With nearly 146 billion cups of coffee sold every year in the United States, we produce a lot of single-use waste every single day. One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to bring your own reusable thermos, but you also can reduce your use of items like sugar packets and stirrers (wooden or plastic). Instead, pre-load your thermos at home with items you normally stir in (like sweeteners, powders and creamers), then fill with coffee. The coffee and add-ins will mix inside the container and make your coffee shop visit completely waste-free.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Shiny paper often is considered nonrecyclable, but some glossy paper materials, like magazines and catalogs, are recyclable -- the paper stock is coated with a white clay that makes the pages appear more brilliant, but that shiny surface does not interfere with the recycling process. According to Waste Management, about 45% of all magazines/catalogs are recycled today, which means more than half are still being tossed into the trash. Recycle away!

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Using an automatic dishwasher at home is more energy- and water-efficient than washing by hand. And it’s even more efficient if you run the dishwasher during nonpeak hours, which are usually after midnight. But instead of waking up in the middle of the night to turn on the dishwasher, check to see if yours has a “delay” feature. This allows you to fill up the dishwasher during the day and delay the wash cycle so it will automatically start whenever you want, preferably during nonpeak hours.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION