It’s not just bottled water that’s part of the single-use plastic problem; it’s cleaning products, too. It’s estimated nearly 2.5 billion plastic bottles that once held laundry detergent, dishwashing soap and surface cleaners end up in landfills ever year. Even though they're recyclable, the percentage that actually gets recycled is low. To help, switch to cardboard-packaged detergent, concentrated cleaning tabs you dilute in water yourself and dish soap that comes in bar form.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Even though they look like paperboard, ice cream containers are not commonly recycled. They are composed of layers of plastic and paperboard, and it’s nearly impossible for recyclers to separate the materials for recycling, so it’s best to reuse them or put them in the trash. If you have a green thumb, you can reuse ice cream pints as seedling or seed starters. Just poke a hole in the bottom for drainage and fill with soil. Use the lid as a saucer to catch water runoff.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you’ve squeezed the last few drops of toothpaste out of the tube, grab some scissors and cut it open. You can use what's left to help with a myriad of household tasks. Stains on your carpet? Just rub a small amount of paste on top and scrub away with an old brush to help lift the stain and brighten the fibers. And if you have watermarks or coffee stains on the kitchen table or countertop, you can rub on some toothpaste and wipe it away to make those surfaces look as good as new.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION