Clever solutions are great, but nothing compares with reducing consumption.<p>A lot of plastic is unnecessary or packaging unhealthy things, like soda bottles.<p>Since I decided to avoid packaged food, I dropped my landfill waste by about 90%, documented here: <a href="http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/avoiding-food-packaging" rel="nofollow">http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/avoiding-food-packagin...</a>. Substituting fresh vegetables, fruit, and mushrooms has made my diet<p>- more delicious<p>- more convenient (once I learned to cook from fresh)<p>- cheaper, and<p>- more community-based.<p>In other words, better by every measure I care about. The last time I emptied my garbage was June, over six months ago. Anyone can improve his or her life as I did. It doesn't solve everything, but it improves your life.