It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we’re producing a lot more trash than we should. Landfills are getting filled very quickly, and incinerators are too expensive to be built.

But if the government takes a bold step to charge every household for each kilogram of trash, I am sure many people would resort to creating less trash in their everyday lives:

1. Buy items in bulk whenever possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
2. Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33% of what we throw away is packaging anyway.
3. Buy products that you can reuse or recycle.
4. Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
5. Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
6. Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
7. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
8. Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
9. Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling/sandwich wrap.
10. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
11. Buy rechargeable batteries for devices that you use frequently.
12. Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material. They can also be sold/donated to recycling centres.
13. Compost your vegetable or leftover food scraps.
14. Buy used furniture — there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.

How else would you create less trash? What would you do if the government decides, one fine day, that they would charge a couple of ringgits/dollars/pounds/euros for each kilogram/bag of trash collected from your household?? :)

Adapted and modified from Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life.