Practical Advice: Lydia Vandenbergh

Recycle more effectively with Lydia Vandenbergh’s tips.

Lydia Vandenbergh

 

Pantry Check
Go through your cabinets regularly to build menus around what you already have to minimize food waste. U.S. households waste about a third of the food they buy—approximately $1,866 per household annually.

Recycling Reincarnated
The cleaner you can make the plastic, glass, and metal containers you recycle, the more value they have as reusable material for manufacturers.

Shop Local
In Pennsylvania, the recycling industry puts $22 billion into the economy and supports more than 66,000 jobs, so buy locally whenever you can.

Cardboard Counts
While retailers have a cardboard recycling rate of 99 percent, the homeowners’ rate is only 25 percent.

New Life for Plastic
Drop your plastic bags in the collection boxes at grocery stores. Manufacturers are now making park benches, boardwalks, and other items from recycled bags.   —SI

 

 

Lydia Vandenbergh is the Sustainability Institute’s associate director of employee engagement and education.