According to The World Counts, “paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills“. The most common item found in MSW landfills is plain old paper. Newspapers alone can occupy up to 13% of landfill space in the United States.
The 20-20 decluttering rule says that if you can replace something for less than $20 and in under 20 minutes, it can safely be decluttered. OUT it goes! (Good read: the Minimalists talk more about this rule here.)
The basics of the ritual: each day for nine days in a row; you get rid of (throw away, recycle, or give away) 27 things. The idea is that the things you discard are old, worn, or are remnants of the past that no longer represent you or align with your future goals.
When applied to our homes, the 80/20 rule suggests that we roughly use 20% of what we own around 80% of the time. The remaining amount serves little purpose, taking up space and mostly just gathering dust. Think about it - how many of the utensils in your kitchen crock do you use daily? Probably very few!
“Some of the most common household items thrown in the trash that should not be are batteries, paint, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, and aerosol cans.” Don't miss these 24 things your garbage collector wants you to know.
Domestic wastes include food waste, paper, glass, metals, plastics, textiles, etc. A large part of domestic wastes consists of plant and animal waste such as vegetables, fruit peel, bone and meat waste, and chicken and fish waste, which are considered as wet wastes.
The 90/90 rule for minimalism encourages you to keep only items you've used or will use within 90 days. This minimalist rule is all about timing. When using the 90/90 rule to get rid of stuff, you'll simply want to ask yourself two straightforward questions. Have you used this item in the last 90 days?
The idea behind Project 333 is simple: Wear only 33 articles of clothing for the next 3 months. All clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes count towards your number. Exceptions include wedding rings, underwear, sleepwear, in-home loungewear, and workout clothing.
Take a moment and write down your ten most expensive material possessions from the last decade. Things like your car, your house, your jewelry, your furniture, and any other material possessions you own or have owned in the last ten years.
What is the 40 Bags in 40 Days Decluttering Challenge? It is a forty day period (coinciding with the 40 days of Lent) where you go through your home and declutter one area a day. The 2022 40 Bags in 40 Days™ Challenge starts Wed.
What is The 31 Day Home Detox January Decluttering Challenge? The 31 day detox decluttering challenge is designed to jumpstart your decluttering and organization habits and will help you clear out all of that obvious unwanted and unused “stuff” that is clogging up your home.
Called the Five Second Rule, the idea is simple – pick up an object and if you can't remember when you last used it within five seconds then you have to get rid of it. Now, you can obviously make allowances for sentimental items, but it will make trimming down on certain household items much easier.
1. Take the 12-12-12 challenge. The rules are simple: locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home. That's it.
So, here's a list of the most wasteful common household items:
Water bottles! ...
Plastic wrap for leftover foods: Tupperware (or knock-offs) to the rescue! ...
Plastic cutlery: pack yourself a knife fork and spoon and eliminate the need for this single use throw-away item…they don't recycle, they are wasteful.
