Environmental sustainability isn’t about living without luxuries, but being aware and knowledgeable about your consumption (material, energy, resource, and more) and reducing unnecessary waste. What can do you to be more sustainable at home and beyond? Check out the tips we’ve put together for you below.

Get movin’ on your planting season. Late winter is prime time to start planting some seeds indoors. Warm weather veggies – like tomatoes and peppers – are perfect to start this month. Other vegetables to start in March include beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, tomatoes, and squash.

Resell or donate. Don’t toss your textiles! With so many awesome thrift and consignment shops in our area, there’s no excuse to be tossing fabric in the trash. And, as of November 1, 2022, trashing your textiles has been banned by MassDEP. For waste disposal ban purposes, textiles are defined as bedding, clothing, curtains, fabric, footwear, towels, and similar items. See a complete list here from Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART). Virtually any textile can be reused, repurposed, or recycled if clean and dry. Even worn, torn, and stained items have recovery value. So check out your local thrift shops, churches, and animal shelters and donate your items to good use.

Be water wise. Any reusable bottle is WAY better than buying bottled water and throwing it away (or hopefully recycling it) when you’re done. Stainless steel bottles help you avoid BPA, don’t typically hold mold and bacteria, and keep liquids hot or cold longer. Be mindful of your water usage at home too — turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth and washing dishes, try to shorten your showers, and upgrade to energy-efficient appliances that use less H2O.

And of course, if you’re not recycling, consider doing so. The accumulation of waste is a problem that affects the entire globe, not just SE Massachusetts. Waste contributes to global warming by emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, so the less we add to landfills, the less impact we have on our environment. Nauset Disposal’s Single Stream Recycling is an easy (and hassle-free) way for you to do your part. Our recycling toters are virtually animal-proof, easy to maneuver and can collect all clean recyclable materials. No sorting numbered plastics, aluminum cans, and newspapers!