254 million pounds of trash are produced by Americans annually. Only seven percent of the plastic water bottles placed in the recycling bin are actually recycled. Landfills are piling up.

This is a problem.

Over the past couple years people are recycling more than ever. The phrase reduce, reuse, and recycle have been catching on. The problem is not that people aren't recycling.The problem is that we don't have the resources to reuse the amount of trash Americans are producing.

Recycling effects out economy as well. Spending rising higher as higher as recycling becomes more popular. On average it costs $300 more per ton to recycle something rather than toss it into a landfill.

Time is still available. It is much better to try and stop producing waste than it is trying to clean it up.There are many avenues we can still take to help environment. They may be easier than you think.

1. Buy local produce

Most farmer's markets are on Saturday mornings. They are so much fun to visit. Buying from a farmers market helps support your local economy and the fruit and veggies are less processed.

2. Bring reusable bags at the grocery store

I have a million grocery bags from Walmart. Some I can reuse for others things, but the number I had was out of hand. Now for every short trip to the grocery store I make I bring a few bags with me.

3. Handmade soaps

A bar of soap doesn't come in a big plastic bottle, and handmade soap is usually made with sustainable ingredients. It is a quick switch that is eliminates the use of a lot of plastic being wasted. Even shampoo can be purchased in the form of a bar now. Beauty manufacturers are catching on to sustainability. Be on the look out for these products.

4. Go vegan/vegetarian for a day

I have been a vegan for almost three years. But I would never ask you to completely abandon burgers and barbecue for my extreme lifestyle. However, going meatless once a week is doable. Maybe think about doing a meatless Monday. Meat production and consumption has a high carbon footprint on our earth. Eating vegetarian even one day a week can help reduce that footprint.

5. Don't drink with straws

Drinking out of a strawless cup can help salvage a bit of wasted plastic that would inevitably end up in the ocean somewhere.

6. Buy a reusable water bottle

Target is fully stalked with reusable water bottles out the wazoo, at a reasonable price too. As I mentioned earlier the plastic water bottle we use daily do not always get recycled even if we take them to a recycler. Water is completely free in America. Water fountains are everywhere I look. Using a reusable water bottle will save you money and cut down on the wasted plastic.

This world is amazing. Every time I go to the beach, the mountains, or on a nature walk I am reminded of that. I want to keep our earth beautiful. To do that we must think of better ways to manage our waste.