Enviroville: Detailed Information
Grocery
Shopping Aisles
Packaged Food
The best way to reduce the amount of trash we throw away is to practice source reduction. This means generating less trash rather than just recycling the trash we already produce. One way to do this at the grocery store is to choose products that have less or no packaging. Other good ways to reduce waste are deciding not to use some items, using less of other items, and choosing longer-lasting products.
Checkout Lane
Reusable Grocery Bag
In 2015, Americans threw away 26 million tons of plastic and 18 million tons of paper. Any effort we can make to reduce the amount of paper or plastic products thrown away will make a difference. If you forget your reusable bag, pack your groceries in the plastic or paper bag as tightly as possible. Then reuse the bag at home, such as lining a small trash can with it.
Parking Lot
Recycle Bins
Some stores have places where you can drop off items for recycling. This makes it easier for people to recycle because the bins are at a place where many people go every week. Find out if your favorite stores have recycling drop-offs. If they do, tell other people about it. If they do not, talk to the store manager about starting a recycling station.
House
Bathroom
Nail Polish
Pouring things that don’t belong down the drain can pollute our water and can kill fish and other wildlife!
Brushing Teeth
When you brush your teeth or wash your hands, turn off the faucet to save water. You can turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. Make sure to turn it all the way off when you are done. Even a faucet that drips just 3 times per minute can waste over 100 gallons of water per year!
Kitchen
Cloth Towel
Using a cloth towel for wiping up messes will prevent paper towel waste from going to the landfill. Cloth towels can be put in the laundry when they get too dirty and can then be reused.
Fruits and Vegetables
Many farms use chemicals to help grow their crops that might be harmful if they get inside your body. Washing the fruit or vegetable very well can remove most of the chemical residues before you eat them.
Laundry Room
Cleaners
Cleaning supplies can be good because they help make sure our homes are clean! But, they can be dangerous if they contain toxic chemicals that get into the water we drink. Your parents should call the local solid waste management district to see if they have a program for properly disposing of household chemicals. You can find your district on IDEM’s Household Hazardous Waste page.
Washing Machine and Dryer
Washing machines use a lot of energy and water. Every load of laundry uses almost enough water for about three showers! If you help with the laundry, always fill the machine with a full load of clothes in order to run fewer loads and save water.
Living Room
Lights and Bulbs
Turning off the lights when you’re not using them is a good way to save energy. Another idea is to have your parents buy light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which are much more energy efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.
Television
When your family buys a new television, you can help the environment by recycling the old one. When televisions go to landfills or incinerators, heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the inside can be harmful if released into the environment. Indiana’s electronic waste law requires us to recycle electronic products we no longer want. Recycling conserves natural resources and avoids pollution.
Yard
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals people use to get rid of bugs, mice, and rats that can contaminate food, damage homes, and make allergies and asthma worse. Some pesticides contain chemicals that can harm our bodies and the environment. It is safer and less expensive to keep pests away by picking up your leftover food and clutter. Other safe ways to prevent pests are listed on IDEM’s Integrated Pest Management webpage.
Leak from Car
Oil and antifreeze can leak from your family’s car onto the driveway and street. When it rains, pollution is carried to storm drains and usually flows directly into a lake or stream. Oil and antifreeze can make people and wildlife sick and harm plants. You can stop this pollution by helping your parents clean up leaks immediately. Pour kitty litter or sand on the spill to soak it up. Also remind them to check their vehicles for leaks regularly and fix them promptly.
Lawn Mower
Gas-powered lawn mowers release air pollutants when people mow their grass. On hot, sunny days, the pollutants react with sunlight and form toxic, ground-level ozone that can harm our health. IDEM will issue an Air Quality Action Day advisory on days when ground-level ozone could reach unhealthy levels. If your area receives an advisory, your parents can reduce pollution by waiting until late evening to mow the lawn when temperatures are cooler, or simply wait until another day! They can also prevent air pollution by following IDEM’s pollution prevention tips.
Compost
One way to get rid of unwanted food is to have a compost pile. In a compost pile, food and other organic “trash” like leaves decompose and are eaten by worms and tiny living organisms. In several months, the organic material turns into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner that is wonderful for plants. By composting you can waste less food and make a useful product at the same time. Ask your parents about starting a compost pile at home.
Library
Library Hall
Computer
Computers are very recyclable, but only 40% of them are recycled instead of trashed! The easiest way to recycle a used computer that still works is to give it away. Sometimes schools and organizations accept donated computers and put them to good use. If the computer doesn’t work, call an electronics recycling facility and ask how to safely dispose of it.
Post Office
Post Office Main Hall
Your family members probably receive a lot of mail they do not want. Unwanted mail is known as junk mail. It can be recycled just like other paper. But, if you are tired of the daily flow of unwanted mail, follow IDEM’s simple steps to greatly reduce the pile.
Packaging
When you order a product online, it must be delivered to you. Ships, planes, trucks, trains, and other vehicles deliver goods to us from around the world. The shipment of goods impacts the environment because many types of transportation require the use of fossil fuels that release pollutants into our environment. Designing vehicles for fuel efficiency helps conserve resources and reduce pollution, but more progress is needed to reduce the impact on our environment. When you buy locally made products, less transportation is required so less pollution is produced.
School
Cafeteria
Paperbags and Lunchboxes
If you take your lunch in a plastic or paper bag that you throw away, you are creating trash that could be prevented. Help our environment and conserve resources by using a lunch box that can be reused every day. If you took your lunch in it every day, that’s almost 200 fewer bags in the trash in just one school year!
Class
Paper Waste
Did you know that in 2015, over 18 million tons of paper and paperboard were sent to the landfill? One way to reduce all that trash is to use less in the first place. Write emails, text, use the telephone, and leave voicemails instead of using paper. Avoid printing out emails. Reuse cardboard boxes or donate them to a shipping company. When paper is needed, use both sides and recycle it so it can be made into new products.
Crayons and Paints
Regular crayons and paint are made out of petroleum or oil, the same stuff we use to help make cars run. When we use oil, a lot of different chemicals are released into the air. Drilling for oil can also be bad for the environment. It may not seem like a big deal, but any time we can reduce the amount of oil we use, we’re making a big difference to the environment! One way to reduce oil use is to have crayons or paint that is made out of soybeans or other vegetable-based ingredients rather than petroleum. You could ask your teacher to find out if it is possible to buy environmentally friendly crayons or paint.
Computer
Computers are very recyclable, but only 40% of them are recycled instead of trashed! The easiest way to recycle a used computer that still works is to give it away. Sometimes schools and organizations accept donated computers and put them to good use. If the computer doesn’t work, call an electronics recycling facility and ask how to safely dispose of it.
Playground and Dropoff Area
Chipping Paint
Paint on playground equipment sometimes chips. This can be a problem because paint made before 1978 contains lead. Lead is a very dangerous chemical, especially for little kids who might eat paint chips. If you see paint flaking anywhere, you should tell an adult right away.
Playing in Dirt
Buses and Cars
Carpooling is when people share a ride to a place where they all need to go. Taking the bus is an easy way to carpool. It is true that buses produce more exhaust fumes than smaller vehicles. But, because the bus can hold so many more people, it is still better for the environment than everyone taking their own car. You might want to talk with your parents about starting a carpool for going to the store, school, or other activity. Walking or biking is even better for the environment!