According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most common item in landfills is discarded food, most of it perfectly edible. Because of the “cult of perfection,” or the desire for fruits and vegetables to look perfect in order to purchase them, almost half of imperfect produce -- think weirdly shaped apples or too-short bananas -- are tossed because its believed consumers won’t purchase them. To shift this attitude, consider buying imperfect produce at the store. It is just the same in quality; it just looks different.

Today, newspapers are made primarily from recycled paper; 20 years ago, only 10 percent of a newspaper's overall content was actually recycled, according to Waste Management. This uptick in recycled content means the fiber strands in newspaper are weaker, so they can be recycled into only a few new products, like insulation, cereal boxes and newspapers. But one product that is gaining ground is called hydro-seeding. It’s a slurry of newsprint and seeds, which are sprayed all over hillsides and used by highway departments to quickly create wildflower fields. So, when you’re done with the Sunday paper, recycle it and help beautify America.

Aluminum is a material that can be recycled almost infinitely into new metal products. But aluminum isn’t just limited to beverage cans. Aluminum foil used for baking and covering dishes is 100 percent pure metal, which can be easily recycled. Metal covers used in food packaging -- like those found on yogurt cups and cream cheese containers -- can be removed, cleaned and recycled, too. All you need to do is crumple the foil into a ball and toss into the bin. Make sure it’s clean, since food particles can contaminate a load of recyclable metal.