Welcome to Redefining Trash: A place designed to share insights on how to more responsibly dispose of almost anything and make taking out the trash a thing of the past.

Microplastics—tiny plastic particles—are a major source of ocean pollution and pose a threat to marine life and the water supply....

Trash or Treasure? The many benefits of decluttering your home are well documented, but one potential downside of cleaning out that...

One barrier to effective waste reduction is recycling items that don’t fall into the easy glass/aluminum/paper categories. A reader...

Frequent readers of this blog will know that I greatly admire TerraCycle, a company that strives to recycle everything. I did provide...

We are a nation of convenience, and nothing was more convenient than curbside recycling. Collect your items in a bin and put them out on...

Most of us love the convenience of printing out a pre-paid label, taping it to a box, and sending our return items back to the seller....

Most people are aware that recycling aluminum cans saves almost all of the energy that is required to make cans from scratch (95%)....

Styrofoam, the generic term used to describe Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS), is a very inexpensive way for companies to protect items...

In the Northeast, autumn brings many things to our yards: leaves, pumpkin decor, and election signs. We can compost the first two, but...

Many readers reposted about the free recycling of snack/candy wrappers through TerraCycle and Subaru (REI), so here is another post about...

A post from two years ago suggested a way to reduce plastic consumption by using shampoo bars instead of traditional bottles. Another way...

As I was pulling into the driveway this past week, I saw a plastic bag that contained a large book: the Yellow Pages. When it happened a...

Great news—there is a new opportunity to recycle plastic in Western PA! This is a follow-up to a prior posting about plastic recycling....

Americans are fashion conscious. Particularly, they like to buy new clothes. There is even a term, “retail therapy,” that is often...

Junk mail. Its very name implies something that we don’t want or need. I know at our house, it tends to make up the majority of the mail...

Toilet paper. For those who use it, which is less than 30% of the world’s population, toilet paper can be a very personal choice. Two-ply...

Try to imagine a day where you go without using plastic—it’s impossible. From yogurt containers to shampoo bottles to takeout containers,...

Been holding onto your dreams of a Mondale presidency and are finally ready to let go? Or, more likely, you may have some signs from our...

Sponges. We all use them, from cleaning pots and pans to other household chores. But did you know that many sponges contain plastic? They...

I grew up having paper towels handy for many uses, especially in the kitchen. Wash your hands; dry with a paper towel. Spill on the...