Recently, I've been thinking about where my trash goes. It's carted off to some place "out of sight" and "out of mind" where it becomes permanently infused into the earth. Some trash will break down in time, but much of my trash will be around potentially longer than my own lifetime.

As someone who loves to live in a clean space and adventure outdoors, it pains me to see the places which I love being spoiled by my own trash. While some trash is unavoidable, much of our waste is our choice, and actions can be taken to reduce our effect on the environment.

1. Use a refillable water bottle.

A refillable water bottle not only reduces waste, it's more cost effective. Plus, you don't have to dash to the store with empty returns, saving time. This keeps a lot of plastic out of landfills.

2. Pack your own mug.

Many coffee shops will actually give you a discount if you bring your own mug. Reducing trash doesn't mean reducing your quality of life, or caffeine intake. This simple step keeps thousands of paper and Styrofoam cups from needing to go through the breakdown process.

3. Shop with reusable bags.

Many cities have prohibited stores from using plastic bags without a charge. While some may dislike this policy, I have come to realize that having plastic bags in my house encourages me to use them as trash bags. It only took about a week for me to change my habits and begin taking my reusable bags into the store.

4. Use what you have.

This may seem crazy, but I've often found myself discarding something I could have used, if only I'd paid attention. Examples might include leftovers, which would have been fine a few days ago or that bottle of soap which just isn't my favorite. While these things may not have seemed ideal, using them up would have been better than letting them go to waste.

5. Buy things in glass or paper.

Plastic takes the longest to break down. Paper breaks down fairly quickly in comparison. Glass, once cleaned can be melted down and used again and again. Buying items with this packaging increases your ability to recycle and for what must be trashed, reduces the amount of time things take to go through the landfill process.

I offer these 5 ways of reducing waste only after I have adopted them into my own life. I have been on this journey for only a few months now, but I have drastically reduced the waste I produce, at least by half, if not more.