Waste Prevention

New Waste Prevention & Reuse Campaigns

  • Make Every Thread Count
  • Wasted Food Wasted Money

Reduce What You Use

Don't Buy Trash

Every year, the average American buys 440 pounds of packaging then just throws it away! Buy products with less packaging (like bulk items, larger sizes, and concentrated liquids) and fill smaller, reusable containers.

Think Local First

Buying local goods is almost always waste saver.

Stop Junk Mail

Almost half of all junk mail is never even opened! If you want to stop your name from being sold to large mailing list companies, contact the following companies:

  • Abacus - To reduce unwanted catalog mailings; send full name, including middle initial, and your current address to:
    P.O. Box 1478
    Broomfield, CO 80038
    Email Abacus
  • ADVO - A major direct mailer will remove your name from their lists. Fill out the form and mail it to them.
  • Direct Marketing Association
  • Mail Preference Service
  • MetroMail Corporation
    List Maintenance
    901 West Bond
    Lincoln, Nebraska 68521

Credit Card Offers

To stop receiving credit card offers in the mail; call 1-888-567-8688. One call reaches these agencies: Equifax, Trans Union, Experian, and Innovis.

Borrow or Rent

Do you really need to own something you hardly ever use? Ask a friend, or look in the Yellow Pages under Rentals. And don't forget Douglas County's great libraries for books, magazines, audio and videotapes.

Use Both Sides

Why trash (or even recycle) a piece of paper if only one side's been used? The flip side is perfect for scrap paper.

Bag & Re-bag

The best grocery bags are reusable ones you bring with you. Some stores even give you a discount of $0.02 to $0.05 per reused bag.

Choose Recycled

Products and packaging too. More post-consumer content means fewer raw materials were used and more energy was saved. But look closely. Products labeled as "recyclable" aren't necessarily recycled.

Get into the Trash-Less Habit

Start small. (Every little bit helps and you can build from there.) Share handy hints with others. Think before you toss.

Reuse What You Can

Pass It on

Used doesn't mean useless. Call your Douglas County Waste Manager for a list of folks who can give your old computer or plastic packaging and peanuts new life. Have something you think someone else can use? Check out our Materials Exchange.

Use Your Imagination

Before you recycle or trash something, think, "Can I use it again for the same thing or maybe for something else?

Make It Last

Maintain and repair products instead of replacing them. Newer isn't necessarily better.

Charge It

Americans buy and trash 2 billion batteries a year. The solution? No, not pink bunnies. Rechargeables!

Refill It

Choose reusables over disposables. And reuse disposables if you can. Companies can reload single-use cameras and printer cartridges and they're cheaper.

Stuff It

Used jars, tubs, buckets, cans, and bags make great containers. And, used cardboard boxes and plastic peanuts are ready-made for your own shipments.

Give It Away

Your "trash" could be someone else's treasure, Donate or have a yard sale to get rid of the following items:

  • Appliances
  • Bikes
  • Clothing
  • Furniture
  • Hardware
  • Housewares
  • Used Books

Rip It Up

If your used clothes are too worn to give away, tear them up for rags and use other scrap materials for crafts and kid's projects.

Used Building Materials

The following sites listed will accept and sell used building materials:
Heartwood ReSources
3490 Highway 99 S
Roseburg, OR 97470
Phone: 541-679-1777

Hours
Open Tuesdays through Saturdays

Items Accepted & Services

Accepts and sells most building materials in a retail warehouse location. Donations of materials are tax-deductible. Proceeds go to Umpqua Community Development Corporation's first-time, low-income home buyer program. They also offer deconstruction services.