We save all our aluminum cans and take them to a local firehouse that uses the money for victims of fires. Our newspapers,plastic,cans, etc are all recycled. We have a compost pile BUT I , in the summer, I like to take all the green scraps, coffee grounds eggs shells etc. and put in blender with water, puree and just pour it on the garden instead....breaks down faster. I save scraps for a friend who makes beds for pet shelter. I make my own bread, so I wash plastic zip lock bags and reuse them again for bread.