By Virginia Nurk, Community Relations Coordinator, DEP Southeast Regional Office

Happy Earth Week, Pennsylvania! Here are some tips for easy changes we all can make in our daily routines to help protect the environment for all Pennsylvanians.

-- Getting takeout? Ask the restaurant to skip the plastic silverware, individual condiment packets, and other single use items you won’t need if eating at home. When ordering online, many websites now have such a button, but you can always type this in the box for ‘extra instructions.’ If you’re ordering over the phone, just let them know when you place the order.

-- Cardboard. Many people are drowning in cardboard after a year of increased online shopping. Think about combining orders with other family members and to avoid extra shipments on forgotten items. Not only is cardboard a resource, but you can save on transportation ‘costs’ such as packaging and emissions on each individual delivery.

-- Reusable Shopping Bags. Because we’re all making less trips in general, there’s even less of an excuse to forget your reusable shopping bags at home. With most stores back to allowing you to bring your own bags, be sure to grab them for each grocery run. Bonus – if the store makes you pack your own items in your own bags, that’s one less set of hands touching your goods!

-- Recycle Gardening. If you haven’t already, it’s time to be thinking about this year’s garden. Perhaps you started seeds weeks ago or you’re just now frantically wondering what you’re going to plant and where. Consider using cardboard as a bottom liner to stop weeds. The cardboard will breakdown by the end of the season and add nutrients to the soil in the process. If you’re starting seeds, consider using paper egg cartons instead of plastic trays. The egg pods can be planted directly in the garden when the time comes.

-- Composting. Speaking of gardening, consider composting if you aren’t already. Not ready for a full-blown operation? Start small with coffee grounds, citrus peels, or leaves. All of these are easy to incorporate into soils and divert from trash cans. Learn more about composting

-- Unplug. Try implementing a ‘Good Night Plugs’ routine before bedtime. Take a quick lap around the house and unplug anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in overnight. While somethings like programmable coffeemakers make sense to leave on, other appliances like blenders and toasters can remain unplugged unless in use.

-- Cleaning Out. If you start cleaning out the basement or garage, you’ll probably come across some old paint. Check with your county or municipality on how to safely dispose of:

     -- Aerosol paints, oil-based paint, turpentine, paint remover, paint thinner, stains, varnishes, paint strippers and other heavy-duty chemical-paint supplies need to be taken to hazardous waste collection events. Check your municipality’s calendar of events for the next drop off.

     -- Water-based paints can be left out to dry or harden or be mixed with an absorbent material such as kitty litter, sand, or saw dust. Once it’s hardened, it can be thrown in your regular trash can (not recycling!!) for disposal.

     -- See if there is a collection event near you

-- Consumer Products. Cut down on landfill waste by re-thinking your spray bottles and dispensers and consider easy swaps. Buy a nice hand soap pump and refill it from a larger jug of soap, rather than buying a small bottle each time. Consider researching dissolvable, concentrated cleaning tablets that can be dropped in water and used in the same spray bottle each time. There are plenty of options around the house.

-- It’s time for a Trash-ventory. For one day, we want you to think about everything you’re throwing away and how you could have perhaps diverted whatever you’re tossing from an inevitable destiny in a landfill. Could you have composted the food scraps? Could you have used a towel, sponge, or rag instead of paper towel? Could you use a silicone baking mat instead of aluminum foil or parchment paper? The more conscious we become about our waste, the most likely and able we are to make changes to reduce it.

-- Same challenge, but now on to the recycling bin. Single use yogurt cups? Can we make the swap to a larger container? Plastic water bottles? Folks, we are at home! Dust those cups off! Plastic bags? Just kidding, you better not be. Plastic films like shopping bags, cling wrap, and straws are not recyclable through traditional facilities. The material melts in the machines, jams up the plant and is dangerous for workers who have to climb in and unclog the gears.

-- Let’s give those appliances some love. Cleaning refrigerator coils, removing lint from all the hiding spots a dryer has, replacing various air filters, and cleaning the food trap of the dishwasher will all help your appliances to run better, easier, and more efficiently. Ready to upgrade? Check with local retailers and utilities for buy back and appliance recycling programs and consider purchasing Energy Star appliances that expend less energy. Some options even come with cost-saving rebates or other incentive programs.

-- Consider a rain barrel if you don’t have one already. Collecting rainwater to use for plants and gardens will save money and energy rather than using ‘new’ water and can help reduce stormwater runoff. If you live in a particularly concrete-heavy area, reducing stormwater can have a major impact on street flooding and run off.

-- Indoor Plants. For a decorative way to improve air quality in your home, consider adding some indoor plants to your home. House plants have a lot of hidden benefits, from reducing stress to providing a subtle humble brag about having a green thumb. Most importantly though, there are several species that actually improve indoor air quality and can do so without the added energy costs.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter, sign up for DEP Connects events, sign up for DEP’s eNotice, visit DEP’s Blog,  Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

Related Articles - Earth Day:

-- Protecting The Environment For All Pennsylvanians Earth Day Celebration April 22 

-- DCNR Blog: Let Earth Day Inspire Lifelong Learning About Our Environment

-- Ned Smith Center For Nature & Art Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of PA Environmental Rights Amendment

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of PA Environmental Rights Amendment

-- New Book By Franklin Kury Makes The Case For A Constitutional Right To A Healthy Environment

-- Franklin Kury Previews Upcoming Book Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of PA’s Environmental Rights Amendment

-- PA Council Of Churches To Join Interfaith Partners In Special April 20 Observance Of Earth Day

-- Penn State Environmental Resources Management Program Alumni Wayne Kober Celebrating 50 Years Of Impact, Inspired By First Earth Day

-- Communities Celebrate Earth Day With KPB's Pick Up Pennsylvania Volunteer Cleanups

-- Bucknell University Agnes Revisited - The Performance: Learning To Live With Floods - History, Change, Remembrance, And Resilience April 22

-- Pocono Arts Council The Earth Speaks VII Exhibition And Restore Our Earth Virtual Conference April 20-24

[Posted: April 16, 2021]

4/19/2021