The 3 Rs

Recycle

We don't have recycling at our house, unfortunately, because the HOA has decided not to pay for that along with our regular garbage pickup. I need to find a recycling center near us, because the amount of waste we produce as a family is pretty grotesque at times.

Reduce and Reuse

As far as reducing the amount of waste we produce, we are trying to cut back on our use of plastic grocery/carrier bags. I need to just keep reusable ones in the car, and maybe buy some of the really cute ones from BabiesRUs for non-grocery shopping. We buy things in bulk when we can, to reduce packaging, but sometimes that doesn't work (for example, things that need to be frozen get packed into the size we will use in one recipe, so we end up using baggies for that). I am going to follow Amy's lead and start reusing jars when I can. I already spent part of yesterday, while waiting for dinner to cook, transferring spices from the baggies that we bought them in to jars that we had saved from old spices. The spice cabinet is so much more organized now! We buy animal crackers at Costco, and they come in these huge tubs. C suggested we reuse them to hold some of J's toys, and for some reason I said no, and now I regret that because I've come up with a lot of useful ways to reuse them. Oh well, the next time we use one up we'll reuse the container.
Another really good way to reduce waste when you have a baby is to buy wipes in bulk packs, rather than individual tubs. That way you only need one tub, and you just keep refilling it rather than throwing a tub away every time you use up the 80 wipes. Alternately, you can use cloth wipes, which many people who cloth diaper do. Baby washcloths also work well for this purpose, and you just spray a little water mixed with lavendar oil (or this) and wipe away! Of course, cloth diapers are also a great option for reducing waste. There is a ton of information for cloth diapering at DiaperPin and DiaperHyena. Yes, you use more water with cloth diapers, but it really amounts to about 3 extra loads a week, and that water goes through waste-water purification in most places and gets reused. Gray water generally gets reused, one way or another. This is the water from your sinks, showers, and laundry. Sewer water, from toilets, does not get reused.

If you have any other tips for ways to reduce and reuse, please share!