It’s time we think a little more for our environment. And one call that we’ve heard about all these years is to reduce trash through the proverbial 3Rs - reuse, reduce and recycling.

One of my observations with regard to this matter is that consumerism has affected the environment. Now that’s a grand claim that needs tons of reason to back it up. In any case, let’s narrow it down to what can be seen in our daily lives. Make a quick check of what’s in your trash bin and I bet you’ll find a lot of wrappers and packaging material there. So here are 5 tips to deal with your trash problem by cutting down on packaging.

• Buy used items

  Not only will you save big bucks but used items rarely come with packages.

• Avoid convenience food

  Convenience food have a lot of packaging. Microwave TV dinners usually have the shrink wrap + cardboard box + foil layers of packaging.

• Buy stuff with reusable and recyclable materials

  With reusable containers, you don’t instantly throw away the packaging. You get to reuse them over and over again. If you can’t find ones that are reusable, at least make sure that the packaging are all recyclable.

• Buy bulk

  Buying in bulk means that you’ll only be dealing with one packaging for a long time. Plus there’s also the savings you get from buying bulk.

• Bring your own bags when shopping

  Yup. Doing so cuts down on the bags that get wasted on your purchase. And if you happen to buy just one item, refuse the bag handed out by the clerk out of courtesy.