8 Ways to Keep Local Budget Cuts From Hurting Your House

If layoffs hit the sanitation crew in your town and bag or weight limits are implemented, you're going to need to throw out less trash. You can cut down on the four pounds of household waste that one person generates each day if you buy in bulk or opt for refillable shampoo and soaps. Those are just some of the tips offered in 57 Ways to Protect Your Home Environment (and Yourself), a publication of the University of Illinois Extension.

Also mentioned: Food and yard waste make up nearly 25 percent of household solid waste. The publication's authors suggest leaving grass clippings in the yard. Sandy Mason, a horticulture expert for the University of Illinois Extension, says composting organic matter is another way to reduce the waste stream. "It’s much easier than you might think. Use a small, step-on garbage can for kitchen waste. It has a center piece that’s easily removed when it’s time to carry the contents out to the compost pile."

Mason also reminds gardeners that growing your own vegetables means fewer vegetables from the store and less of the packaging that comes with them. "Not to mention the environmental benefits of not eating food trucked in from far away," says Mason.