NYCWasteLe$$ is New York City’s one-stop resource for waste prevention and recycling information. The site was written and produced by the New York City Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling.

Recycling is critical to reducing the quantity of waste that New York City sends to landfills and incinerators. But recycling is not the same as waste prevention.

Waste prevention means actually eliminating or reducing the quantity of materials discarded, either as trash or recyclables. We all pay for waste through higher consumer prices and taxes to cover the cost of waste management, as well as damage to the environment. You can reduce these costs through waste prevention — here’s how:

Go to waste less at home
Go to waste less at City agencies & schools
Go to waste less in business
Go to new homes for old stuff
Go to harmful household products

Did we miss anything? If you have waste prevention suggestions that we haven't included, let us know. We are particularly interested in NYC-specific ideas. So even if it is a bit quirky, please share with us your personal way to reduce waste in New York City.