Replace disposable items with reusable ones. For example, buy a reusable coffee filter and replace disposable batteries with rechargeable.

Use your Green Bin and backyard composter.

Reuse it: egg cartons, foil plates, popsicle sticks, yogurt cups, and paper towel rolls make great craft items for schools and daycares. If you sew, use old jeans or curtains to make sturdy reusable shopping bags.

Place small recycling bins in each bedroom, washroom, kitchen and office in your home to make recycling easier.

Use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic.

Give away items that you no longer need to charities, second-hand stores, friends & family.

Recycle sporting equipment through swap shops, donations to schools and community yard sales. Hold book sales or donate used books to schools or community groups.

Stop junk mail. Leave a note inside your mailbox indicating that you want to participate in the Consumers Choice Program and no longer desire unaddressed ad mail. Call Canada Post at 1.800.267.1177 for information.

Properly dispose of hazardous items such as batteries, cleaning products, paint, pesticides, waste oils and oil filters, pool chemicals, polishes, photography chemicals, antifreeze, brake fluid, propane cylinders and gasoline for free at Miller Waste Durham, 1220 Squires Beach Rd., Pickering. Open Monday to Friday from 6 am to 7 pm and Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm. Closed Sunday and holidays. For more information call Durham Region 905.433.2050 or Miller Waste at 905.426.4222.

Consider the Paint Reuse Centre when you need to dispose of unwanted but useable paints or stains. This program operates out of Durham Region?s Waste Disposal Site in Oshawa only. The Paint Reuse Centre offers residents good re-useable paints and stains at "no charge".

Recycle unwanted electronic equipment. All the equipment received is completely shredded at an approved industrial recycling site and the materials are recovered for reuse. Acceptable items include: radios, stereos, VCRs, personal computers, keyboards, printers, joysticks, monitors, speakers, telephones, fax machines, photocopiers, electronic cash registers and calculators. Waste disposal fees apply. Click here to find out about times and locations.

Reduce water use by turning off the tap when you brush your teeth and while you lather in the shower, and don't flush every time you use the toilet.

Fix your leaky toilet -it can waste 20-40 litres per hour. Think about replacing it with a new model, which uses as little as 6 litres a flush, compared to 18-30 litres for some older ones.

Register with one of many charities that accept cell phones, rechargeable batteries and ink cartridges. Such as www.rbrc.org/call2recycle.