Here are 12 basic things you can do to recycle and to reduce the waste:

1. Generate as little plastic waste as possible. Plastics are produced with large amounts of petroleum and some toxic materials. Their manufacturers also produce gases and wastes that may contaminate air and water. Substitute reusable products for the disposable ones in your household. Use cloth diapers, napkins and dish towels, durable plates, cups and silverwares.
2. Practice good shopping habits. Bring your own bags in the market, refuse double bags and buy only what you will use.
3. Patronize some goods that are packed in recycled cartons, plastic or paper. Some goods are proudly marked “Made from Recycled Paper.” Buy razors and pens that are refillable.
4. Reject items that are overpacked. As much as 50% of waste by volume consists of packaging. Buy larger sizes of items you use frequently rather than single-use sizes which often have multilayer wrapping. Buy goods in refillable containers.
5. Compost yard and food wastes.
6. Repair, do not replace appliances. Buy well-made products with long warranties.
7. Assess your personal waste production. Each individual’s habits are different. Make a list of everything you throw away in a day, look at what you buy and take an inventory of your home to see how you can create less waste.
8. If you no longer need them, sell glass bottles, tin cans, and old newspapers.
9. Donate old clothes, shoes, bags, trinkets, and other items to charity.
10. Keep boxes like egg cartons and plastic wrappers for other purposes.
11. Reuse brown paper and plastic bags. If they are no longer usable, collect and sell, so these may be brought to recycling plants.
12. Instead of throwing leftover food, why not offer it to a neighborhood pet?

Below is a list of some simple changes that serve a great purpose.
• Plant at least one small plant in the balcony if you don’t have land to do so. This will help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
• Take efforts to save various forms of energy. Making a great use of sunlight and switching off lights when not in use will save electricity. This saves a great amount of water and wind power that is used to generate electricity.
• Harness available natural energy sources. Use of solar water heating system saves energy costs and also reduces the emission of various gases like hydrocarbons that occurs in other systems.
• Make use of eco-friendly cleaning products.
• Try to find environment friendly alternatives to things that are being used currently. For example, make use of paper bags if possible instead of plastic bags.
• Regulate the use of automobiles and prefer walking if possible. This will not only save money, but also develops good health and reduces the extent of air pollution. If you prefer to use cars, prefer bio-fuel rather than gasoline. Bio-fuels have a great impact in saving environment by reducing the extent of gaseous emissions and particulate matter. Particulate matter travel long in air and deposit various toxic materials.
• Make judicious use of water. Avoid dripping taps. Make use of recent advances in washing machine, designs that consume fewer amounts of water and detergents but have a great cleaning capability. Reduced the use of detergents would reduce the amount of wastes liberated in to the environment.
• For cooking purposes, use of Bio-fuel is the best option even compared to electric stoves and LPG. This will save a great number of trees that are being cut down just for the purpose of fuel. It even controls the extent of hydrocarbons released in to the environment by use of LPG. Bio-fuel plants are cheap and easy to install.
• Adopt construction methods that make the building air-tight. This will reduce the energy costs used for heating purposes and even save the environment. Make use of construction material that is eco-friendly like greater recycling ability. Harness natural resources to maximum extent.
• Follow a green working environment. Some of the eco-friendly measures are to reduce the use of paper and fax machines, instead make efficient use of scanners, e-technology advancements like e-conference facilities, e-mail and fax modems. Make use of products to spread the message of being eco-friendly to the public.

In addition to following eco-friendly life style, try to encourage and increase the awareness among others about the environment impacts. Make it a part of the child education. A collective effort of society as a whole will serve to reduce environment pollution and give future generations a better place to live in.