"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" Waste Hierarchy - Conserve ...

“The three R's – reduce, reuse and recycle – all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and ... Skiptocontent Menu The‘Reduce,Reuse,Recycle’WasteHierarchy Ifyouhaveheardofsomethingcalledthe“wastehierarchy,”thenyoumaybewonderingwhatthatmeans.Itistheorderofpriorityofactionstobetakentoreducetheamountofwastegeneratedandtoimproveoverallwastemanagementprocessesandprograms.Thewastehierarchyconsistsof3R’sasfollows: Reduce Reuse Recycle  Commonlycalledthe“threeR’s”of wastemanagement,thiswastehierarchyistheguidancesuggestedforcreatingasustainablelife.Youmightbewonderinghowyoucanincorporatetheseprinciplesintoyourdailylife. Source:Canva Relax! Theyarenotthathardtoimplement.Allyouneedistobringasmallchangeinyourdailylifestyleto reducewaste sothatlessamountofitgoestothelandfillthatcanreduceyour carbonfootprint. Itmakesabigdifferencetorecycle.Itmakesabigdifferencetouserecycledproducts.Itmakesabigdifferencetoreusethings,tonotusethepapercup–andeachtimeyoudo,that’savictory. ~EmilyDeschanel AsperMissouriDepartmentofNaturalResources, “ThethreeR’s–reduce,reuseandrecycle–allhelptocutdownontheamountofwastewethrowaway.Theyconservenaturalresources,landfillspaceandenergy.Plus,thethreeR’ssavelandandmoneythatcommunitiesmustusetodisposeofwasteinlandfills.Sitinganewlandfillhasbecomedifficultandmoreexpensiveduetoenvironmentalregulationsandpublicopposition.” Byrefusingtobuyitemsthatyoudon’tneed,reusingitemsmorethanonceanddisposingtheitemsthatarenolongerinuseatappropriaterecyclingcenters,youcancontributetowardsahealthierplanet. ContentsTheFirst‘R’–ReduceStep1:Istheresomethingelsethatcanbeusedforthispurpose? Step2:Isthissomethingthatneedstobedone?Step3:Istheitemapartofsomethingthatyouneedtodoorwanttodoinyourlife? TheSecond‘R’–ReuseReusebelowitems:Donatebelowitems:TheThird‘R’–RecyclingBenefitsofthe‘Reduce,Reuse,Recycle’WasteHierarchyShiftfrom3Rsto4RsTheFourth‘R’–Recover TheFirst‘R’–Reduce Theconceptofreducingwhatisproducedandwhatisconsumedisessentialtothewastehierarchy.Thelogicbehinditissimpletounderstand–ifthereislesswaste,thenthereislessto recycle orreuse. Theprocessof‘reduce’beginswithanexaminationofwhatyouareusing,andwhatitisusedfor.Therearethreesimplestepstoassessingthereductionvalueofanitemorprocess– Step1:Istheresomethingelsethatcanbeusedforthispurpose?  Usingmulti-useitemsisessentialtobeginningreduction.Oneexamplewouldbeacoffeepotandacappuccinomaker.Bothofthemdistinctlydodifferentthings,butyoucanbuyacoffeepotthathasasteamingattachmentonitsoitcandoboth. Thepurchaseofoneitemmeansthatyoudon’tusetwo.Itreducestheamountofproductionandtheamountofwastepackagingmaterialthatwillbegenerated. Step2:Isthissomethingthatneedstobedone? Alotofourwastematerialcomesfromitemsthatareconsideredtobe“disposable.”Notinthesensethatyouusesomethingonceandthenthrowitaway,thatcanactuallybeapartof environmentalresponsibility whenyouareworkingwithmedicalitems–disposableinthissensemeanswhetherornotwhattheitemallowsyoutodohasanyrealmeaningorpurpose. Seealso CanYouRecycleRailroadSpikes?Step3:Istheitemapartofsomethingthatyouneedtodoorwanttodoinyourlife?  Thereisalimittowhatyouneedtobepreparedforinlife.Chancesareyouwon’tneedacarthatisequippedtohandleasandstorminthedesert. Buyingoneencouragesproduction,wastesyourresourcesandcreatesmoregenerative waste thanyoucanimagine.Alwaysmakesurethatwhatyouconsume,orkeepinyourlifeaspreparation–matchestherealityofpotentialopportunityinyourlife. Herearesomeofthethingsyoucandotoreducewaste: