap metal yard for recycling? If hiring a contractor, can they attempt to reuse or recycle some of the waste produced during the work being done?

Our collective purchasing power helps to drive our economy, but everything we purchase, at some point, will meet its’ end of useful life. If we can think as we shop, and think before we throw something away, we can achieve more diversion from landfills and protect our environment.