Ever see stray cans and bottles and other trash carelessly strewn on the street? The reality is it probably wasn't from a litterbug, but from improperly filled trashcans. When you throw trash into the can without using trash bags, you risk items being accidentally knocked out or falling out on collection day. These small items -- which are often lightweight -- can end up on the street, clogging storm drains or eventually littering wooded areas. Do the right thing and make sure all refuse is properly bagged before tossing it out.

You might think placing leftover food into the garbage disposal is better than tossing it into the trash (which goes to the landfill), but all those fruit peels, eggshells and veggie trims still end up in the trash, even if they go down the drain. Water treatment facilities actually skim waste out of our water supply and dispose of it in landfills. So using a garbage disposal is no better than throwing food out. Instead, invest in a sinkside composting container and empty organic matter into a backyard compost bin whenever possible.

Ever find those little silica gel packets inside the packaging of products you buy? They are there to absorb moisture to help keep products like knives, electronics and other goods dry. Instead of tossing them into the trash, save them: They can be used to dry up personal handheld electronics like smartphones and tablets. If your phone gets wet, just wipe off the excess water and place the phone in a mound of silica gel packets overnight. The packets will absorb the moisture and possibly rescue your phone from disrepair.