Printonbothsidesofthepapertoreducepaperwastage. Useelectronicmailtoreachouttopeopleinsteadofsendingpapermail. Removeyournamefromthemailingliststhatyounolongerwanttoreceive. Useclothnapkinsinsteadofpapernapkins. Avoidusingdisposableplates,spoons,glass,cupsandnapkins.Theyaddtotheproblemandresultinalargeamountofwaste. Avoidbuyingitemsthatareover-packagedwithfoil,paper,andplastic.Thisexcesspackaginggoestowaste. Buydurablegoodsthathaveanextendedwarranty.Theygenerallyrunlongerandsavelandfillspace. Userefillablepensinsteadofbuyingtoomany. Purchasemulti-taskingproductsthatperformdifferentkindsofjobsinone. Ifsomethingdoesn’thaveavalidpurposeorrealuseanymore,thenitaddstoyourwaste.Ifyou’renotusinganyitemforalongtime,it’stimetoputitaway. Number3dealswiththeproblemscreatedbylivingwithacultureofconsumerism.Thistypeofconsumption-drivenculturealsomakesfulfillingthesecond“R”difficult,butitisgettingeasiertodo. TheSecond‘R’–Reuse Youmayhaveaboxofthingsyoukeepthatarebrokenorthatyoudon’thaveauseforthatyouhangontoin-caseyoufindanotheruseforthem;oryoumayfindbargainsonoldfurnitureorgotrashpickingandgetthingsthatyoucanrefinish–ineithercaseyouareworkingtowardsreusingtheitem.Learningtoreuseitems,orrepurposethemforusedifferentfromwhattheyareintendedforisessentialinthewastehierarchy. Oneofthebestexamplesofhowthisisbeingdonetodayisthemodularconstructionofhomesandofficebuildingsthatarebeingcreatedoutofdiscardedshippingcontainers. Theselarge,semi-trucksizedmetalcontainersrepresentahugewasteproblem.Repurposingthemashomesandofficessavesthemfromlandfillsanddoesn’trequiretheadditionalexpenditureofnaturalresourcestomeltdownandreconfigurethemetalsusedtocreatethem. Youmayeitherreusethoseitemsforyourownuseordonatesothatotherscanusethem. Reusebelowitems: Oldjarsandpots:Oldjarsandpotscanbeusedtostoreitemsinthekitchen.Theycanalsobeusedtostorelooseitemstogether,suchascomputerwires. Tyres:Oldtyrescaneitherbesenttotherecyclingstationorcanbeusedtomaketyre-swing. Usedwood:Usedwoodcanbeusedasfirewoodorcanbeusedaswoodcraft. Newspaper:Oldnewspaperscanbeusedtopackitemswhenyou’replanningtomovetoanotherhomeorstoreolditems. Envelopes:Oldandwasteenvelopescanbeusedbychildrentomakeshortnotes. Wastepaper:Wastepapercanbeusedtomakenotesandsketchesandcanbesenttotherecyclingcenterwhenyoudon’tneedthemanymore. Oldjeansort-shirtsoranyclothes:Thesecanbeturnedintobagsortote-bagswiththehelpoftutorialsavailableontheinternet.Atleastoldclothescanbecomecleaningrags. Seealso AreCrocsRecyclable?(AndAreTheyBiodegradable?)Donatebelowitems: Oldbooks:Youroldbookscanbeusedbypoorchildrenorcanbedonatedtopubliclibraries. Oldclothes:Yourunwantedclothescanbeusedbystreetchildrenorcanbedonatedtocharityinstitutions. Oldelectricequipment:OldelectricequipmentcanbedonatedtoschoolsorNGO’ssothattheycanusethem. Rechargeablebatteries:Rechargeablebatteriescanbeusedagainandagainandhelptoreduceunnecessarywastageasopposedtoregularbatteries. Buildyourowncompostbin:Usethecompostbintoputmanywasteitemslikeusedteabags,tealeavesandgrains,fruitpeels,etc.Thewastethendegradesandturnsinto compostthathelpsyourplantsgrowandshine. Becreative:ApplyDIYonoldclothes,bottles,jars,pots,vases,oranythingelsetoconvertthemintootherutilitiesandusefurther. Repairdamageditems:Items,whenrepaired,canbeusedagainwithoutbuyingreplacements. Second-handstores:Visitsecond-handstoresandpurchasesecond-handgoods.Second-handstoresandgaragesalescanofferusableitemsinbetterconditionandwillsaveyousomemoneyintheprocessthanbuyingnewones. Source:Canva TheThird‘R’–Recycling Thelaststageofthewastehierarchyistorecycle.Torecyclesomethingmeansthatitwillbetransformedagainintoarawmaterialthatcanbeshapedintoanewitem.However,thereareveryfewmaterialsontheearththatcannotberecycled. Oneoftheissuesbotheringcommunitiesthatwanttobecomemoreinvolvedwitharecyclingeffortisthatwhiletherelyingcollectionandsortingprocessmaybeaffordabletoimplement,therestillhastobeafacilitytoreceiveandtransformthediscardedwasteintoarawmaterialtoproducenewproducts.  