Recycling

Simply consuming less is an important part of becoming self-reliant. Naturally, consuming less leads to needing less and spending less, making self-reliance easier to attain.

Another benefit of consuming less is that it makes the world a better place.

Imagine a collection of garbage, mostly plastic, perhaps twice the size of Texas, floating in the Pacific Ocean. Sound fun? Maybe we should turn it into a tourist site:

Wikipedia: Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Even when trying to consume less, we'll end up with garbage. Most cities now have decent, affordable recycling programs. Check out the services in your city.