Travel and Vacations
 | There are many opportunities to reduce waste when traveling away from home on business or on vacation. From packing and planning your trip, to hitting the road, learn how you can make a difference. |
Before you leave home, adjust the air conditioning and water heater thermostats to conserve energy.
Rather than buying small, travel-sized toiletries, fill reusable containers with shampoo, soap, and other necessities.
Reuse plastic or paper shopping bags to pack items for your trip and recycle them afterwards. Plastic shopping bags are perfect for keeping dirty shoes and wet bathing suits separate from other items in your suitcase, while paper bags are great for packing snacks for the car.
Book flights with airlines that offer electronic tickets to reduce paper waste.
On the Road
If staying in a hotel, check the bedding and linen policy with housekeeping. Some hotels ask that the customer request the bedding or linen be laundered by putting a specific note card on the bed and leaving the towels on the floor. This practice conserves water resources. If your hotel does not follow this practice, use a comment card to ask them to adopt it.
When you leave your hotel room, switch off the air conditioning, lights, and TV to reduce energy use.
While on your trip, remember to take only the amount of products that you need from restaurants or lodgings. Take only napkins, condiment packets, free brochures, maps, or coupons that you will actually use.
Take along a plastic bag to collect your used beverage containers for recycling at rest stops.
When traveling by car or RV, make sure the vehicle is well maintained—this improves fuel economy which prevents pollution and saves you money!
When making reservations at campgrounds, ask about their recycling facilities.
If you change your own motor oil, recycle it at a "quick lube" shop, gas station, or auto store that accepts used motor oil for recycling.
Enjoying the Outdoors
Summer is a popular time for barbecues and other outdoor festivities. At your next party, set the picnic table with reusable dinnerware or ask people to bring their own reusable plates and containers. And remember to recycle all bottles and cans after the party!
Hot summer days require gallons of thirst quenchers. Be sure to recycle the used beverage containers. Instead of buying many small drink bottles, buy drinks or drink mixes in bulk and fill reusable bottles.
At the beach, use old buckets and other items in your house to build sand castles instead of buying new products at the store.
When visiting beaches and parks, be sure to take out everything you bring in, so that you leave places unlittered and undisturbed.
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