Media reports detail the need for local residents to start living more environmentally friendly lifestyles. Major lifestyle changes aside, here are a few simple little ways you can take advantage of local resources to get a little more green in your life!
1. Calculate the energy you can save by doing things like unplugging your microwave when not in use, using energy efficient light bulbs, or installing a top-loading washing machine. Online tools such as Stony Brook University's energy savings calculator can help.
2. Know what to recycle and when it gets picked up. The Town of Brookhaven's Waste Management website features a searchable database of types of trash and recyclables, and describes what should be done with them. The site also offers PDF downloads of local recycling schedules.
3. Take advantage of a safe disposal box for unused prescription pills located at the Suffolk County Police Department's Sixth Precinct. Details for disposal can be found on the Town of Brookhaven's website. The Food and Drug Administration encourages safe disposal of unused drugs because traces of drugs have been found in surface water and drinking water supplies.
4. Grab some reusable shopping bags for 99 cents at local supermarkets, and to put all those plastic bags sitting around your house into their plastic bag recycling bins. A recent report on plastic bag usage by a local nonprofit group says Americans use on average between 300 and 700 disposable plastic bags each year.
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