We all want to live in a clean community. Clean streets, clean air, neat parks that you can take your kids to in the summer — that’s the ideal. But not everyone feels that they’re able to actively engage in keeping their community clean. We’re all busy, after all. Work, home, getting the kids off to school, finishing our own degrees. Even when we have time, not everyone knows how to help keep their community clean.
But it is possible for anyone. Here are a few simple ways to get involved in keeping your community clean.
Keep a Litter Bag in Your Car
A litter bag doesn’t have to be anything special. You can purchase a specific hemp or nylon bag or something of that sort, but you can also just keep a plastic garbage bag handy. The point is the practice. Keep a litter bag handy in your car. Think about how often you stop and get fast food at a drive-through window, or how often the kids bring a drink in the car. Usually one of two things happens: 1) the trash stays in the car or 2) it ends up on the ground near the car or side of the road. A litter bag will make this easier to avoid. You can just dump your trash there. Having a litter bag handy also helps you clean up after your community.
If you see a piece of trash on the ground and no trash can immediately nearby, just add it to your litter bag and toss it when it’s full. That way you’re helping clean your community without even going out of your way.
Recycle
Most people know that recycling is a big one. We’ve long known that certain trash items are less biodegradable than others, and when you get one of those non-biodegradable items — like plastics — in a landfill or an ocean dump, chemicals release into the air that can be harmful to the atmosphere. By recycling, you can not only cut down on air pollution, but cut down on wasted resources, by putting perfectly usable materials right back out there to be reshaped. Just make sure before you start recycling that you know exactly what materials your recycling company accepts.
Spread the Word About Recycling
It’s great to recycle for yourself. Try to convince those around you to recycle as well. Whether it be neighbors, your workplace, or your child’s school, the more people who recycle, the cleaner the community will be. Your child’s school might even be working on fitting recycling into their budget. Support these initiatives wherever you can, when you can, and never be afraid to ask, “Hey, do you recycle?”
At Brazos Valley Trash Valet & Recycling, we’re committed to helping to keep the community clean, with great waste management services and complimentary recycling. We also accept the largest number of plastics in the area, 1-7. Contact us today to get started recycling or learn how you can help keep your community clean.
