Use Less Stuff Day is a holiday that falls on the third Thursday in November every year and encourages everyone to cut back on the amount of waste they produce—not only on this day but throughout the year. Just in the United States alone, over 300 million tons of waste are produced each year, and that amount keeps growing.

It’s the duty of all of us to try to produce less waste that ends up in the world’s landfills, and this holiday is a good start toward that goal. So take the day to come up with a plan to cut back on your daily waste and put that plan into action.

The History of Use Less Stuff Day

Unfortunately, we don’t know who invented this holiday, but we do have a general idea of when it was invented. According to our detailed research, reports of this holiday began to surface around 1994—at about the same time as the Green Movement of the 1990s. It has been observed ever since.

Tips for Making Less Waste

To help our readers celebrate this holiday, below are some tips for reducing your household waste.

• Use a reusable bottle when you head out of the house.
• Use reusable grocery bags.
• Recycle objects that can be recycled, such as aluminum and steel.
• Purchase items that you’re going to use.
• Compost your fruit and vegetable scraps.
• Avoid disposable straws, plastic spoons and forks, and Styrofoam coffee cups.
• Donate old clothes to charities such as Goodwill.
• Buy local produce.

Observing Use Less Stuff Day

Use Less Stuff Day can be observed by taking a few moments out of your day to consider how you produce waste and then taking steps to cut back on what you produce. Maybe you need to switch to filtered water from water in plastic bottles, or maybe you need to use real dishes instead of relying on paper plates.

Perhaps you can start composting some of your biodegradable waste in your backyard. It’s important how you cut back on your waste, but you must do it. While you’re observing this important holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #UseLessStuffDay to spread the word about it online and among your friends.