Alison Goss

Pinterest may want you to think that you need a cupboard full of matching mason jars, but reusing what we already have is one of the best ways to reduce our waste. This month, instead of recycling glass jars (such as pasta sauce, pickles, and salsa jars), I will save them to reuse for food storage.

The only thing worse than a single-use item is a zero-use item! I will use (and use up) what I already have in my home before buying something new.

In addition to refusing and reducing my consumption of single-use plastics, I will pick up 25 piece(s) of litter each day of the Plastic Free Ecochallenge.

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community.

The plastic industry has convinced us that some plastic bags are "trash bags," while others are just "trash." Instead of throwing empty bags away (such as bread bags, pet food bags, etc.), I will reuse them as trash bags.

Whenever possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when shopping, including produce bags. I will either use my own reusable bags, or keep my items loose.

Get creative in the kitchen (or the garden)! Before tossing food scraps, I'll explore other ways to utilize the scraps and give them another life.