Moreprogressisbeingmadetowardunitingrecyclingplantswithindustriesthatcanprocessthewastematerialthroughagreementsandincentivecredits. Oneneedstolearnastowhatproductscanberecycledandwhattheycannot.Bycarefullychoosingtheproductsthatcanberecycled,itcanbethefirststeptowardsefficientrecycling. Buyproductsfromthemarketthataremadeupofrecycledmaterialsi.e.,theproductshouldbe environmentfriendly. Allproductsarerecyclablesuchassomeplastics.Thereisusuallyarecyclingsymbolonthebottomofproductstoknowwhetherornotitisrecyclable. Buyproductsthatcanberecycledlikepaper,glass,aluminum,plastic,etc.usedinthehouse,schooloroffice.Aluminumcanberecycledmultipletimes. Inventnewwaystorecycledifferentitems.However,recyclablesneedtobegatheredsystematicallyandseparatedfromtherestofthetrash,ensuringacontinuoussupplyfortherecyclingprocess. Avoidbuyinghazardousmaterialsthatcouldposedifficultyforyoutorecycle.Buynon-toxicproductswheneverpossible. Buyproductsthathavebeenmadefromrecycledmaterials. Usingrecycledproductsisasimportantasrecyclingitems.Recyclingcanbecomeeconomicallyviableonlywhentherecycledproductsaregivensignificanceandputtouse. Userecycledpaperforprintingormakingpaperhandicrafts. Seealso Causes,EffectsandSolutionstoOverhunting(HuntingofSpecies)Benefitsofthe‘Reduce,Reuse,Recycle’WasteHierarchy Sincetherewillbeasignificantreductionintheamountofwastethrownintotheenvironment,thechancesofspreadingtoxinsalsodecrease.Itautomaticallyreducesthelevelsofgreenhousegasemissionsandpollution. TheWasteHierarchyeliminatesthepracticeofimproperwastedisposal,i.e.,burningwasteandtrashhaphazardlyinanuncontrolledmanner.Ratheritenablesustomanagewasteinaneco-friendlymannerlesseningtheriskofdamagetotheenvironment. Theprimaryobjectiveof3Rprincipleistolessentheuseofnewerresourcesandenergy,makingmoreefficientuseofresources.Itpromotes resourceefficiency byusingthealreadyavailableresourcesthatareusedmultipletimes,reprocessed,orentirelyreduced.  Itcontributestomoresustainableenergyconsumption astheresourcesavailableonhandareused,andexcessiveconsumptioniscutdown.Itpromotesthesustainabilityofnotonlyenergyandresourcesbutalsotheenvironment. It encouragesthedevelopmentofgreentechnology thatiswaystocreatecleaner,safermeansofwastedisposalwhilereducingtheimpactontheenvironmentandallhabitats. Ithelpsincreasetheuseofrenewableenergysourceslikesolar,wind,geothermal,etc.aswell. The3Rsconserveenergyandresourcesandgeneratejobsinresourcemanagementandboosttheeconomy. Shiftfrom3Rsto4Rs TheFourth‘R’–Recover Another‘R’addedtothealreadyknown3Rswastehierarchyandmakesit4Rs.Thatfourth‘R’is recovering.The4Rssolutionsoftencomeoutasaresultofindustrybenchmarkingortechnologicalbreakthroughsinmoreinnovativecompanies. Afterapplying3Rs,itmaybepossibletorecovermaterialsorenergyoutofthewastelikeelectricity,heat,fuelandcompostthroughthermalandbiologicalmeans,whichcannotbereduced,reusedorrecycled.Thiscanbedoneby: Sendingtreatedwastestoalandfillwheretheywillbiodegradeawaytorejuvenatethelandagain. Solidwastesareburnedathightemperaturesintheincinerationmethodandconvertedintoresidueandgaseousproducts.  Non-recyclablewasteisconvertedintousableheat,electricity,orfuelthroughvaryingprocessesandthenbecomesarenewablesourceofenergy.WastetoEnergy(WtE)helpslessentheneedforfossilfuelsandreducesemissionsofcarbon. Composting,whichisanaturalbiodegradableprocess,turnsorganicwastesintonutrient-richfoodforplants.Itisaslowprocess,butoneofthebestwaystoturnunsafeorganicproductsintosafecompost. Shareon: AboutRinkesh Atrueenvironmentalistbyheart❤️.FoundedConserveEnergyFuturewiththesolemottoofprovidinghelpfulinformationrelatedtoourrapidlydepletingenvironment.UnlessyoustronglybelieveinElonMusk‘sideaofmakingMarsasanotherhabitableplanet,dorememberthattherereallyisno'PlanetB'inthiswholeuniverse. InterestingPostsYouMayLike... Searchfor: RecentPosts CanYouPutSolarPanelsOnaPatioRoof? CanYouPutSolarPanelsOnaGarageRoof? DoSolarPanelsCauseRoofLeaks?(AndPossibleReasons) IsGumLittering?(AndaWaste?) CanYouRecycleFoamEarplugs?(AndReuseThem?) CanGrowLightsPowerSolarPanels? DoSolarPanelsWorkintheMoonlight? CanYouWalkonSolarPanels?(AndCanTheyGetDamaged?) 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