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Recycling, Reducing, & Reusing: How to Save the Planet

• Nov. 29, 2022

We all have a responsibility to treat our planet respectfully. With our dwindling natural resources, we can try to be mindful of what waste materials we contribute and how they impact our greenhouse gas emissions - there are easy and helpful ways that we all can help do our part.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – these three 'R' words are an important part of sustainable living, as they help to cut down on the amount of waste we have to throw away.

 

It's Really simple!

Reduce the amount of waste you produce.

Reuse items as much as you can before replacing them.

Recycle items wherever possible.

Using the 3 'R's also helps to minimise the amount of space needed for landfill sites, where waste materials are disposed of.

 

What is Recycling?

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new material and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials also occurs in this concept. It prevents the waste of potentially useful materials and reduces the consumption of fresh raw material. Thus, reducing energy use, air pollution, and water pollution.

Recycled materials include many kinds of:

 

glass

paper

cardboard

metal

plastic

tires

textiles

batteries

electronic

 

Reduce, reuse and recycle to fight climate change

 

A plastic bottle is estimated to take about 1,000 years to decompose (or 450 years if it’s left outside). Consumers play an important role in reducing pollution. Following the “three Rs” (reduce, reuse and recycle) is a way to do it.

 

Reduce: we can take this primary step when using water, electricity or gas (e.g., switching off devices or turning off the tap when we're not using them), or even when selecting items at the supermarket (e.g., products from close to where we live waste less on transport).

Recycle: we can do this simple act by sorting waste into specific containers.  Processing recycled waste properly not only reduces gases and toxic waste, but also leads to new manufactured products.

Reuse: this is when we repurpose things for a “second life”, like turning glass food jars into pen holders or old clothes into dust rags.

 

Reducing, reusing, and recycling can mean slightly different things to different people. How these three terms relate to your life will depend on your current usage, what you use, and how you use it. They also apply to many different aspects of life. Essentially any facet of your life that involves using a product will involve at least one of these stages.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is as much a frame of mind as a series of tasks. If you consume and choose products with these ideas at the forefront of your brain, it becomes much easier to follow through on them later in the process.

 

Helps Conserve Natural Resources

Reducing how much we use and being waste-free allows us to use natural resources when necessary. For too long, we have used resources without care, and it is going to catch up to us if we don’t change our ways.

 

Helps Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Being zero waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions because less energy and resources are required to create products in the first place. Then, once the item has been disposed of, less raw material is available to create harmful gases.

 

Conclusion

The planet’s future is in our hands, and by reducing, reusing, and recycling, we stand a real chance of sustaining the environment for many years to come.