Given the three steps to save the environment give three tips on how to reduce reuse and recycle

In order to keep as much material out of the landfill as possible, it’s important for each of us to do our part. One of the ways to put that plan into action is through the 3 Rs of waste management — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

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Learn to reduce
Learn to reuse
Learn to recycle
REDUCE: The best way to manage waste is to not produce it. This can be done by shopping carefully and being aware of a few guidelines:
REUSE: It makes economic and environmental sense to reuse products. Sometimes it takes creativity:
RECYCLE: Recycling is a series of steps that takes a used material and processes, remanufactures, and sells it as a new product. Begin recycling at home and at work:

Reduce means to cut back on the amount of trash we generate.
Reuse means to find new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown out.
Recycle means to turn something old and useless (like plastic milk jugs) into something new and useful (like picnic benches, playground equipment and recycling bins).

Learn to reduce

Reducing is simply creating less waste. It’s the best method for keeping the environment clean, so it’s the first of the 3 Rs. By reducing, you stop the problem at the source. Making less waste to begin with means there’s less waste to clean up. Here are some easy ways you can reduce the amount of waste you make:

Pack your lunch in a lunchbox. Paper and plastic bags create a huge amount of waste — and plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose. Try a durable lunchbox or reusable lunch bag instead. Ditto for what goes inside your lunchbox. Instead of plastic baggies, try reusable containers.

Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Most stores sell canvas or durable plastic shopping bags that can be used again and again. Some grocery stores even give you a little money off at the checkstand when you BYOB — bring your own bags.

Say no to bottled water. Instead of buying bottled water, use a reusable water bottle.

Watch what you buy. When you’re in the supermarket, pay attention to the packaging. Can the container be cleaned out and used for something else? And when comparing two similar products, if one has less packaging, consider making that your selection.

Learn to reuse

Reusing is taking old or unwanted items you might otherwise throw away and finding a new use for them. There are all sorts of ways you can reuse items to help reduce your trash footprint:

Clean out your closet. Maybe your size has changed. Maybe your tastes have changed. Instead of throwing away clothes you don’t want anymore, give them to someone who will want them. If you have a box of toddler clothes, for example, and your “baby” is now in grade school, give the clothes to a friend with a young child. You can also donate your clothes to any number of charitable organizations — they give your clothes a good home, you get a nice tax deduction.

Share your toys. Do you have a bunch of old toys you don’t need anymore? Donate them to a local daycare provider, preschool or family with kids. You can also donate them to local charity. The more you share, the less you waste.

Find a new use for an old item. When it’s time to throw something out, think about other possible ways to use it. Glass jars, for example, can become storage for your crafting area or shop. Old bath towels can be cut up and used as wash rags. Plastic pop bottles take on a new life as bird feeders. Make a woven basket or tray out of old magazines. And the toothbrush you’re replacing is the perfect scrub brush for hard-to-reach areas.

Have a garage sale. You know that dining room set, exercise equipment, knick-knacks, blender and other things around the house you no longer use? There’s someone out there who would love to have them. A garage sale is a great way to clean out your space and help reuse all the items you don’t want. You can make a little money too. And when the sale is done, box up anything that didn’t sell and donate what’s left to a local charity — many of them will come to your house to make a pickup.

Learn to recycle

Recycling is the last — and most commonly used — of the 3 Rs. Recycling is changing discarded materials into new products in order to avoid using more virgin resources.

Corrugated cardboard, milk jug style containers, newspaper and inserts, and tin and aluminum cans can all go in your Rogue Disposal & Recycling red-lid cart to be recycled. But what happens to those items down the road?

Corrugated cardboard is recycled into paper bags, paperboard (like boxes for detergent, cereal, tissue and shoes), new cardboard and even the squiggly middle part of corrugated cardboard.

The plastic in milk jug style containers is turned into plastic lumber for decking, buckets, Frisbees, storage tubs, new plastic bottles — and stadium seats!

Newspaper is one of the easiest-to-recycle and most-recycled materials. Yesterday’s news gets turned into egg cartons, building insulation, paper plates, kitty litter, construction paper, phone books, sheetrock and new newspaper.

And when you put tin and aluminum cans in the recycling cart, they are taken to a plant where they can be reprocessed into a variety of new products — keeping them out of the landfill and continuing their useful life. Old cans might become new cans, or they may be changed into things like bike frames or asphalt roadway.

The three R's – reduce, reuse and recycle – all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy. Plus, the three R's save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills. Siting a new landfill has become difficult and more expensive due to environmental regulations and public opposition.

