Remodeled home in Bryan / College Station, by Stearns Design Build

Remodeled home in Bryan / College Station, by Stearns Design Build

RISK 11: HOUSEHOLD TRASH

One person can produce up to 5 lbs of trash per day – meaning a potential 1,900 lbs per year! Just imagine if all of this accumulated inside your home at one time! As much as you don’t like taking the garbage out, it seems preferable to the alternative. Keeping your trash bags in a closeable garbage can is an easy way to prevent vermin and stray animals from tearing into the bags. Scattered trash will not only invite more vermin to snoop around, but will also most likely end up in storm drains and sewers which will eventually litter local bodies of water.

Living a cleanly lifestyle, including cleaning up meat and other food residues, peelings, and leftovers, will help decrease potential illnesses and other health problems. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a night or two when the dishes pile up, but trying your best to keep your kitchen and other vital areas of the house.Like bathrooms clean will help prevent the growth of mold and other bacteria.

A lot of your trash including papers, cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, plastic bags, aluminum cans, and glass containers are recyclable. If your neighborhood already has a weekly recycling pick-up, find out what items are accepted and join in! If your neighborhood doesn’t, talk to your homeowners association about the possibility and process of getting one started. In the mean time, separate out items you can recycle and take them to places like the Drive-In Recycling center in Bryan on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Other companies like Target have recycling bins for more unusual items including plastic bags, small electronics, and ink cartridges. Instead of throwing away useful household items that your family no longer has need of, consider donating them to Good Will or Salvation Army so that others can use them. It’s recycling that also lends a kind hand to others in your community!

We at Stearns hope that this and other blogs in this series have inspired you with ways you can create a happy and healthy home and community. We look forward to learning with you and sharing more tips in the future. If you ever come across helpful information or links that you’d like to share on our blog or our facebook page, feel free to comment!