With consumers focused on products that promise savings in energy, money, materials, and resources, manufacturers are working to make the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle,” easier to live by.

Carol Baricovich, manager of brand communications for InSinkErator says the company’s Evolution Series disposers are designed to grind everything from vegetable peels to chicken bones so more waste is directed toward wastewater treatment facilities instead of landfills.

“When you send food to a landfill, it decomposes, gives off methane, and in some cases can leach into groundwater,” Bar­icovich says. “In wastewater treatment, it becomes part of the biosolids removed from the water and can go toward creating fertilizer and soil treatments. Some wastewater plants even generate energy.”

For trash that is destined for the dump, Broan’s new Elite and Elite XE trash compactors can compress six standard kitchen bags’ worth of garbage into just one bag. “A trash compactor may sound dated, but being able to reduce the volume of trash going to landfills is gaining importance,” says Broan’s marketing communications manager Karen Collins.

Thoughtful details set Elite compactors apart from past models. A dishwasher-safe compression plate, and odor-neutralizing cartridges help maintain freshness. An interior shelf keeps compactor-specific trash bags handy, and a timer lets users schedule when they want the compactor to run. The units are designed so the heavy bags, which can weigh as much as 30 pounds, slide out instead of having to be lifted.

To put even less material into trash cans and compactors, Enviro-Trash Concepts puts a spin on recycleables management with the Clean Chute. “The basic Clean Chute model is built into the wall so users can push the door, drop their recycling in, and have it slide into a bin on the other side of the wall, usually in a garage, mudroom, or utility area,” explains company partner Marilyn Oden-McGill.

Made from recycled stainless steel, through-the-wall and through-the-counter models are available. “We’re trying to encourage and promote recycling,” Oden-McGill says. “As the country goes greener and people see recycling as more of a necessity, interest is going to increase.”