REDUCE: The best way to manage waste is to not produce it. This can be done by shopping carefully and being aware of a few guidelines:

Buy products in bulk. Larger, economy-size products or ones in concentrated form use less packaging and usually cost less per ounce.
Avoid over-packaged goods, especially ones packed with several materials such as foil, paper, and plastic. They are difficult to recycle, plus you pay more for the package.
Avoid disposable goods, such as paper plates, cups, napkins, razors, and lighters. Throwaways contribute to the problem, and cost more because they must be replaced again and again.
Buy durable goods – ones that are well-built or that carry good warranties. They will last longer, save money in the long run and save landfill space.
At work, make two-sided copies when ever possible.
Maintain central files rather than using several files for individuals.
Use electronic mail or main bulletin board.
Remove your name from the mailing lists of materials you no longer want to receive: write to Mail Preference Service, c/o Direct Marketing Assoc., P.O. Box 90008, Farmingdale, NY 11735.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
Use a dish cloth instead of paper towels.

REUSE: It makes economic and environmental sense to reuse products. Sometimes it takes creativity:

Reuse products for the same purpose. Save paper and plastic bags, and repair broken appliances, furniture and toys.
Reuse products in different ways. Use a coffee can to pack a lunch; use plastic microwave dinner trays as picnic dishes.
Sell old clothes, appliances, toys, and furniture in garage sales or ads, or donate them to charities.
Use reseal able containers rather than plastic wrap.
Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of paper cups.
Reuse grocery bags or bring your own cloth bags to the store. Do not take a bag from the store unless you need one.

RECYCLE: Recycling is a series of steps that takes a used material and processes, remanufactures, and sells it as a new product. Begin recycling at home and at work:

Buy products made from recycled material. Look for the recycling symbol or ask store managers or salesmen. The recycling symbol means one of two things – either the product is made of recycled material, or the item can be recycled. For instance, many plastic containers have a recycling symbol with a numbered code the identifies what type of plastic resin it is made from. However, just because the container has this code does not mean it can be easily recycled locally.
Check collection centers and curbside pickup services to see what they accept, and begin collecting those materials. These can include metal cans, newspapers, paper products, glass, plastics and oil.
Consider purchasing recycled materials at work when purchasing material for office supply, office equipment or manufacturing.
Speak to store managers and ask for products and packaging that help cut down on waste, such as recycled products and products that are not over packaged.
Buy products made from material that is collected for recycling in your community.
Use recycled paper for letterhead, copier paper and newsletters.

Pickup of recyclables is once a week and differs depending on your neighborhood.
The City wants to reward households that do an excellent job of recycling in their blue cart. Residents that recycle consistently and correctly can nominate themselves to be recognized as STAR recyclers of San Antonio: Nomination Form
If you live within the City of San Antonio's city limits, call 3-1-1 to establish new service. Once your request has been processed, your garbage (brown) cart and recycling (blue) cart will be delivered to your household.
Take plastic bags back to participating retailers for recycling. DO NOT throw them in your blue recycle bin!
You can learn more by going to the City's Recycling Overview site.

Paper: Most types of paper, such as ad circulars, catalogs, carbonless paper, dry goods packaging with liners removed (example: cereal, pasta, rice, beer/soda cartons) envelopes, file folders, flattened cardboard, junk mail, magazines, newspapers, office paper, paperback books, paper bags, paper towel/toilet paper cores, phone books, non-metallic gift wrap.
Plastics: Labeled #1 through #7 on the package, look for a recycling logo on the bottom or back of the container. Remove lids and rinse. Examples: beverage bottle, shampoo and lotion bottles, meat trays, condiment bottles, prescription and medicine bottles.
Glass Bottles and Jars All Colors: Remove lids and rinse all food and liquids. Examples: beverage bottles, food and condiment bottles and jars (jelly, mustard, mayonnaise).
Metal Cans: Aluminum, steel and tin beverage and food cans, rinse all food or liquids, aerosol cans, empty and remove nozzle, baking tins, rinse and remove remaining food.

56% of all paper used by households in America in 2007 was recycled – a whopping 360 lbs per person!
Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity
Recycling paper instead of making it from new material generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water.
Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.

SA Recycles: Join the movement. Do you recycle? The City of San Antonio wants you to join the recycling movement. It's easy to recycle, it benefits the entire city, and helps keep your garbage bill lower.
Change Is In The Bag: This site is an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bags consumed everyday and to recycle the rest. The goal is to motivate San Antonians to use reusable bags when they shop and to recycle plastic bags at participating retailers when San Antonians receive them. Change is in The Bag is an alliance between the City of San Antonio, H‑E‑B, jcpenney, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Keep San Antonio Beautiful and the Texas Retailers Association.
Change is in the Bag Participating Retailers: San Antonio Waste Management says it is very important that San Antonian residents DO NOT toss their plastic bags in the blue recycle bins at their home. This leads to a variety of problems at the recycling center which is better set up for the recycling of aluminum cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc. Instead, Change is in The Bag® urges people to take their plastic bags to the participating retailers listed above for proper recycling.