A simple way to remember what you can do is to remember the three R's:

• REDUCE
• REUSE
• RECYCLE

Reduce the amount of waste you produce by purchasing products with less packaging and buying only those things you really need. Reuse products and their packaging. Fix or repair things instead of throwing them away. Buy used items instead of new ones. And when possible recycle!

Close the Loop

Collecting items for recycling is only the first step. Manufacturers must make new products from the collected recyclables. You must create a demand for these products by purchasing recycled content items whenever possible.

Successful recycling is a loop. The recycling loop begins with you, when you put materials out for recycling or drop them off at a drive-thru facility rather than throwing them away.
The next step in the loop is when a manufacturer buys collected materials, makes them into new products, and puts them back into the marketplace through retailers. The last step in the process involves you, when you are asked to purchase the products containing recycled materials. Then the cycle starts all over again. This can repeat forever.

Recycling cannot single-handedly solve our solid waste issues. Not everything can be reused or recycled. Something will always have to be thrown away, buried in a landfill or burned in an incinerator. However, recycling can and should be a part of the solution to our solid waste issues. The key is to remove as much as possible of the paper, glass, plastic, cans, and other reusable materials from our trash. If the amount of garbage is reduced, it will cost less economically and environmentally to get rid of it. People, not programs, make recycling work. When we persuade everybody to recycle, and we all work together, recycling becomes more effective. It's up to each of us to make the effort.

If you haven't been reducing, reusing, and recycling, get started. If you have, keep up the good work, and encourage a friend or coworker to do the same. Everyday actions can have a direct and immediate impact on the world around us.

The answer to our garbage problem begins in our homes and at our curbside. Recycling starts with you. Remember Texans Recycle Every Day.

* Thanks to Keep Houston Beautiful for source material.