It’s believed that around 20 to 30 percent of the trash thrown out of a typical home is food waste. Composting is one of the best things you can do to cut down on waste (and create some beneficial mulch for your yard and gardens). But composting can also attract some unwanted pests, like rats and mice. In the cold months, compost is attractive because the decomposing waste is covered and warm. To make it less appealing to animals, keep it wet and turn the pile with a pitchfork or shovel at least once a week; you can also limit your composted food scraps to veggie trimmings, eggshells and coffee grinds.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

What if every time you bought a cup of coffee, a pair of shoes or a bag of groceries, you could round up your purchase to the nearest dollar to help a worthy charity? A new smartphone app called Drops lets you do that, and it’s a cinch to use. Simply sync a credit card to the app after you’ve installed it on your phone. If you buy a cup of coffee for $1.97, Drops will automatically round up your purchase to $2 and donate the three cents to charity. You get to pick the charity, and every two weeks, the app gives you an update on how the spare change you’ve donated is helping to make a difference.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It’s believed that people in the city of Los Angeles waste about 100 hours every year sitting in traffic, on average. Even worse than lost time, transportation is now the No. 1 source of carbon pollution in the United States, with much of it coming from cars and gridlock traffic. To cut down on traffic waste, avoid driving during peak hours whenever possible. Plan errands like grocery shopping and appointments before lunch or after lunch (before the evening commute times). And make use of smartphone apps to plan your drive; an app can suggest times that are less busy and routes that will make your drive quicker and more fuel-efficient.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION