It’s worth keeping track of your garbage for a few weeks. Watch what you throw away, and ask yourself if each item you are tossing could be replaced with a reusable substitute. You may see coffee filters in the trash, for example. Why not buy a gold or cloth reusable coffee filter instead?

With reusable substitutes, you can cut back on plastic bags, wraps, and water jugs; aluminum foil; paper plates, cups, towels, and napkins; paper coffee filters, and more. Not only will you significantly reduce your consumption of resources by choosing reusable housewares instead of disposables, but you will also save a great deal of money. We are all still faced with packaging waste to throw away, as well as worn-out items, but it may be surprising to learn how many items can be reused. Here are a few:
* Gold or cloth coffee filters, or use a French press pot
* Cloth towels
* Cloth napkins
* Durable metal plates and cups for picnics and birthday parties; reusable stainless steel utensils for picnics
* Reusable baking pans
* Cloth bags for shopping, including string bags for produce
* Reusable lunch box containers
* Glass mason jars with wide mouths and screw-on lids for food storage.

–Excerpt from True Food, by Annie B. Bond, Melissa Breyer, Wendy Gordon (National Geographic 2010).